Pokemon: The Adventures of Ash and Serena-Kanto Arc
by kirbykid13
Summary: Join Ash Ketchum and his childhood friend Serena Gabena as they travel around the Kanto Region as Pokemon trainers, facing many intense challenges with their Pokemon such as the Kanto Gym Leaders, Team Rocket, and many more. (Amourshipping)
1. Pallet Town Summer Camp

**Hello everyone, I'm going to make my take into writing a Pokémon fanfiction series. The main characters will be Ash and Serena which will follow a little like the anime, but there will be many things different.**

 **One, I will not be doing the Orange Islands as it seems like a pointless filler, but I will introduce Ash's Lapras and Snorlax into this series somehow. The Battle Frontier will still occur in this series.**

 **Two, Ash and Serena will have no traveling companions as they will be both going by themselves for the entire adventure, but they will have some people tag along occasionally. This means Brock and Misty will only appear in this series as gym leaders, but I will think of a way for them to appear in the future**

 **Three, Ash will not get a Pikachu as a starter, but the yellow mouse will be traveling alongside with Ash. They will just meet a little later, but not in Pallet Town. So, who will Ash's starter Pokémon be? There is a good idea who it might be.**

 **Fourth, Serena will not do Pokémon Performances, and if she does, it will likely happen in Kalos. However, there is a good idea of what she is going to be doing on her adventures with Ash. You might already know what it's going to be.**

 **Finally, if you don't happen to like what I write, then you don't have to read it. Everyone will have their different opinions, but you can mention if I have any grammar or spelling errors, I just don't want anyone leaving nasty reviews.**

 **One more thing, Ash and Serena will not have any powers in this series. No aura, no psychic powers.**

 **Okay, with that being said let's get started. Oh yeah and more thing…I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!**

* * *

Pallet Town, the town where shades of people's Pokémon journeys await. Living in Pallet Town was none other than a family that have thrived many great Pokémon trainers called the Ketchums. The Ketchum family had many amazing Pokémon trainers from past generations, and one of them was Red. Red was the reigning champion of the Kanto Region for many years defeating some of the greatest trainers out there.

Red Ketchum had one great rival during his time, and that was Blue Oak, the son of the famous Pokémon professor Samuel Oak. Red and Blue have been intense in their rivalries since the day Red got Charmander and Blue got Squirtle. Blue always liked to mock Red around for lagging, but in the end, it was the Pokémon League that mattered as Red topped Blue on the big stage.

Red eventually married his longtime girlfriend Delia, and the two had a beautiful baby boy named Ash Ketchum. Delia has been a loving mother for all of Ash's childhood, and his father did everything he could to step in to be a great dad. Then one day when Ash was six, Red had to leave Pallet Town which left Ash heartbroken. Delia understood what Red was doing, but Ash never knew why he left.

The title of Kanto Region Champion was then passed on over to Blue Oak after Red departed the Kanto Region. Blue got married and had a pair of twins named Gary and Daisy Oak. His wife passed away when the kids turned five, so when Blue needed to start doing his duties with the Pokémon League, the kids would be left with his father Samuel Oak.

Red and Blue both had another well-known friend named Rose Green who was a nifty Pokémon trainer, but not at the level Red and Blue were at. Rose was married to Daniel, a long-time friend she met in Celadon City, and they had a beautiful daughter named Leaf. Leaf always admired the adventure she had along with Red and Blue, and wished to have that excitement.

Ash, Gary, Daisy, and Leaf have become great friends with Ash and Gary dreaming of being Pokémon Masters, and Daisy and Leaf wanting to complete the Pokedex. Ash was reckless at times, but he always had a good heart caring about others, Gary has a big ego where he is always arrogant, Daisy has been an observant girl who always keeps knowledge in for Pokémon and what his brother could be up to, and Leaf has been a bubbly energetic girl who always loved to play.

The four were looking forward to the upcoming summer camp that always been run by Gary's grandpa Professor Oak. It was a good chance for them to learn about Pokémon, and the environment they could be traveling in, if they ever became Pokémon trainers.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Ketchum Household**_

Inside the Ketchum residence were Ash and Delia. Ash Ketchum was the boy with spiky raven hair, and chocolate brown eyes while his mother Delia had auburn brown hair in a ponytail and chocolate brown eyes.

"I can't wait for summer camp where I get to meet all the Pokémon," Ash said to his mom.

"I know you can't dear," Delia said, "You're so into Pokémon like your father was."

"Hey mom, I don't want to hear anything about dad," Ash sadly said, "I still wonder why he left us?"

"Ash, that's something we don't want to talk about," Delia said comforting his son, "But one day you will get a good understanding."

Ash has been down about his dad since he left, but all he could do for the time being was move forward. Delia was looking out the window and saw a moving truck in front of the house across the street. The house was vacant for some time, but Delia was so happy someone was finally moving in. Nothing brings a smile to people's face than new neighbors.

"I see our new neighbors are here," Delia said as she saw two women and a girl come out of the truck, "Amazing, it's a same sex couple."

One of the women had brown hair and a yellow pin into her hair wearing a black tee and baggy green pants, the other was a woman with short raven hair put into a ponytail wearing a white T-shirt with a green blazer, and a blue skirt. They had a little girl with them who was around the same age as Ash. She had honey-blonde hair and wore a pink dress.

"Ash, I'm going to meet our new neighbors," Delia told Ash, "They even have a girl who's around the same age as you."

Ash was just sitting there looking at his food while Delia went across the street to meet the new neighbors.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-New Neighbors House**_

Knock knock

The brown-haired woman opened the door to see that their new neighbor Delia was standing there ready to greet them.

"I take it you are our new neighbors," the woman said.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Delia Ketchum and I live across from you," Delia told the woman.

"It's so nice to meet you, my name is Grace Gabena," Grace said as the raven-haired woman came by her side, "And right here is my partner Jade Gabena, we moved from the Kalos Region."

"Hello there," Jade replied, "Would you like to come in?"

"I would be delighted," Delia replied.

Delia entered the Gabena residence and could clearly tell that there were plenty of boxes laying around so there was still some unpacking that needed to be done. As Delia was looking around, she could see plenty of trophies in one box.

"Wow, you ladies have so many trophies," Delia said in amazement.

"That's right, we were both Rhyhorn Racers back in our days," Grace said looking at the trophies, "Me and Jade were pretty much the biggest rivals in our days in the sport."

It made Delia chuckle a bit because the fact Grace and Jade were big rivals in Rhyhorn Racing, along with the fact they have won so many trophies, made her remember the days of her husband and Blue when they were competing against each other as Pokémon trainers.

"Wow, it reminds me of my husband when he was a great Pokémon trainer," Delia said admiring the trophies, "My husband, Red, and his old friend, Blue, were great Pokémon trainers who won many Pokémon League competitions back in their day."

"Wait, was your husband. Red Ketchum?" Jade questioned.

"Yes," Delia answered.

"Everyone heard about him," Jade said, "He managed to win every Pokémon League in every region in the world."

"Not only did he beat all the Pokémon Leagues, he even beat all the Elite Fours and Champions," Delia explained, "He even conquered the Battle Frontier."

"Wow, the Battle Frontier is possibly considered the toughest battle facility in the world," Grace said in astonishment, "Your husband actually beat the Battle Frontier?"

"He sure did," Delia answered.

Then Delia noticed the honey-blonde girl walking around quietly. When she saw Delia, she looked nervous, and just ran off to hide somewhere.

"Was that your daughter?" Delia asked.

"Yes, her name is Serena," Grace answered, "I'm her biological mother, and you won't believe who the donor was for me and Jade."

"It was Augustine Sycamore, the brilliant professor of the Kalos Region," Jade replied.

"Is he famous like in Kalos like how Professor Oak is in Kanto?" Delia asked.

"He is, he even is studies Mega Evolution," Jade answered.

"Well, I can learn more about him later, but I noticed that your daughter was pretty scared," Delia said.

"Yeah, well you see she has been pretty much of a social outcast," Grace explained, "She really didn't have any friends back in Vanillie Town."

"She was really shy," Jade stated.

It just brought tears to Delia's eyes to hear that Serena has no friends. Ash on the other hand has good friendships with Gary, Daisy, and Leaf. Ash wasn't sure on Gary, he was more of a frenemy. Then Delia thought of a good idea for her to try and help Serena out.

"Hey, Professor Oak will be having his annual Pokémon summer camp in a few weeks. Why don't you let Serena take part in the camp?" Delia suggested.

"Where is this summer camp going to be," Grace asked.

"It will be in a wooded area near Pallet Town," Delia answered, "I'm going to be sending my son there, and if she's lucky, she might actually get to meet him."

Grace and Jade were thinking about it. This was a good opportunity for Serena to get out and make some friends. There had to be plenty of kids around her age wanting to at least give her a chance to be her friend.

"Grace, I think it's a great idea," Jade responded, "It might actually help Serena in making friends with not just the kids, but with Pokémon as well, you know if she wants to become a Rhyhorn Racer one day."

"Jade, I think that's a wonderful idea," Grace replied.

"Great, I'm so happy for you two," Delia said smiling, "I'm sure your daughter will have a great time."

The lesbian couple couldn't believe it, but they believe Delia could be right. Serena was showing no social improvements back in Kalos, so maybe it might help her in Professor Oak's Summer Camp.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Summer Camp**_

A beautiful summer day came in the forest as the kids were gathering around for Professor Oak's summer camp. Ash wearing a yellow shirt, blue shorts, and red sneakers, was all hyped up to know a whole lot about Pokémon, and so were Gary, Daisy and Leaf. Meanwhile on the other end of things, Serena arrived at the summer camp wearing a pink sundress and a straw hat.

A man with light brown hair wearing a blue polo shirt, khaki shorts, and white sneakers was ready to run his annual summer camp. That man was Professor Oak, and he had a special guest with him. It was a man with stylish wavy raven hair and blue eyes, and he was dressed in an orange polo shirt, khaki pants, a green jacket, and a blue hat.

"Ah, Professor Augustine Sycamore," Oak responded greeting the Kalos professor.

"Samuel Oak, it's an honor to meet you here," Sycamore replied.

"Why thank you Augustine," Oak said as he noticed two Pokémon Eggs, "I see you brought some Pokémon eggs."

Professor Sycamore had two Pokémon Eggs in his possession. One egg was light blue with a few white marks, and another egg was orange with a red bubbly top and white on the bottom.

"Yes, these are Pokémon Eggs from the Kalos Region," Sycamore stated.

"I'm sure the kids would love to see those Pokémon eggs," Oak said.

"I'm sure they would too Samuel," Sycamore replied, "Especially after what these eggs have been through."

"I know what you mean," Oak sternly said.

With that, Professor Oak and Professor Sycamore met with the kids to get ready for their camp activities. Ash was all ready for some action, and so were Gary, Daisy, and Leaf. Serena on the other hand didn't feel like she wanted to do anything except be alone.

"Alright kids, I hope you're ready for today's activity, but first let me introduce you to someone special. He came all the way from the Kalos Region, please give a warm welcome to Professor Sycamore," Oak announced as all of the kids gave a round of applause to the professor.

"Hello children, and future Pokémon trainers, after today's activity, I'm going to show you something amazing," Sycamore told the kids.

All the kids were excited, especially for Ash as he was a big Pokémon lover. They were probably going to expect Pokémon the Kalos Region to be presented, but they had to wait until after the activity.

"Okay Professor Sycamore, thank you very much," Oak said, "Now for today's activity, were going to have a scavenger hunt. Now your objective is to find a certain Pokémon and bring it back here. The first two to bring their respective Pokémon back here wins."

All the kids were going to take part in a scavenger hunt by finding certain Pokémon and bringing them back. The kids were given a photo consisting of the Pokémon they had to look for. Ash was given his photo, and the Pokémon on the picture was a blue tadpole with a clockwise swirl on its stomach. The Pokémon Ash had to look for was a Poliwag. Serena got a photo of the Pokémon she had to look for, and it was a picture of a green worm with big black eyes. The Pokémon Serena had to look for was a Caterpie. The kids were ready, but Serena didn't seem to care.

"Okay kids, on your mark, get set, GO!" Oak announced as the kids started to look for their Pokémon.

As all the kids were running around looking for their respective Pokémon, Serena on the other hand didn't feel like she wanted to be part of the hunt. She just ended up wondering around the woods not knowing what to do. Despite this being the first time seeing the girl in person, Augustine had a feeling he knew who that girl was.

"I think I know who that girl is," Sycamore said.

"You do," Oak replied.

"Yes, remember when I told you I donated my sperm for a same sex couple to have a child," Sycamore explained.

"Yeah, I do, I heard we have a same sex married couple living here in Pallet Town with a daughter that was fathered by you," Oak explained, "Are you thinking that the girl is your biological daughter?"

"I think it is," Sycamore answered, "I heard they named her Serena, I want to know if that's her."

"I see what you mean," Oak replied.

Ash was running through the forest trying to find a Poliwag. He wanted to do anything to get his hands on a Poliwag and beat Gary.

"Here Poliwag, come out come out wherever you are," Ash said trying to call out Poliwag.

Then Ash spots a Poliwag just standing there. He had a chance to get his hands on the Tadpole Pokémon, so Ash snuck from behind to grab it, but it hopped away.

"Come back here," Ash called out to the Poliwag.

Serena was running through the woods as she seems to be lost. Serena couldn't find anyone who was part of camp. She was all alone, scared, and afraid.

"Where did everybody go," Serena cried, "Mommy, mommy!"

Serena then heard rustling in the bushes, and a Poliwag jumped out which startled her. She fell to the ground and hurt her knee, and she began to cry. Then Ash came out of the bushes trying to look for that Poliwag as it was the photo that was given to him.

"Here Poliwag," Ash called out.

Then Ash saw Serena laying on the ground with a hurt knee. Ash went up to Serena to check on her.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"I hurt my knee," Serena replied.

Ash looked at Serena's knee, and he could tell that it was a small bruise. Ash pulled out a blue handkerchief.

"Here, this should help," Ash said tying the handkerchief on Serena's knee, "Pain, pain, go away. Now stand up."

"I can't," Serena solemnly said.

"Well you have to try, never give up until the end," Ash told Serena.

Serena heard Ash's words of encouragement and decided to try and stand up. Serena got up on her feet, and she was able to stand.

"See, you stood up," Ash said until Serena fell into Ash's shoulder.

Serena couldn't help herself but get a warm feeling around Ash. Serena never opened to anyone since she pretty much did not speak to anyone.

"How do you feel?" Ash asked.

"I feel a bit wobbly," Serena answered.

"Hey, lets get you back to camp so the nurse can look at your knee," Ash suggested.

Ash was able to help Serena up and began to walk her back to the campsite. The two decided to have a nice conversation.

"So, do you live around here?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, me and my moms moved to Pallet Town a couple of days ago," Serena answered.

"Moms?" Ash questioned, "You have two moms?"

"Yeah," Serena responded, "Is something wrong with that."

"No, there isn't anything wrong with having two moms or two dads," Ash told Serena, "As long as they stay around to love you, then they're great parents. Lots of people have families that are different."

"Really, what's your family like?" Serena asked.

"Well, we're pretty much a normal family, just except the fact that my dad was once the champion of the Kanto Region," Ash said until he felt a bit gloomy, "Then he left us, and the Kanto Region Champion became his friend Blue."

"Why did you dad leave?" Serena asked.

"I don't know, but no one wants to talk about it," Ash answered.

Then, turning away from the sadness, Ash and Serena ended up seeing a Caterpie. Despite Serena being scared, she did remember the photo of the Pokémon she needed to try and bring back.

"Hey, I think I saw that Pokémon on my picture," Serena said pointing to the Caterpie.

"Of course, that's the Pokémon you probably had to bring back to camp," Ash said, "Go ahead and get it. Remember, never give up until the end!"

Remembering those words that Ash told her, Serena found the strength to walk on her own and approach Caterpie. Serena seemed afraid of the worm Pokémon, but as she got closer, she felt much more comfortable. Serena was able to pick up Caterpie, and walk right back to Ash, and she didn't feel anymore pain in her leg.

"I got it, I got Caterpie!" Serena cheered.

"That's great," Ash said pumping his fists.

Luck was on Serena's side, and little did Ash know, luck was on his side too. Jumping out of the bushes was the same Poliwag that startled Serena.

"Get back here," Ash yelled out to the Poliwag.

Ash ran as fast as he could to catch Poliwag, and this time the Tadpole Pokémon wasn't so nimble. Ash was able to grab Poliwag and walk back to Serena.

"You got Poliwag!" Serena cheered.

"I sure did," Ash said with a cheesy smile, "Now let's head back to camp."

Ash was happy that Serena's knee was feeling much better as she was able to toughen up and walk on her own. Ash happily carried Poliwag while Serena carried Caterpie back to the campsite where they met with Professor Oak and Professor Sycamore.

"Ah, you two came back with Pokémon," Oak said, "Let's see if you got the Pokémon that matches your picture."

Professor Oak took the Pokémon and their pictures and smiled to the fact that the two Pokémon Ash and Serena have brought back matched the pictures.

"Ah, it seems you two managed to bring back the correct corresponding Pokémon first," Oak said, "Congratulations, you two win the scavenger hunt!"

"Yay!" Ash and Serena cheered.

"I'll let everyone know," Sycamore said.

All the kids gathered around after Ash and Serena won the scavenger hunt. Gary was absolutely humiliated that Ash ended up beating him when he always wanted to beat him at everything. Daisy and Leaf were impressed that Ash won, and that he got a new friend. Gary, Daisy, and Leaf never seen the girl before, but noticed that she seemed a teeny bit clingy around Ash.

"Congratulations Ash and Serena, you won the scavenger hunt," Oak said, "And now Professor Sycamore will give you a reward."

Professor Sycamore walked up to Ash and Serena carrying the two Pokémon eggs in a basket.

"Ash and Serena, you get a chance to hold actual Pokémon eggs which holds special Pokémon that can only be found in the Kalos Region," Sycamore said setting the basket down.

Ash picked up the blue Pokémon egg while Serena picked up the orange Pokémon egg. The two were happy of holding Pokémon eggs.

"So, these are Pokémon eggs," Ash asked.

"That's right," Sycamore answered.

"What Pokémon are in there?" Serena asked.

Right after Serena asked her question, the two eggs started to glow. Professor Oak and Professor Sycamore were amazed that they were hatching, while the other kids were amazed as well. When Gary saw that the eggs were hatching, he had to feel completely jealous.

"Lucky Ash," he muttered.

The eggs finally stopped glowing, and two new Pokémon came into the world. The Pokémon that came out of Ash's egg was a light blue frog with yellow eyes, and the Pokémon that came out of Serena's egg was a little orange and red fox.

"Wow, I don't believe it," Ash said in amazement, "We actually got to see Pokémon hatch."

The moment the blue frog saw Ash's face, the light blue frog Pokémon smiled at the little boy. As for Serena, the baby orange fox gave a happy hello to Serena, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Hello there, welcome to the world. My name is Ash," Ash said to the blue frog.

"Hi there," Serena happily said to the orange fox.

"Professor Sycamore, do you happen to know what these Pokémon are," Oak announced to the kids.

"Yes, I do, the blue frog that Ash is holding is called Froakie, and the orange fox Serena has in her hands is called Fennekin," Sycamore explained to the kids, "Froakie is the water-type starter for the Kalos Region while Fennekin is the fire-type starter for the Kalos Region."

"Kalos Region starters?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, if you started your Pokémon journey in the Kalos Region, these would be the two Pokémon you would begin with," Sycamore explained.

Ash was amazed at how cool Froakie looked and would love to have a Pokémon like him. Serena just loved how cute Fennekin was and how she could have a Pokémon like that one day. Both kids and the Pokémon were happy.

"Hey, why don't we get a picture to commemorate this joyous occasion," Oak said taking out his camera, "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" Ash and Serena said while Froakie and Fennekin all gave out smiles too as Oak took the picture.

"Beautiful, I'll give you kids a copy to remember this moment," Oak said turning to Professor Sycamore, "And I'll give you one too."

"I'd be delighted, nothing has to impress me more than the kids looks on their faces when they see Pokémon being born," Sycamore happily explained.

Ash has always been a Pokémon lover and meeting all those Pokémon was a huge treat including watching a Froakie hatch. Maybe that meeting Serena was going to lead to good things that were going to come in his life.

For Serena, that meeting with Ash in the forest may be the best thing to happen in her young life. She got to make her first friend, she toughened up through a hurt knee, she won a scavenger hunt, and got to watch Pokémon come into the world with her own eyes up close.

Ash and Serena were able to play with Froakie and Fennekin for a little bit before it was time for those two Pokémon to go back home with Professor Sycamore. There was one thing that no one seemed to notice, and that was the fact that Froakie loved to play with Fennekin. She was the first Pokémon that Froakie has ever met in his short life, and Fennekin seemed to like him too, plus it eased…the hidden pain they went through as eggs.

"I'm glad you got to meet those kids," Sycamore said to Froakie and Fennekin, "I'll make sure you get all the love you can get."

* * *

 **This concludes the first chapter of the series. This will help us introduce the characters and the Pokémon. I decided to take a risk of making Serena's parents a lesbian couple, we know Grace the Rhyhorn Racer, and Jade is an OC I came up with on my own. I thought Professor Sycamore being Serena's biological father would make the best sense. Let me know what you all think of it.**

 **Now, as for the hidden pain Froakie and Fennekin went through as eggs, that will be explained in the next chapter as it involves an OC villain I came up with. The next chapter will include Ash and Serena getting their first Pokémon to start their journeys.**

 **Chapter 2: The Journey Begins**


	2. The Journey Begins

**Welcome to the second chapter of the series. The first chapter introduced us to Ash and Serena as they got to meet each other, and now they will be getting their first Pokémon. As I mentioned in the start of the story, Ash will not be getting Pikachu as his starter, but I think you know who his starter will be.**

 **WARNING, the beginning of this chapter is going to be absolutely disturbing! This is one of the big reasons I've rated this M. Read at your own cause, and if you can't handle it, go ahead and skip that part. It is a flashback scene by the way.**

* * *

 _ **3 Years Later**_

 _ **Lumisone City-Sycamore's Lab**_

A few years has passed since the meeting in Professor Oak's summer camp. In Lumisone City located in the Kalos Region, there was a white building in the heart of the city. That building was the Pokémon lab of Professor Augustine Sycamore. Professor Sycamore has spent years studying a special form of evolution called Mega Evolution.

He also introduces new coming trainers to their starter Pokémon. The Pokémon include the green-brown chipmunk Chespin, the orange-red fox Fennekin, or the blue-white frog Froakie. While Professor Sycamore has been giving trainers their new Pokémon, there was just one problem, a certain Froakie and Fennekin didn't seem to want any of those kids to be their trainers. It of worried the professor as he loved those Pokémon, but they don't seem to want a trainer.

"Is something wrong Augustine?" a woman with long blue hair and glasses asked.

"Yes Sophie, it's Froakie and Fennekin," Sycamore answered, "Those two Pokémon each been through many trainers, and they don't want to be with them."

Sophie was the wife of Professor Sycamore. She had long blue hair and wore glasses, and she wore a light blue blouse with a white-lab coat, a black skirt, black pantyhose and black heels. Sophie has been a specialist in keeping Pokémon healthy and knowing how to heal them, even though she wasn't a nurse.

"I know, they even have a hard time with us and everyone here in the lab," Sophie said in disappointment checking in on Froakie and Fennekin.

"Yeah, the two Pokémon get along with each other just fine. Especially Froakie who seems to be liking Fennekin," Sycamore said looking at the two Pokémon, "But they can't seem to trust any humans they come nearby, and for the past few years we continue to struggle to get them to trust us, despite everything we do for them."

It was true, Froakie and Fennekin have been scarred by the humans. While Froakie showed himself to have a little crush on Fennekin, they got along with the other Pokémon, but those two Pokémon didn't want any of them as their trainers. They couldn't trust a single human being no matter how kind they were, in fact the two barely ever smiled. As Sophie looked at the two Pokémon, she started to have tears come to her eyes.

"Why, why did that hunter have to go around killing their families?" Sophie questioned nearly beginning to cry.

"It's true, that no good hunter Siegfried did this to them," Sycamore said showing anger, "He had to go around killing Pokémon for fun, and he enjoyed it!"

That was the sad truth of Froakie and Fennekin, when they were still in their eggs, a Pokémon hunter by the name of Siegfried went around and killed their families like it was some game.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-4 Years Ago**_

 _ **A Pond in Kalos**_

 _It was almost four years ago, and there was a pond that was full of Froakies. There were also some creatures with dark blue heads, light blue stomachs, yellow eyes, and bubbly-white scarves. Those Pokémon were called Frogadier. Then there were two dark-blue ninjas like frogs with pink tongue like scarves around their necks called Greninja. Those Pokémon were Greninja._

 _All those Pokémon were swimming peacefully in the pond, and the two Greninjas who were parents were standing around protecting a bunch of eggs. Those eggs were going to be their children to soon be born into the world._

 _Then a large jeep comes in and pulls up in front of the pond. Stepping out of the jeep was a muscular man who was bald, wore sunglasses, and wore a camouflage jacket, green cargo jeans, and brown boots. He also held a machine gun._

" _Hey there! Siegfried the name, get ready to fucking die!" the man yelled out as he began shooting._

 _Siegfried unleashed a flurry of bullets out of his military assault weapon killing the Froakies and Frogadiers turning the lovely blue pond into a blood infested pool. Then we went up, grabbing Froakies and breaking their necks. He then came across another Froakie and ripped out one of its eyes and threw it in his mouth. He chews that Froakie's own eye right in front of him and spit it out at it's face. Then he pulled out a knife and beheaded the Froakie._

 _Siegfried was ruthless as he was killing the Froakies and Frogadiers, and the worst part was he enjoyed it. This man, no this monster has no remorse. He then approached the two Greninjas._

" _I killed your Arceus damn kids, and I would do it again," Siegfried smirked as he stabbed both Greninjas in the chest, "Now watch this!"_

 _Siegfried went to their eggs and started stepping on them. What was supposed to be newborn lives were now being taken by this murderer as the two injured Greninjas helplessly watched their eggs be smashed._

" _Yeah baby, Pokémon egg stomping is good!" Siegfried exclaimed, "I enjoy watching your babies die in front of you! Die you fucking pieces of shit!"_

 _Then Siegfried kicked some of the eggs off breaking them, and one went rolling away. After that, the two Greninjas got their heads blown off. Siegfried went into his jeep and drove off._

 _The lone egg kept rolling down into a secluded spot where it just sat there. Then an officer who was searching for the Pokémon murder found the lonely egg and brought it with him. The egg was in good condition, but this unborn Pokémon has already dealt with possible emotional damage._

* * *

 _ **A Forest in Kalos**_

 _Somewhere in the forest, there was a family of Fennekin along with a few taller orange and white foxes with black legs who happen to be Braxien. There were two parent Pokémon who were fox like creatures with orange upper bodies and red lower bodies, and they held a stick with a fire on them. Those were Delphoxs, and they were watching over the family along with a couple of eggs which were going to contain baby Fennekins._

 _Then suddenly, a jeep pulls up and coming out was a muscular man who was bald, wore sunglasses, and wore a camouflage jacket, green cargo jeans, and brown boots. It was Siegfried, the same unstable hunter who killed a family of Froakies._

" _Guess what! I'm ending your fucking lives because I want too!" Siegfried yelled out as he began to shoot the Pokémon._

 _Fennekins and Braixen were all being shot to death while the two Delphoxs began to fight back. Siegfried then threw ninja stars at the two Pokémon weakening them. After killing most of the Fennekin and Braixen, Siegfried picked up a live Fennekin and a chainsaw bringing the Fox Pokémon up close to the parents._

" _Hey, want to see something that isn't shit," Siegfried said smirking._

 _Siegfried then activated his chainsaw and began to severe the Fennekin's head. How horrifying, their baby, their child, had their head cut off right in front of them, and they couldn't defend their child. As they were in pain and unable to move, they knew that they failed as parents._

" _Boy, killing your own kids in front of you makes me hungry," Siegfried said as he grabbed one of the Pokémon eggs._

 _Siegfried took their egg in front of them, and in front of their own eyes, Siegfried chomped into the Pokémon egg and ate it. He then proceeded to finish the egg as his own personal meal._

" _Delicious," Siegfried said darkly, "Don't worry, you get to be with your sorry ass excuse of your families again right now."_

 _The Pokémon killer grabbed Delphox's throat and slit it, and the other Delphox had her eyes slithered out, and stuck the knife into her brain. They fell onto their own eggs smashing them to pieces. Who the hell was this monster? Did he escape from an insane asylum? Whatever this thing was, it has no room in existence._

" _Now to kill more fucking Pokémon! I love killing these bastards!" Siegfried shouted as he drove off in his jeep._

 _All there was now was dead Fennekin, dead Braixen, two dead Delphox, and a bunch of destroyed eggs. One egg though was left unscathed, and soon an officer recovered that egg._

" _It had to be Siegfried," said the officer as he recovered the egg, "Don't worry little fella, you'll live a great life."_

 _The egg was placed next to the lone blue egg that the officer recovered. The only place the officer knew where he could take the egg was Professor Sycamore. He was the best Pokémon expert and lover he could think of._

* * *

 _ **Present Day**_

 _ **Lumisone City-Sycamore's Lab**_

"Then that officer brought those eggs here, so we could take care of them," Sycamore said solemnly, "And the worst part is that sad excuse of a human being is still out there slaughtering Pokémon for no reason."

Sycamore couldn't help but feel for Froakie and Fennekin. Even though they were just eggs, the two Pokémon were emotionally scarred for life. They couldn't trust a single human being, not even the professor and his wife. Then Sophie noticed something, there was a photo that was taken from Professor Oak's summer camp of couple of years ago. Sophie picked up the picture and saw it was Ash holding that same Froakie, and Serena holding that same Fennekin. That picture showed one of the few times the two Pokémon smiled.

"You know something Augustine, one of the few times those Pokémon seemed happy was when they were with those kids," Sophie said looking at the photo.

"Yeah, you're right," Sycamore said, "I remember the names of those two kids holding those Pokémon. Ash Ketchum, the one holding Froakie, and Serena Gabena, the one holding Fennekin."

"Hey, wasn't Serena Gabena the name of that child the same sex couple had from you being a donor?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, it was about a year before I met you," Sycamore answered, "Even though I have been a famous professor here in Kalos, I still wanted to try and make a difference in people's lives. One day, I actually went to the Lumisone City Cyrolab to donate some sperm."

"So, how did you realize that Serena was your biological daughter?" Sophie asked.

"Well, I ended up getting a call from a couple in Vanillie Town that they had a beautiful baby daughter. The doctor told them that it was my sperm that Grace Gabena got as she was the one carrying the baby. After Serena was born, the doctor gave them my number, and they called my lab to thank me for the donation," Sycamore explained, "That was the only time they called though."

"Wow, had to be nice having a child of your own," Sophie said holding Sycamore's hand.

"It is," said Sycamore, "Sometimes I do wonder what it could be like if I could raise a child of my own."

The topic of kids suddenly was brought up by the fact of seeing the picture of Ash and Serena when they trailed off the original topic of Froakie and Fennekin along with that monster hunter Siegfried.

Froakie and Fennekin saw the pictures of them with Ash and Serena after they were hatched out of their eggs. That was the only time they saw them, but those were the only humans who have made them happy. Froakie was happy to see the picture because it had Ash in it, and Fennekin was happy to see the picture because it had Serena in it. Despite the friendship those two Pokémon had with each other, they sometimes wished they could see those kids again.

Then Professor Sycamore saw the looks on Froakie's and Fennekin's faces. He remembered that it was those two kids who gave them that moment of happiness. Then, an idea struck into the professor's head.

"Hey Sophie," Sycamore said, "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Sophie asked.

Sycamore picked up the phone to call someone he knew. That person he was calling was Professor Oak.

* * *

 _ **One Week Later**_

 _ **Pallet Town: Ketchum Household**_

It was nighttime in Pallet Town a few years later. The little boy Ash Ketchum was now a ten-year old boy who was going to be beginning his Pokémon journey very soon. Ash was watching the latest Pokémon battle on TV as he was hoping one day to become the very best like no one ever was.

"Yes, tomorrow I start my Pokémon journey," Ash said to himself.

"Ash, get to bed right now!" Delia exclaimed to her son.

Ash fell to the ground onto his stuffed Snorlax when Delia came into the room to tell him to go to bed.

"It's 11:00 at night, and you need to get your sleep," Delia said to Ash.

"I'm sorry mom, I'm just so excited for my Pokémon journey that I just can't sleep," Ash explained.

"Well if you can't sleep, then at least get ready for tomorrow," said Delia as she changed the channel, "Here watch this."

Delia changed the channel on Ash's TV, and it was Professor Oak talking about the starter Pokémon for trainers. There were three Pokémon shown in the image next to Professor Oak. One was a blue reptile like creature with a green bulb on its back, that was Bulbasaur; One was a red lizard with a flame on its tail, that was Charmander; and one was a blue turtle with an orange shell, that was Squirtle.

"Tomorrow, a new generation of trainers will begin their Pokémon journey. They will be able to pick between these three Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle," Oak said on the TV pointing to the image of the three starter Pokémon.

"Go to bed when this is done," said Delia, "And change into your pajamas."

"Alright," Ash replied.

As soon as his mom closed the door, Ash decided to look out the window. What he saw happened to be the Gabena household home to his good friend Serena. Ash has been fond of her since that day in summer camp, Ash was too afraid to say something, but he really liked her. Ash looked at the photo of their day at summer camp as they were holding Froakie and Fennekin in their arms.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

Elsewhere in another house, we see a girl with honey-blonde hair who went by the name Serena Gabena. Serena has been a shy girl since moving to Pallet Town, but after she met Ash and watched Pokémon hatched out of their eggs, Serena felt a lot more comfortable and open. She even became great friends with Daisy and Leaf, and Gary was somewhat on and off at times. Serena was really starting to take an interest in Ash since that day in summer camp. She was looking out the window where the Ketchum household was across the street. Serena was looking at the photo of her and Ash from summer camp where they were holding Froakie and Fennekin after they hatched out of their eggs. The two were happy together, and so were the Pokémon.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I get my first Pokémon," Serena said to herself smiling, "I really want to go on this Pokémon journey with Ash."

Serena wasn't just looking forward to going on a Pokémon journey, she was hoping that this would be the chance to bond with Ash. Serena secretly liked him, and the other girls knew it too, but Ash didn't know that she had a crush on him.

In another room of the Gabena household, there were Serena's moms Grace and Jade. No one minded that fact that Serena had two moms, in fact everyone found that awesome. The only thing that was on Grace and Jade's mind was what would Serena be doing when she begins her Pokémon journey.

"Okay Jade, Serena doesn't want to do Rhyhorn Racing, but there's got to be something she wants to do," Grace said to her partner.

"You know Serena is into fashion, so maybe she might find a career in Pokémon fashion I guess," Jade responded.

"Or human fashion," Grace commented, "But there has to be something she could do. Honestly, she's mostly leaving the house just to be with Ash."

"Yeah, our little girl is growing up," said Jade.

The two moms knew Serena was going to be getting her first Pokémon tomorrow to begin her Pokémon journey. They were just worried what path she was going to take.

* * *

 _ **The Next Morning**_

 _ **Pallet Town-Professor Oak's Lab**_

There was a man with light brown hair wearing a red shirt with a white lab coat along with some khaki pants and brown shoes. That man was Professor Samuel Oak who was getting ready to give the new trainers their first Pokémon. He had a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, and a Squirtle all ready to give out to new trainers.

"Okay you guys, you're going to meet your new trainers very soon," Oak said looking at the Pokémon.

Professor Oak was aware that there were going to be five new Pokémon trainers. Along with his grandson Gary Oak and granddaughter Daisy Oak, there was Ash Ketchum, Serena Gabena, and Leaf Green. Then he could notice five people out the window.

"Holy crap, they're coming," Oak said as he called back all the Pokémon in the Pokeballs.

Professor Oak got the Pokeballs set on the table for the new trainers. Then the five kids all walked into the lab. Two of them were Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena. Ash was wearing a black t-shirt with a blue jacket with white sleeves, blue jeans, white and black tennis shoes, and an official Pokémon League hat, and Serena was wearing a black shirt with a white collar, a red skirt, black socks that go to her knees, black high tops sneakers, and a felt pink hat with a black brim and little black bow.

There were three other kids that came with Ash and Serena. One of them had spiky brown hair and wore a purple shirt, black pants, and brown boots with a pennant around his neck, that was Gary Oak. Another one was a girl with long auburn hair who wore a white polo shirt with a blue skirt, white socks, black tennis shoes, and a gold hairpin, that was Gary's sister Daisy. The last one was a girl with long brown hair who wore a blue t-shirt with a red skirt, blue socks, white sneakers, and a white hat with a red half poke-ball logo on it. That girl was Leaf Green.

"Well, it seems our new trainers have arrived," Oak said, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Professor Oak and I study Pokémon."

"We know who you are grandpa," Gary said.

"I know, I just want to give new trainers a proper introduction," Oak told Gary.

"Now let's hurry up, that Pokémon League trophy isn't going to get on my mantle with you rambling around," Gary said.

"Gary! Please show some respect," Daisy told her brother, "They don't just give a trophy out to anyone."

"It's okay Daisy, we all know how arrogant Gary can be," Oak said chuckling a little bit.

The kids did notice one thing, how come there were five of them when there was only three Pokémon available to choose from. Was it possible that two trainers were not going to get a Pokémon?

"Alright, you all know the three Pokémon that I will give you will either be Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. I'm going to call you all by name. When I call your name, come up and choose your Pokémon," Oak told everyone, "First up will be, Leaf Green."

"Yay, my first Pokémon," Leaf happily said.

Leaf was happy about getting her first Pokémon as her goal was to complete the Pokedex. The energetic girl looked at the three Pokeballs and picked out Bulbasaur's Pokeball.

"You picked Bulbasaur, the grass type Pokémon," Oak said.

"That's right, since my parents named me Leaf which is related to a plant, a grass type like Bulbasaur is perfect for me," Leaf said as she opened Bulbasaur's Pokeball.

Coming out of the Pokeball was Bulbasaur who looked at Leaf with curiosity. The Seed Pokémon was happy when he saw Leaf's face.

"Hi there Bulbasaur, you and I are going to be best friends," Leaf said as she picked up and hugged Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur happily said.

"Okay, next up is you sweetie," Oak said looking at his granddaughter.

"Alright, thanks grandpa," Daisy said as she went up to the two remaining Pokeballs, "Hmm, I'll go with Charmander."

Daisy grabbed Charmander's Pokeball and brought the Lizard Pokémon out. Charmander took a good look at Daisy, and it gave a happy response.

"So, you chose the fire type Pokémon Charmander," Oak said, "And it looks like you two are going to be great friends."

"Thanks grandpa, me and Charmander are going to get along just fine," Daisy told her grandpa.

"Char," Charmander happily said.

Daisy took her new Charmander and joined Leaf who got her new Bulbasaur. Then Professor Oak turned over to his grandson Gary, and he knew that he was eager to get his first Pokémon.

"Okay Gary, that leaves you with Squirtle," Oak told his grandson.

"That's cool, I wanted Squirtle anyways," Gary said as he grabbed Squirtle's Pokeball, "Well Ash, it looks like you'll be left in the dust with no Pokémon while I get to crown myself Pokémon Master!"

Ash was deeply disappointed when Gary got Squirtle because that was the last Pokémon Professor Oak had. Now he and Serena were not going to get any Pokémon. It felt like a total waste of time since Professor Oak put those two in the back.

"Alright Squirtle, it's time to show me what Gary Oak is made of," Gary said raising his fists as he brought Squirtle out.

Professor Oak looked at Ash and Serena as soon as Gary got his Squirtle.

"Ash, Serena, I'll talk to you two in a minute," Oak told the two.

"Okay," Serena responded.

"Thank you," Ash replied.

After Leaf, Daisy, and Gary got their Pokémon, Professor Oak went over to the desk where he pulled out three Pokedexs. Professor Oak gave a Pokedex to the three new trainers while Ash and Serena just stood there and watched.

"Okay everyone, those are your Pokedexs which will record information on any Pokémon you see," Oak explained.

"Hey, guys, let's try them out on our new Pokémon," Leaf said as she got out her Pokedex.

"Good idea," Daisy replied taking out her Pokedex.

 _#001-Bulbasaur: Seed Pokémon_

 _Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger._

 _#004-Charmander: Lizard Pokémon_

 _The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely._

 _#007-Squirtle: Tiny Turtle Pokémon_

 _Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds._

"Now that we got that taken care of, I'm out of here," Gary said calling back his Squirtle.

"Where are you going?" Ash asked.

"What did I tell you, I'm getting my trophy," Gary answered with a smirk, "That mantle looks like crap without a Pokémon League trophy with my name."

As Gary walked out, Ash and all the girls watched him out the window and gasped to see that there was a red convertible with cheerleaders.

"What the hell is that!?" Daisy gasped.

Gary hopped into the convertible and the driver drove off with him and the cheerleaders in there. Then the convertible drove off with the cheerleaders chanting his name, and all they could do is look in disgust.

"If I ever do something like that, I want you all to legally find a way to kill me," Leaf told Ash, Serena, and Daisy.

"Yeah, that was him being a total showoff," Daisy said until she turned over to Ash and Serena, "Um, sorry you two didn't get a Pokémon."

"It's okay," Serena replied.

"I was really looking forward to beginning my journey," Ash said in disappointment.

Professor Oak then walked up to Ash and Serena with Daisy and Leaf on their side. He knew the two were feeling down that they didn't get a starter Pokémon.

"Okay Ash and Serena, you two are probably wondering why you didn't get one of the starter Pokémon that I provide to the new trainers," Oak stated.

"We do, it's because you didn't have any left," Ash answered.

"Well, that's half-true but there is another reason," Oak replied.

"It's because we don't have what it takes to become Pokémon trainers," Serena answered.

"No, but you'll see," Oak said, "It's a shame Gary decided to ditch you all because he's going to miss the big surprise I got for you two."

"You got us Pokémon!" Ash exclaimed.

"Let me put it this way, I got someone on the television that I want you two to meet," Oak said bringing down a giant TV like screen, "Trust me, you'll be amazed what I got in store for the two of you."

As the TV was down, Ash, Serena, Daisy, and Leaf were confused on what was going on. Then when the TV turned on, they saw that it was Professor Sycamore who appeared. Professor Oak went into another room.

"Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena?" Sycamore questioned.

"Um yeah, who are you?" Ash questioned.

"I guess you may not remember me from a few years ago at Professor Oak's summer camp, I'm Augustine Sycamore the Pokémon professor in the Kalos Region," Sycamore answered.

Professor Sycamore started to come up in Ash and Serena's memories. They recalled meeting him in summer camp as he gave them the Pokémon eggs that eventually hatched into Froakie and Fennekin. Daisy and Leaf remember him as well.

"Oh yeah, I remember you now," Serena replied.

"That's good to hear, now I hear you two are becoming Pokémon trainers. Is that correct?" Sycamore asked.

"Yes, we are, but we don't have any Pokémon," Ash answered.

"Yeah, Gary, Daisy, and Leaf got all the starters," Serena answered.

"Well I think you might want to hear something from Professor Oak," Sycamore said as Oak came back into the room.

In Professor Oak's hands were two Pokeballs. One Pokeball was fully blue while another Pokeball was fully red. Ash and Serena saw the Pokeballs and wondered what was going on.

"Ash, Serena, I had a conversation last week with Professor Sycamore and we had a little talk," Oak said holding out the Pokeballs, "Go ahead and speak with them Augustine."

"Thank you. If you recalled back in summer camp when you guys got to watch Pokémon hatch from their eggs," Sycamore mentioned.

"Yeah, I remember that," Ash said in excitement, "I still have the picture of that day."

"That was the day I would never forget," Serena happily said.

"I know you two were happy that day when you saw Froakie and Fennekin hatch out of those eggs, but the truth is these two Pokémon haven't been really happy for much of their lives," Sycamore explained.

"Really?" Leaf questioned.

"What happened?" Daisy asked feeling a little sad.

"Well, Froakie and Fennekin are starter Pokémon for any trainer in the Kalos Region, but those two Pokémon can't seem to trust any trainer, and here's why," Sycamore said, "Be warned, this story does not have a happy ending."

Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Daisy all stood there ready to listen what Professor Sycamore was about to say. No one yet knew the true story behind Froakie and Fennekin, but it was one of the most painful Pokémon stories to ever be heard.

"Those eggs we gave you at summer camp, they were actually found by officers who rescued them. Four years ago, there was a violently dangerous Pokémon hunter who went by the name of Siegfried. Siegfried was an evil man who just gone around slaughtering Pokémon for no reason, and he enjoyed it! He found Froakie's family and killed everyone that was there and did the same with Fennekin's family. Froakie's egg was the only one that survived from his family, and Fennekin's egg was the only one that survived from her family. They were survivors, they escaped his murderous ways." Sycamore explained feeling both angry and upset.

The four kids were just ready to cry. How could it be that an evil man could just go around murdering Pokémon just for the fun of it. Those Pokémon didn't deserve it, and more importantly, why did someone like that even exist. It was hard to know if they should be sad or angry.

"We learned that whatever happens to a Pokémon's surrounding when in their egg state, could bring a big effect into their lifestyles. That's why I wanted their eggs to be around good people like children. When Froakie and Fennekin hatched out of their eggs, those two were happy to be in the world, especially when they saw your happy faces," Sycamore explained.

"Wow, Froakie was really happy to see me," Ash said, "And I was happy to see Froakie too."

"I felt the exact same way about Fennekin," Serena replied.

"I know you two did, but that was the only time I could remember those two being happy. Froakie and Fennekin couldn't seem to trust any humans including me. They were given many different trainers over the years, but they didn't want to be with them. After about maybe a few hours, the trainers came back and returned them to me. The effects of being around someone like Siegfried while as eggs has deeply damaged them emotionally. Now it looks like they're afraid of all humans and can't trust them. However, when they saw you two, that was the only time we could ever remember them being happy around a human," Sycamore explained.

"Really?" Ash and Serena questioned in union.

"Yeah, I don't know what made them like you. Whether you two were just kids, or something else," Sycamore said, "So now I would like Samuel to take the honors."

"Thank you, Augustine," Oak said bringing the Pokeballs forth, "Ash, Serena, me and Professor Sycamore talked it over, and we decided to assign you two your first Pokémon. Ash, you take the blue Pokeball, and Serena you take the red Pokeball."

"Thanks," Ash said taking the blue Pokeball.

"So, you chose the first Pokémon for us?" Serena asked taking the red Pokeball.

"Yes, now open them up," Oak said, "I bet you two will be very happy who we gave you guys as your starter Pokémon."

Ash looked at the blue Pokeball. It was blue from top to bottom, and when Ash opened the Pokeball, he saw that it was a Froakie. Ash's face beamed with happiness that he got a Kalos starter instead of a Kanto starter. Froakie was feeling a little down when coming out of the ball, but when he saw Ash's face, he recognized that face immediately. Froakie then…smiled knowing it was that boy he saw when he hatched.

"Froakie," Froakie said showing a little bit of joy.

Serena's Pokeball was red from top to bottom, and Serena opened the Pokeball to reveal she has obtained a Fennekin as her starter. Serena was happy to see the Fox Pokémon, but Fennekin wasn't looking forward to another trainer, until she saw Serena. Serena's face was the first thing Fennekin saw in this world, and the only thing Fennekin felt was happiness. Fennekin remembered her from that picture in Sycamore's house.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said showing a little bit of joy.

"Wait a minute, are these the same Froakie and Fennekin from summer camp a few years ago?" Ask asked with happiness.

"It is Ash. The only time Froakie was happy was looking at the photo with you and Serena in it, and the same went for Fennekin. Froakie has always seemed fond of you for some reason, and Fennekin felt the same for Serena. So, me and Oak had a talked, and we have decided to take an experiment of letting that same Froakie you met at summer camp be your starter Pokémon Ash, and the same goes for Fennekin as she will be Serena's starter," Sycamore announced.

"You mean, the same Fennekin that hatched out of the egg at summer camp is going to be…my starter Pokémon!?" Serena asked in excitement.

"That's right," Sycamore answered.

"Wow, Froakie you and I are going to be best friends now," Ash happily said.

"Froakie," Froakie said waving his arms happily.

"Now remember Ash and Serena, give these Pokémon a lot of love. They have some hard time trusting humans after what happened to them before they hatched. If you can give all the love and friendship you can, it will be no doubt those two Pokémon can overcome the humans," Oak explained.

"That's right, plus let Froakie and Fennekin out a lot to play. These two Pokémon do get along very well," Sycamore told Ash and Serena.

"What are you talking about, of course we'll let them play," Ash said.

"Yeah, we want them to get along with us, but we also want them to get along with other Pokémon," Serena said.

"That's great, I think you two will do great as trainers for Froakie and Fennekin. Well, I'll let Professor Oak take it from here," Sycamore said, "I wish you the best of luck on your journeys, and we might speak again sometime. Goodbye."

Sycamore waved goodbye on the screen until it turned black. Ash and Serena were amazed that only were they given Kalos starters as their first Pokémon, but they also happened to be the same Pokémon they were holding when they first met at summer camp. This had to be destiny.

"We're going to not only be best friends, we're going to take good care of them," Ash said looking at Serena.

"Especially after hearing what that Siegfried guy did to their families," Serena said feeling a bit down.

Daisy and Leaf were in total shock when they saw that Ash and Serena were getting Kalos starters from Professor Oak's lab, in Kanto. The only thing that was going through the girls' heads was the fact that Gary missed out on the events that happened in the lab. He probably would wonder how the hell did they get Kalos starters in Kanto.

"Gary would've flipped out if he saw that," Daisy said to Leaf.

"Too bad his ego had to kick in," Leaf said giggling.

"So, did you two expect that?" Oak asked Ash and Serena.

"No, we didn't," Ash answered.

After hearing everything about Froakie and Fennekin, Ash and Serena couldn't have been happier. Little did these two know, they wanted to travel with each other in hopes to get closer. Ash did have a little crush on Serena while Serena did have a crush on Ash. The fact that these two Pokémon have gotten along at Sycamore's lab was the perfect opportunity for them to possibly get together.

"Hey Ash, I was wondering, do you want to travel together?" Serena asked which got Ash to raise his eyebrows.

"I would love too," Ash answered, "Especially after hearing about how these two Pokémon got to be good friends while living with Professor Sycamore."

"Amazing, so you two are traveling together," Oak said.

"Yes, we are," Ash answered.

"Well in that case I got something you two can use," Oak said as he walked out of the room.

Daisy and Leaf came up to Ash and Serena and gave them a cheesy glare and smile. The only thing those two girls knew was that Ash and Serena were going to travel together and become a couple.

"So, new Pokémon trainers in love," Leaf said.

"Leaf, knock it off!" Serena retorted.

"Oh, come on, we know you two want to just make out somewhere," Daisy teasingly said.

"Daisy, come on!" Ash retorted.

"Yeah, Ash is right," Leaf said looking at Froakie and Fennekin, "We need to look up these Pokémon first."

Leaf and Daisy opened their Pokedexs, only to reveal that the data could not be recorded.

"No data?" Daisy questioned.

"Of course, these are regional Pokedexs, and Froakie and Fennekin don't come from this region," Leaf explained.

Then Professor Oak came back into the room with what looked like a giant Pokedex. It was red with a big screen, and the only question is what the heck was that thing.

"Okay, Ash and Serena, since you two are going to be traveling together, I won't be giving you an ordinary Pokedex," Oak said presenting the giant Pokedex, "Instead I'm going to have you two use this Pokedex together."

"This is a Pokedex?" Serena questioned.

"It is a Pokedex, but a special kind of Pokedex," Oak answered, "It isn't operational right now, but I do have a special part to make it work. I ordered the part, and I want you to retrieve it in Viridian City. After that, it will scan and give information on every Pokémon in any region."

"Do you know what kind of Pokedex this is?" Ash asked.

"It was something I heard that was created in the Alola Region by my colleague Professor Kukui," Oak answered, "I also have a cousin named Samson who lives in Alola too."

"Don't worry Professor, we'll get that part and then make this Pokedex work," Ash responded.

"That's good to hear," Oak said.

With that, Ash took the big Pokedex that he and Serena were going to use. Now that they got their starter Pokémon and Pokedexs, it was time for them to hit the road.

* * *

 _ **Outside Professor Oak's Lab**_

As Ash, Serena, Daisy, and Leaf came out with Froakie, Fennekin, Charmander, and Bulbasaur, the parents were waiting. Ash saw Delia waiting while Serena noticed her moms Grace and Jade. Leaf saw a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes wearing a green shirt with a white shrug, a long blue skirt, and blue flats along with a man with nicely combed brown hair and hazel eyes wearing a red polo shirt, khaki pants, and brown shoes. Those two were Rose and Daniel Green, Leaf's parents, and Daisy didn't have any parents waiting for her since she didn't have a mom, and her dad was at the Pokémon League. She did get to meet her grandpa though which was good enough.

"So, lets see the new Pokémon," Rose said to the kids.

"Okay mom," Leaf said picking up Bulbasaur, "Mom, dad, this is Bulbasaur. He's going to be my new best friend and were going to make a lot of more friends."

"Hey there Bulbasaur, how are you doing," Daniel said petting Bulbasaur on the head, "Welcome to the Green family."

"And Daisy here got Charmander," Leaf said pointing to Daisy and Charmander.

Daisy came up and showed the adults her new Charmander. Charmander gave a happy hello to the adults, but Charmander knew the person that she had to trust was Daisy.

"Charmander seems very cute," Rose said,

"Thanks, and Gary got Squirtle," Leaf told the adults, "By the way shoot me if I get a convertible and cheerleaders."

"His ego kicked in, did it?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," Daisy answered.

Now it was time for Delia, Grace, and Jade to look at the Pokémon that their kids got. Usually the trainers get Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, but Ash and Serena were given different Pokémon.

"So, Ash, what Pokémon did you get?" Delia asked.

"Yeah Serena, we want to meet your Pokémon too," Grace replied.

"Well you're in for a special surprise," Ash said putting down the giant Pokedex and picking up Froakie which Delia noticed, "Everyone, this is my new Pokémon Froakie!"

"Froakie," Froakie weakly said.

"Don't worry Froakie, they won't hurt you," Ash said comforting Froakie.

"And this here is Fennekin," Serena said holding up Fennekin, "Say hi Fennekin."

"Fenn," Fennekin nervously said.

"Wait a minute, aren't those Pokémon supposed to be starters from the Kalos Region?" Jade questioned, "How did you kids get those?"

"It's a pretty sad story," Ash said as he began to speak.

Ash and Serena told the story of what Professor Sycamore said about Siegfried, how they were the same Pokémon that hatched out of the eggs at summer camp, and that they seemed like the only humans they could trust.

"Froakie, Fennekin, I'm so sorry for you two," Grace said weeping.

"Don't worry you two, you're in good hands with Ash and Serena," Jade said which didn't do much for Froakie or Fennekin.

"By the way Ash, I noticed you were holding something. What is that thing you got?" Delia asked.

"Oh this," Ash said picking up the giant Pokedex, "This is a special Pokedex Serena and I are going to use. It doesn't seem to work right now, but we're going to get a special part in Viridian City to make it work."

"Ah, very…interesting," Delia said feeling a bit confused.

"Wait a minute, special Pokedex you and Serena are going to use?" Grace questioned, "Are you two planning to travel together?"

"Yeah mom, me and Ash are going to travel through Kanto together," Serena answered as she got up a little closer to her two moms, "I also figure it's a good way for me and Ash to get closer."

"Closer?" Jade questioned.

"No, that way, I mean maybe develop a relationship and become a couple," Serena told her mom.

"Oh, love I see," Jade giggled until she saw the Pokedex again, "You have any idea how that Pokedex works?"

"Not yet," Serena answered.

After all the introductions, story-telling about Froakie and Fennekin, and showing the giant Pokedex, it was time to get going.

* * *

 _ **Outskirts of Pallet Town**_

Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Daisy were all at the edge of Pallet Town with their Pokémon back in their Pokeballs, and they were ready to say their goodbyes. Daisy now had a red backpack as she ran off waving goodbye to everyone while Leaf hugged her mom and dad as she now had a yellow bag on her shoulder.

"Now you be safe out there Leaf," Rose told her daughter.

"If anything happens, just come on home," Daniel told Leaf.

"Don't worry mom and dad, I'll be fine," Leaf told her parents, "Besides, I managed to make sure I studied all different ways to survive in the wild as this world is pretty harsh."

"That's good for you," Rose said giving a thumbs up, "Always be prepared. Now be safe, and I love you."

"I love you too," Leaf said as she continued to hug them.

Then after a nice long hug, Rose and Daniel finally let go and Leaf began to walk down the road. Her Pokémon journey began, and the two parents waved goodbye. All that was left was Ash and his mom, and Serena and her moms. Ash's mom gave him a green backpack while Serena's moms gave her a pink backpack.

"Okay Ash, I put in some fresh clothes for you, also a first aid kit, gloves for laundry, emergency snacks, and that giant Pokedex you're going to hulk around," Delia said handing Ash his backpack and some money, "You're also going to get two-thousand Pokedollars for a little spending money."

"Now Serena, we made sure you got some medicine in case any of you or your Pokémon get sick, a nice cookbook because you kids are going to need to learn how to cook your own meals, soap and shampoo, and of course clothes, and your make-up kit," Grace said handing Serena her backpack and money, "And also two-thousand Pokedollars for you too."

"I'm so proud that you kids are off on your own," Jade said wiping a tear.

"Not to worry Mrs. Gabena, we're going to be just fine," Ash told Jade.

"Alright then," Delia said as she gave Ash a big hug, "Ash, I'm going to miss you. I want you and Serena to be very careful."

"Don't worry mom, I won't let anything happen to her," Ash told his mom.

"Take care Serena, and don't worry, you'll find out what you want to do," Grace told Serena while she and Jade gave her a hug.

"Thanks mom," Serena said, "I'm going to be fine."

"That's good to hear," Jade replied, "As your mom always says, go for broke."

"I will," Serena said.

Afterwards the two kids broke out of their mothers' hugs, and now it was time for them to go. It was time for them to venture out into the big dangerous world of Pokémon.

"Take care, and I love you," Delia said to Ash.

"I love you too mom," Ash replied.

"We love you Serena," Grace and Jade said in union.

"I love you too," Serena told her moms.

And after that, Ash and Serena went down the road to begin their Pokémon journey. Who knows what challenges will await them, what kind of Pokémon will they catch and make friends with, and how will Froakie and Fennekin improve around humans other than Ash and Serena. Only time will tell what their journey awaits them, and then Delia called out Ash one more time.

"Ash!" Delia yelled out causing Ash to turn around, "Don't forget to change your underwear every day!"

"Mom!" Ash yelled feeling embarrassed causing Serena to giggle a little bit.

* * *

 **And that concludes the second chapter of the series. Now I bet you were terrified when you read the flashback about what happened to the families of Froakie and Fennekin. Siegfried is my OC villain who will appear much later in the Kanto Arc, and you can tell he is a horrible vile human being. Just for the record, Ash and Serena will encounter Team Rocket in this story.**

 **That's right, Froakie is Ash's starter Pokemon, not Pikachu. Probably not a surprise that Fennekin is Serena's starter, after all Fennekin is Serena's signature starter Pokemon.**

 **Now for that giant Pokedex Ash and Serena are going to share together, and that missing part which needs to be picked up in Viridian City, this might make it clear what kind of Pokedex I gave them.**

 **Next chapter will be Ash and Serena heading to Viridian City, and of course the Spearow will attack them. However, this will go a lot differently than in the anime since Misty will not be there, and Pikachu isn't with them.**

 **Chapter 3: Spearow Attack**


	3. Spearow Attack

**Okay so Ash has gotten Froakie and Serena has gotten Fennekin, now like I said the road to Viridian City is going to be a lot different from the anime. I have a surprise on how the Spearow situation will be handled. Enjoy the chapter, and I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 _ **Pathway to Viridian City**_

Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena have finally begun their Pokémon journey. Nothing seemed to be eventful as the two were walking down the road, but they enjoyed each other's company.

"So, Ash, are you going to enter the Pokémon League?" Serena asked.

"Oh, you bet I am Serena," Ash answered, "I'm not only going to enter the Pokémon League, I'm going to beat the Pokémon League too."

"And you'll beat Gary too, right?" Serena asked with enthusiasm.

"Of course, Gary might think being ahead of me will make him feel all mighty and powerful, but it's the Pokémon League that matters, not who get's there first," Ash said raising his fist.

"You're going to do great," Serena told Ash.

As the two were talking, they were looking at their Pokeballs. Inside the special colored Pokeballs were Ash's Froakie and Serena's Fennekin. Knowing what the two Pokémon have been through, they needed to make sure they could gain their trust towards other humans.

"Hey Ash, do you think we could actually bring our Pokémon out?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, I don't mind," Ash answered as he got Froakie's Pokeball in his hand.

"That's good, because if we want our Pokémon to be fond to other humans than us, maybe having them out of their ball would help," Serena explained.

"Great idea!" Ash exclaimed, "With our Pokémon out of their balls, maybe we can get closer with them."

With that being said, Ash and Serena took their Pokeballs and brought out Froakie and Fennekin. The two Pokémon were happy to see their trainers. Froakie was fond of Serena, but not completely as it was towards Ash, and Fennekin was the same way towards Ash being somewhat trustworthy, not like Serena.

"Froakie," Froakie happily said looking at Ash.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said looking at Serena.

"Now Froakie, I know you can trust me, but I want you to trust other humans too," Ash said starring at Froakie in the eyes, "We can start with Serena, and then we can work our way up other humans."

"Same here Fennekin, I know what you've been through after that Siegfried guy came to terrorize you, but I want you to know not all humans are bad," Serena told Fennekin starring into Fennekin's eyes, "Ash can be a good way to start with gaining your trust towards other humans."

If Froakie and Fennekin wanted to ever get along with humans other than their trainers, they were going to need a lot of love, attention, and care. Siegfried already caused extreme emotional damage towards them when they were eggs not just by killing their parents, but also how inhuman he killed them.

* * *

 _ **One hour later**_

Ash and Serena along with Froakie and Fennekin were walking down the road, and things have been peaceful. Ash and Serena just looked into each other's eyes not knowing what the other was thinking while Froakie and Fennekin were side by side.

"Froakie Froakie," Froakie said acting a little romantic.

"Fennekin," Fennekin giggled.

"Hey Serena, do you think Froakie likes Fennekin?" Ash asked with a cheesy smile.

"I think so," Serena answered looking at Froakie's behavior towards Fennekin, "They look cute together."

"Well just you and me, they had history together in Kalos," Ash stated.

"Yeah, even being born at the same time," Serena said.

It didn't look like a secret, but Froakie seemed to have a crush on Fennekin. The two were best friends in Professor Sycamore's lab back in Kalos when they couldn't accept a trainer. Those two Pokémon were just like Ash and Serena with them having a crush on each other, but the two trainers didn't seem to notice. Then something caught their attention, it was a tiny brown bird.

"Hey, what's that?" Serena asked looking at the tiny brown bird.

"I know what that is," Ash responded, "It's a Pidgey!"

The giant Pokedex that Ash and Serena got wasn't operational at the moment, which is why they needed to get that part in Viridian City. Ash was able to learn a little bit about Pokémon though, and he knew that was a Pidgey since there were a lot of them around Kanto.

"I'm going to try and catch it," Ash said looking at the Pidgey, "Alright Froakie, it's time for our first battle!"

"Froakie," Froakie responded as he hopped towards the Pidgey.

Pidgey saw that Froakie was ready to battle, and that Ash was going to try and catch the Tiny Bird Pokémon. With that, Ash and Froakie began to battle while Serena and Fennekin stood there and watched.

"Froakie use Pound!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie jumped up and landed a Pound on Pidgey, but Pidgey would counter right back with Gust. Froakie was blown back and landed right on his feet.

"Now use Bubble," Ash yelled out.

Froakie unleased a flurry of bubbles at Pidgey which gave the Tiny Bird Pokémon some damage. Then without further action, Pidgey then fell to the ground, and the female Pokémon was now weakened. Ash pulled out a Pokeball ready to make the capture.

"Alright, we have weakened Pidgey. When a Pokémon is weakened, it makes the chances of capturing the Pokémon a lot easier," Ash said turning his hat backwards, "Pokeball, go!"

Ash threw the Pokeball and it landed on Pidgey sucking it in, the Pokeball wiggled one time, two times, then three times, and then it dinged. Ash Ketchum has just caught his first Pokémon.

"I did it," Ash said walking up to the Pokeball picking it up, "I caught a Pidgey!"

"Way to go Ash, your first ever capture," Serena said clasping her hands.

"Yeah, me and Froakie did a great job," Ash said giving Froakie a thumbs up.

"Froakie," Froakie replied.

"See Froakie, now we have a new friend," Ash said showing Froakie Pidgey's Pokeball.

Serena was so happy Ash was able to catch himself a Pokémon, but now she knew it was her turn to get a Pokémon. Serena wanted not only a new friend for herself, but also for Fennekin.

"Ash, I'm so happy you got a new Pokémon," said Serena who was looking around, "Now I think it's my turn.

Serena and Fennekin were starting to survey the area of a Pokémon they could call their friend. Serena looked around and saw another bird like creature in a shadow.

"Another Pidgey?" Serena questioned.

"Are you sure you want a Pidgey too?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to get that Pokémon," Serena answered.

"Are you sure that's a Pidgey?" Ash questioned looking at the shadow.

"I'm positive," Serena answered as she and Fennekin starred directly at the bird like creature, "Fennekin use Ember!"

Fennekin unleashed an Ember attack on the shadow figure, but then the Pokémon turned around only to see Serena and Fennekin. The creature revealed itself to be a brown and red bird who looked angry. That angry bird was none other than a Spearow.

"That's not a Pidgey, that's a Spearow," Ash mumbled

"Froakie," Froakie mumbled.

Spearow glared at Serena wondering why it would attack like that. The only thing running through Spearow's mind was that she wanted to hurt him. Then without warning, Spearow sent out a loud cry.

"Spearow!" Spearow cried sending out a flock of Spearow to chase after her and Fennekin.

"Uh oh," Ash mumbled.

"Run!" Serena cried.

Ash and Serena began to run as fast as they could with Froakie and Fennekin running besides them. A flock of Spearow was now ready to target the two Pokémon trainers and their Pokémon.

"I can't believe they want to kill us!" Serena cried out.

"Maybe because you attacked Spearow from behind," Ash told Serena as he kept running.

"Attack from behind?" Serena questioned while she kept running.

"Yeah, when me and Froakie fought Pidgey, Pidgey at least knew we were going to battle," Ash explained, "But you and Fennekin attacked Spearow from behind which angered it. I don't know if it's a male or female yet, but Spearow tend to have great high temper, causing it to do what it's doing now!"

"You mean try to kill us!?" Serena asked.

"Yes!" Ash cried out, "We can't attack Pokémon from behind like that because we don't know what they could do! Remember that next time you see a wild Pokémon."

"Okay, I will," Serena responded as she kept running, "If there is a next time."

The two trainers and their Pokémon kept on running. Froakie and Fennekin knew that these were going to be the two humans that were going to be their friends, but how can they be their friends if they put them in danger like that. All Froakie and Fennekin could do was keep on running.

"Looks like it's the end of the line," Ash said looking ahead to see a cliff.

Ash, Serena, Froakie, and Fennekin all stopped at the edge of the cliff. There was no where else to go except down where a river was. Time was running out as the Spearow flock began to close in, and all Ash could do was look around frantically.

"I say we jump," Ash told everyone.

"What!" Serena exclaimed.

"There's a body of water down this cliff, and I don't see any other way we can outrun them," Ash angrily explained, "Do you have any other options Serena!? Because if you don't, we can be pecked to death by these Spearow that you pretty much brought in!"

"No," Serena answered.

"Then let's jump!" Ash yelled.

Serena knew Ash was angry, but it was mainly due to the situation they were in. Without further comment, Ash and Serena called back their Pokémon so they could be safe, and the two jumped down the cliff and into the river.

Ash and Serena safely landed in the river where they managed to lose the Spearow. The only thing the two could do was swim along with the flow of the river in hopes of getting away. They saw some Magikarp, Poliwag, and Goldeen swimming under the water.

Finally, Ash and Serena managed to climb out of the river and back onto the surface. Ash was able to pull himself out and then he grabbed Serena's hand to pull her out. The two were drenched.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Serena answered breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that," Ash replied hugging Serena.

"It's okay Ash, we were just in a scary situation," Serena calmly said.

Then the two started to notice something. The sky was getting dark as storm clouds were rumbling in. Ash and Serena knew it was going to rain soon.

"Ash, I think it's going to rain," Serena told Ash.

"You're right," Ash said looking around, "We should be getting close to Viridian City so let's…oh crap!"

Things went bad once again. Not only was a storm coming, but Ash could hear the Spearow as the flock was still coming after them. Ash thought maybe jumping into the river was going to save him and Serena, and cause the Spearow to lose them, unfortunately that was not the case as being alive was the only thing that happened.

"I thought we lost them," Ash muttered as he grabbed Serena's hand, "Let's go!"

Ash was dragging Serena down the path as the Spearow kept on going after them. They had to keep outrunning the flock, and then it started to rain. The two couldn't afford to get hurt, but the Spearow were just too fast, and then Ash tripped on a muddy patch causing Serena to fall too.

"Ow," Ash yelled out.

"Are you okay?" Serena cried.

"I think so," Ash answered.

He tried to get up but felt a bit of pain in his ankle as he couldn't properly stand. Serena tried to get up as well, but she grasped her knee as she was hurt too. This was it, Ash and Serena were too weak to get up. This was the end, the first day of their Pokémon journey, and now they were going to be killed by a flock of Spearow.

"I guess this is the end," Serena said with tears coming into her eyes.

"It looks like it," Ash solemnly said looking at her.

"I'm sorry I got us into this," Serena sincerely said.

"Hey, it's okay. If this is the end, I'm glad we're going to go down together," Ash said as he got himself closer to Serena, "Serena, there's something I need to tell you."

Ash was about to speak, and then Froakie and Fennekin's Pokeballs opened. Despite being in a Pokeball, Froakie knew the pain Ash was in, and Fennekin could feel the same way for Serena.

"Froakie, Fennekin, we're sorry," Ash told them.

"We wanted you to know that you could trust other humans," Serena said, "Instead we put you all in danger because we didn't have good judgement."

"Just remember Froakie, even though we didn't get to have much time together, I love you," Ash said with tears coming from his eyes.

"Me too Fennekin," Serena said crying, "I wish we could have more time together."

Froakie and Fennekin knew that Ash and Serena couldn't get up. They saw up in the sky was the angry Spearow flock. It was true that Froakie could only seem to get along with Ash, and Fennekin could only get along with Serena, but they also had to remember that Professor Sycamore gave them love and care too to reunite with them after summer camp.

"Froakie," Froakie said sadly.

"Fennekin," Fennekin sadly responded.

Then they turned around to see the flock of Spearow ready to kill them. When they saw the state Ash and Serena were in being completely helpless and how they cared for them despite the little time they had, Froakie and Fennekin knew what it meant to be their trainers. They weren't supposed to just battle for their trainers, they had to protect them as well. Ash and Serena were the two humans they felt like they could be friends with and build a strong bond to one day confront Siegfried. It was time to fight for them.

Froakie unleased a flurry of bubbles while Fennekin kept sending out embers to try and fight off the flock. Ash and Serena were amazed at what they were seeing.

"Ash, they're fighting the Spearow," Serena said in amazement.

"I know, but there's too many of them," Ash responded.

Froakie and Fennekin were able to take Spearow out one at a time, but there was just too many Spearow. Froakie's Bubble attack didn't seem to be completely powerful enough, and Fennekin's Ember attack was weakened by the rain. Then in just a matter of moments, Froakie and Fennekin were drained of energy and collapsed in exhaustion.

"Froakie!" Ash cried out.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried out.

"Froakie," Froakie weakly said.

"Fennekin," Fennekin weakly said.

Froakie and Fennekin were apologizing to Ash and Serena about not being strong enough to defeat the Spearow flock. Froakie and Fennekin laid down on the ground knowing the sad truth, they failed them.

"You did your best guys," Ash told them as he was ready to invite the worst.

The Spearow were ready to dive down and strike Ash and Serena. The two hugged each other for support. Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena were going to die. Serena's eyes came with tears as she was about to say something.

"Ash, I need to tell you something," Serena told Ash.

"What is it," Ash said hugging Serena hard.

"I." Serena responded as she got interrupted.

A Thunderbolt came out of nowhere striking the lead Spearow that Serena angered causing the Spearow to fall to the ground, and the other Spearow ended up flying away since their leader was defeated.

Ash and Serena were shocked to see a Thunderbolt come out of nowhere to save them. The Pokémon that launched the attack was yellow with black stripes and a black thunderbolt symbol on its body and looked like a plug. The Pokémon that saved Ash and Serena was an Elekid.

"You saved us," Ash said to the Elekid.

"Don't get your hopes up," a voice said, "You two should consider yourselves lucky."

Then coming out of the trees was a boy with purple hair wearing a dark blue coat, grey pants, and purple shoes. He had a cold look on his face as if he were the trainer to the Elekid. The boy pulled out a Pokeball and threw it at the defeated Spearow. The ball wiggled three times before it dinged to complete the capture.

"I figure since this Spearow was the leader, it would not only drive the other Spearow away, but could also be the strongest of them," the boy said picking up the Pokeball.

He then took out what appeared to be a black Pokedex and scanned the Pokeball. After scanning the Pokeball, the boy clipped the Pokeball on his belt.

"This Spearow is worthy to be on my team," said the boy.

"Worthy?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, the Pokedex I have can scan power levels and this Spearow has proven as of now to be a competent Pokémon," the boy explained.

"I don't know what I want to say," Ash said, "Thanks again for saving us."

"Hmph, don't mention it. This world is completely dangerous and only the strong and smart trainers can make it through. No one is always going to be coming to your rescue, so if you ever get in trouble, you better pray to Arceus you know how to get out of it. I can guarantee you the next time you two get into a deadly situation like that, you won't be so lucky," the boy explained as he began to walk away, "Well I'm out of here, if you two don't up your game, then go home. People like you will not make it through this world alive."

The boy and his Elekid departed Ash and Serena, and it was only a matter of time before they were out of sight. Ash and Serena couldn't get up, so they put Froakie and Fennekin back in their balls, and then crawled over to a hollow tree. They were able to take shelter until the storm passes and the two immediately passed out.

* * *

 ** _Two Hours Later_**

The sky cleared up and Ash and Serena woke up and they were able to come out of the hollow tree. They were feeling a bit better since they were mostly bruises. There still was pain, but it wasn't aggravating as when they fell.

"I'm glad we're okay," Ash said hugging Serena.

"Me too," Serena stated accepting the hug.

Their Pokeballs containing Froakie and Fennekin opened as they came out to see that their trainers were okay. Froakie and Fennekin were still worn out from fighting all those Spearow, but they felt sad that they weren't strong enough to protect them.

"Froakie," Froakie sadly said.

"It's okay Froakie, you did your best," Ash said turning over to Froakie and giving him a hug.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said tearing up.

"I know you did everything to look out for us Fennekin, and I'm proud of you," Serena told Fennekin as she turned to Ash, "That boy was right on one thing."

"What was that?" Ash questioned as he turned his attention to Serena.

"This world is dangerous, and we can't always have someone showing up at the last minute saving us from danger," Serena explained.

Ash looked down at the ground after hearing what Serena told him. It's true, no one is always going to be there, and luck will not always be on their side. Ash and Serena are going to learn that if they ever get into anymore trouble, they need to figure out how to get out of it.

"You're right, we got to try and make reasonable decisions and if we fall into another life threating situation, you and I have to make sure we can find a way through," Ash told Serena hugging her hard.

"We're going to be okay," Serena said wiping a tear and hugging Ash again.

Froakie and Fennekin were even hearing what they were talking about, and they agreed too along with any other Pokémon that were to come with them. Then something unbelievable happened, a majestic colored bird flew over Ash, Serena, Froakie, and Fennekin.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" Ash screamed out.

The bird flew past the horizon and over the rainbow leaving behind a rainbow feather and two patches of glowing white sand that somehow ended up in yellow pouches.

"It's beautiful," Serena said witnessing the bird.

After the bird was out of sight, Ash picked up the rainbow feather as he and Serena looked at it in amazement. Froakie and Fennekin also noticed the glowing white sand until they heard a voice.

" _You will all have amazing adventures awaiting you. I leave you the Rainbow Wing which will bring you all eternal happiness, and Scared Ash which can revive the dead." The voice echoed._

Ash and Serena didn't understand the voice, but Froakie and Fennekin did. Froakie and Fennekin were the only ones to clearly hear and understand the words of the voice which happened to be coming from the bird. This majestic bird left behind a Rainbow Wing which bring eternal happiness, and Scared Ash which can revive the dead. Ash and Serena each took a pouch of Scared Ash until looking at the Rainbow Wing again.

"Serena," Ash said looking at the Rainbow Wing again, "Do you think we'll ever see that bird again?"

"I don't know, but I love too," Serena answered.

Then, Ash and Serena noticed something out in the distance. It was Viridian City, the piece of civilization closest to Pallet Town.

"It's Viridian City!" Ash happily exclaimed, "We can rest up, get our Pokémon back to perfect health, and most importantly get that part needed for our Pokedex."

They wanted to put Froakie and Fennekin back into their Pokeballs but decided to carry them to the Pokémon Center as a good way to bring themselves closer to them. The two Pokémon were still in bad shape from fighting the Spearow, but they knew everything was going to be okay. Despite everything that just happened, the Pokémon were going to learn that there will be great dangers and evil enemies…including Siegfried who was still out there.

There were many mysteries that were going to be uncovered in the world of Pokémon. The journey has only begun for Ash and Serena.

* * *

 **Well, Ash and Serena should now be arriving in Viridian City to get Froakie and Fennekin healed and receive that part to the Pokedex.**

 **That's right, Ash caught a Pidgey, and instead of a heroic effort by their Pokémon, they're saved by a Pokémon trainer. I haven't introduced him, but I'm pretty sure you can tell who it was by the description…it was Paul, Paul saved them.**

 **Ash and Serena have also seen the legendary Pokémon who we all should know is Ho-oh leaving behind a Rainbow Wing and Scared Ash which can revive the dead which means somebody will be brought back to life with the Scared Ash, and it will occur in the Kanto Arc. I won't tell you when, it could be actually be the next chapter. Next chapter does introduce Team Rocket.**

 **Stayed tuned for the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 4: Pokémon Center Attack**


	4. Pokemon Center Attack

**Here we are at the beginning of next chapter. This chapter will mark the introduction to Team Rocket. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location**_

Somewhere out in the forest, there is a big white building. This building hasn't ever been discovered by anyone, and what was the purpose of this building being there. Inside this building lived a tall man with neatly combed brown hair. He wore a white suit drinking a glass of red wine with a Pokémon that resembles a white cat with a red gem on his head. A buzzer goes off with the man sitting in his chair.

"Who is it?" the man questioned.

"It's Proton, may I please come in?" Proton asked.

"Yes, you may Proton," the man answered.

The door opens and coming in was a man with teal hair and teal eyes wearing a black polo shirt with a red R on it, black pants, a black hat, white gloves, and white boots carrying a black bag. This man happens to be the Proton guy.

"Giovanni, our Pokémon Tournament scheme in Cerulean City was a success," Proton said holding a belt containing Pokeballs.

"Really, tell me what happened?" Giovanni asked.

"We hosted a Pokémon battle tournament, and we offered the winner a chance to join Team Rocket. He refused to join our terrorist organization, so we killed him and took his Pokémon," Proton explained pulling a severed head out of his bag, "Here is the little shit who refuses to join us."

"Excellent work Proton," Giovanni said with an evil smirk while sipping his wine, "You will be a raise and a first-class meal tomorrow."

"Thank you sir," Proton said until he saw three other members of Team Rocket.

One was a woman with long red hair that went straight back, the other was a man with blue hair, and they both wore white uniforms with the red R on them along with black gloves and black boots. The third person with them was a Meowth who could walk on two legs. He then grabbed the Meowth and threw it across the room nearly hitting Giovanni causing him to spill his wine.

"Meowth!" the Meowth cried.

"My suit!" Giovanni roared glaring at the Meowth.

"It was his fault," Proton lied pointing to the Meowth.

"Of course, it was his fault Proton! These three always screw every fucking thing up!" Giovanni screamed.

"Proton threw me at you," Meowth told Giovanni.

"You were in the way you worthless cat!" Giovanni yelled kicking Meowth to the wall, "You may go now Proton."

Proton walked away with a smirk at the two rockets. Those two clearly knew that Proton threw Meowth across the room. Giovanni glared at the two rockets.

"Jessie, James, get over here!" Giovanni screamed as they went over to their boss.

"Yes boss, what can we do for you," Jessie said happily pleading so they don't have to deal with his rage once more.

"Yes, lovely boss, what can we do," James spoke.

"Your talking Meowth spilled my wine and ruined my suit, this suit cost me two-thousand pokedollars!" Giovanni yelled, "The money that will be given to me for a new suit will come out of your paychecks!"

"But Proton threw Meowth at you, because he hates us," James said.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, you always screw every Arceus damn thing up," Giovanni told them, "This is why I don't want you doing anything. Come to think of it, why did I even give you admin ranks?"

Jessie, James, and Meowth didn't have an answer to Giovanni's question. They have been admins for Team Rocket for the past couple of years but had little success. Most of the time they were finding ways to mess up, and somehow, they keep getting away with it. The one who really couldn't stand their failures the most was Proton which is why he always abuses the three rockets, and Giovanni always takes his side.

"Because we're the nicest to you no matter what crap you give us," James nicely said.

"I understand you apricate me, but if we're going to achieve world domination, I will not stand bumbling idiots fucking everything up!" Giovanni yelled, "And you just messed up my suit!"

"Come on, we can do anything for you!" Jessie begged.

"Please boss, give us a mission to prove that we're not screw ups!" Meowth cried.

Giovanni angrily scratched his chin hearing what they had to say. Sure, the three keep messing up, but he had to think of something they could do.

"Okay, here's what you can do," Giovanni told the trio, "Tonight I want you to raid the Viridian City Pokémon Center and steal all the Pokémon inside. You bastards should not be able to screw this one up."

"We'll do it boss, trust us, you can count on us," Meowth said saluting the boss.

* * *

 _ **Viridian City**_

Ash and Serena arrived in Viridian City carrying Froakie and Fennekin hoping to give them care at the Pokémon Center. Sure, they had Pokeballs, but for right now they wanted to keep the two Pokémon out, and Ash had a Pidgey too that was probably weakened from the battle she had with Froakie.

"I see it, I see the Pokémon Center," Ash said pointing at a big building with a red roof.

"Great, I just hope Fennekin is alright," Serena said looking at Fennekin.

Ash and Serena arrived at the Pokémon Center. The two were hoping to get some rest, get their Pokémon back in good shape, and retrieve the part to their Pokedex.

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Pokémon Center**_

They entered the building and came across a nurse who was at the reception desk. She had pink hair wearing a white nurse uniform.

"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center," said the nurse.

"Hey there, are Pokémon are worn out after fighting a flock of Spearow," Ash said giving the nurse Froakie along with Pidgey's Pokeball.

"Can you look after them?" Serena pleaded giving her Fennekin.

"Of course," the nurse answered taking Froakie and Fennekin along with Pidgey's Pokeball off Ash and Serena's hands.

As soon as the nurse took Ash and Serena's Pokémon in for treatment, the two decided to just sit on the couch in the waiting area and relax. It was already hell of a day due to the fact they almost were killed by a flock of Spearow.

"Well, our first day was total crap," Ash said.

"It wasn't all that bad," Serena told Ash, "You got a Pidgey, and we got to see a majestic bird fly over us giving us those items."

If the two recalled Ash did have the Rainbow Wing in his backpack along with a pouch of Scared Ash. Serena also had a pouch of Scared Ash, but for the most part, the day was bad with the Spearow attacking them, their Pokémon being too weak to fight, and the fact they had to be saved by another Pokémon trainer.

"I guess you're right," Ash replied as he looked at the phones, "Let's call our moms."

Ash and Serena went up to the video phones to give their moms a call. It was going to be hard to explain that they were nearly killed by a flock of Spearow along with Froakie and Fennekin. Serena dialed the number that went towards the Gabena residence as they decided to call her moms first.

"Hello, this is Grace," Grace said as she appeared on the screen.

"Hey mom," Serena replied as she saw her mom.

"Serena," Grace said while gasping looking at her daughter and Ash, "Jade, Delia, Serena and Ash are on the phone!"

"Delia, my mom is there?" Ash questioned.

After a few seconds, Serena's other mom Jade and Ash's mom Delia all appeared on the screen to see their babies. The mothers were concerned as it looked like they were beaten up by something.

"Ash is that you?" Delia asked in worry.

"Hey mom, what are you doing at Serena's house?" Ash asked.

"Ash, you know it's game night for the ladies," Delia answered as he saw a white mat with colored dots with Rose in a pretzel like position.

"Mom are you playing Twister?" Ash jokingly questioned when Delia gave an awkward pause.

"Yes, but we're going to leave Rose there in that position, so we can beat her," Delia answered.

"I won this round bitches!" Rose yelled out.

"But we got to get serious, Ash what happened to you and Serena?" Delia asked in worry.

"Me and Serena were attacked by a flock of Spearow. Froakie and Fennekin tried to fight them off, but they we're completely burned out. Thankfully another Pokémon trainer came in to save us," Ash explained.

"Oh, my Arceus, you two almost were killed!" Jade exclaimed.

"Mom, it may have been my fault. Ash caught a Pidgey, and I wanted to catch a Pokémon of my own. I thought it was a Pidgey, and when Fennekin attacked, it was a Spearow," Serena explained, "I might have ticked that Spearow off, and Spearow summoned its flock to try and kill us."

"Are you two alright?" Delia questioned in concern.

"We're fine now, we got some bruises that we'll rest off for the next few days," Ash answered, "Also, Froakie and Fennekin are getting treatment here at the Viridian City Pokémon Center."

"Oh, so you kids are in Viridian City," Grace said, "Weren't you going to get something for your special Pokedex that Professor Oak gave you two?"

"Oh yeah, I was so exhausted that I've almost forgot about that," Ash stated.

"We'll let the nurse know about what we came to get, but for now I want me and Ash to rest up along with our Pokémon," Serena replied.

"That's good kids, the health of your Pokémon and yourselves always should come first," Jade pointed out.

"Thanks mom," Serena said.

"Hey, my body can handle anything you throw at me," Rose yelled out, "Come back here and lose bitches!"

"We got to get going. Mrs. Green is up for another round," Grace said.

"Okay mom," Serena replied.

"Hey mom, next time you have a game night, just play an Arceus damn board game," Ash suggested.

"That's what we're going to do," Delia said looking at Rose in amusement, "Goodnight, and take care of yourselves."

"I love you mom," Ash replied.

"I love you moms," Serena replied.

"We love you too," Delia, Grace, and Jade all said in union as they hung up.

Ash and Serena stared at the blank screen to know their moms were going to worry everyday about their safety. After the events with the flock of Spearow and remembering the words of the Pokémon trainer that no one will always come to their rescue, Ash and Serena knew that they had to know what they were going to do. Right now, there was only two things that were on their minds. One was the Froakie and Fennekin get better and.

"Do you think our moms could not play anymore games where it looks like they're having sex," Ash jokingly said.

Serena just burst into laughter as it did get her mind off the things that just happened.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed laughing, "What the hell is going through your head!"

Serena continued to laugh at what Ash said. She was getting teary eyed, but she eventually settled down. Ash could only brush the back of his head knowing that was an embarrassing thing to say.

"Sorry," Ash replied in a bit of a funny way.

Despite all the laughter, something caught Ash's attention. Walking around the Pokémon Center is what appeared to be a yellow mouse like creature with red circles on it's cheeks.

"Hey," Ash said looking at the creature, "Is that a…Pikachu?"

Ash correctly identified the yellow rodent as a Pikachu. Pikachu was showing signs of sending out electricity when he saw the human.

"Pika," Pikachu angrily replied.

"What the," Ash stated as Pikachu ran off.

"That Pikachu didn't seem friendly," Serena said in a worried tone.

"Why, what did we do?" Ash questioned himself.

Pikachu didn't seem to have a good attitude towards Ash and Serena. Ash wondered why Pikachu immediately didn't like Ash or Serena. Then, the nurse came back into the waiting room looking at Ash and Serena.

"Excuse me, you're the trainers of Froakie and Fennekin, correct?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah, how are they doing?" Serena asked holding her hands pleading.

"They'll be fine, the two just need a good night sleep," the nurse answered.

"Oh, thank you," Ash said giving out a sigh of relief, "What about Pidgey?"

"Pidgey could use some rest too," the nurse told Ash.

"Okay," Ash replied.

Ash and Serena were relieved that their Pokémon were alright, so at least they could sleep in peace tonight. There was still one thing that went on in their heads, and that was the Pikachu they just saw.

"Excuse me, we saw a Pikachu run in here," Serena told the nurse.

"A Pikachu?" the nurse questioned.

"Yeah, the Pikachu looked at us in a disgusting way like we're nothing and sparked up its cheeks," Ash explained, "We didn't do anything except sit."

The nurse was deeply concerned after hearing about the Pikachu.

"That Pikachu is part of our Pokémon Center, and it's been considered a bit of a black Mareep," the nurse explained.

"Black Mareep?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, Pikachu just hasn't been able to trust any of it's previous trainers, probably because they mistreat the little guy," the nurse explained, "I decided to take Pikachu in to be part of the Pokémon Center and make this building his loving home. Unfortunately, Pikachu can't seem to stand me or anyone else."

As Ash and Serena heard this, it reminded them of the story Professor Sycamore told them about Froakie and Fennekin as they were affected as eggs when Siegfried came to go on a murder spree. The two Pokémon couldn't seem to trust humans, but Ash and Serena looked like were their one any only acceptations, not even Professor Sycamore could gain their trust.

"That's so sad, the fact so many trainers have given up on Pikachu, now the little guy doesn't want anyone to be its trainer," Ash said looking down on the ground.

"That was the same way with my Fennekin and his Froakie, but it wasn't because of trainer mistreatment, it was because they didn't want to open up to humans after a hunter ruthlessly killed their families," Serena explained.

"I see, I'm sorry for their losses," the nurse said.

"Thanks," Ash quietly replied.

"And now I'm the only human Fennekin seems to love while Ash is the only human Froakie seems to love," Serena explained.

"Really, what got them to like you?" the nurse asked.

"I think it was the fact when they hatched out of their eggs, they saw our faces and how happy we were. I don't know if we have some sort of presence that allows our Pokémon to connect with us," Ash said who saw the Pikachu yet again, "Hey, maybe we can do that with Pikachu?"

"Well, go ahead," said the nurse.

"Be careful Ash," Serena replied.

Ash carefully went up to Pikachu. Pikachu just stood right where it was looking at Ash with a glare and ready to shock him. Ash slowly brought himself closer to the electric Mouse Pokémon, but he wasn't going to touch him. Ash just wanted to talk to Pikachu.

"Hey there Pikachu," Ash said to the Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said ruthlessly.

"Hey, I just want to talk to you," Ash told Pikachu, "Pikachu, what's wrong?"

"Pika," Pikachu said in confusion.

"I heard about your situation you had in the past with other humans," Ash told Pikachu, "What have they done to you in the past?"

Pikachu just stood there trying to process what Ash was saying. Serena was thankful that Pikachu didn't zap Ash to a crisp yet. Pikachu was smart enough to realize that Ash does not know how to speak or hear Pikachu.

"Pikachu," said Pikachu sticking out his tongue.

"Come on, talk to me. I can be your friend," Ash told Pikachu, "In fact, we have two Pokémon who deal with a similar situation not wanting to trust humans."

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"Look, I know you can't handle whatever your previous trainers have put you through, but not all trainers are like that. I can prove that for you if you want," Ash told Pikachu.

Pikachu heard the words of Ash, but Pikachu chose not to accept his words. Pikachu just walked away from Ash and he felt disappointed. Serena didn't like the look on Ash's face when he failed to get in touch with Pikachu.

"It's okay Ash, you tried," Serena said putting her hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I don't understand what Pikachu's problem is," Ash said to himself.

"Me neither," the nurse replied, "It's probably the pain of having to keep leaving trainers."

Ash and Serena just wondered what could be wrong with that little Pikachu. Maybe that it had so many trainers, that Pikachu just gave up. Pikachu did take one more look at the boy and gave a little questioning yet curious look.

Pikachu wondered into the break room of the Pokémon Center putting what he dealt with behind. There was one thing that was on Pikachu's mind, and it was on the counter. Pikachu's eyes turned into hearts as it saw the love of its life, a shiny red bottle filled with…ketchup.

After Pikachu ran out again, Ash and Serena walked with the nurse to the desk. There was another piece of business they needed to take care of.

"Excuse me, but there was something else we needed from you," Ash told the nurse.

"What is it?" the nurse asked.

Serena went into Ash's backpack and brought out the giant Pokedex that was given to them. They knew that the special part needed was going to be picked up in the Pokémon Center.

"Me and Ash are going to be traveling together, and Professor Oak gave us a big Pokedex to share. He told us that you had a special part for this Pokedex," Serena told the nurse holding up the giant Pokedex.

"Oh yeah, I remember getting something in the mail about that," the nurse said, "I told him to pick it up here, but since you have it and you're here, I can give it to you."

"Wow, thank you," Serena said.

The nurse was walking over to the back room to retrieve the part needed for the giant Pokedex. Then something terrifying happened…two Pokémon tackled the windows breaking the glass.

"What was that!?" Ash exclaimed as he saw the windows get shattered.

One of the Pokémon was a purple snake with yellow eyes, and the other was a floating purple ball with white eyes and gas coming out of its body. Those two Pokémon happened to be an Ekans and a Koffing. Koffing unleashed a Smog to cloud up the area.

"Who's there!?" Serena yelled out.

"Prepare for trouble," a woman in the shadows of the smog said.

"Make it double," a man in the shadows of the smog said.

The smog cleared revealing the woman with long red hair that went straight back and the man with blue hair. They began to recite their motto.

"To protect the world from devastation," the woman recited.

"To unite all people with in our nation," the man recited.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love," the woman recited.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," the man recited.

"Jessie," the woman recited.

"James," the man recited.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," Jessie recited.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight," James recited.

"Meowth that's right," Meowth recited as he jumped in.

Ash, Serena, and the nurse all stood in shock as if these three crooks were going to attack the Pokémon Center.

"Alright everyone, you're going to hand over every Pokémon in this building," Jessie demanded the nurse.

"Excuse me, this is a hospital for sick and injured Pokémon!" the nurse yelled out.

"You heard her, this is not a place for criminals to come in and harm Pokémon who are too weak to defend themselves!" Ash retorted.

"Oh really," James said putting down a bag.

James had a bag on him, and he put it down to open it up. James opened the bag and was startled that he found a footlong sub sandwich. James took out the sandwich and he just looked at it.

"A sandwich?" Serena questioned, "You're going to attack us with a sandwich?"

"It was supposed to be a…gun," James stuttered.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

Proton was walking into the locker room to go on his lunch break. As an executive for an evil criminal organization, nothing got to anyone like a good meal.

"Can't wait to have that footlong," Proton said as he got his black bag off the table.

As Proton opened the bag, he notices that there is a military style rifle and not a footlong sandwich.

"A rifle, WHERE THE FUCK IS MY SANDWICH!" Proton yelled punching the wall, "Those bastards better not have taken my footlong!"

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Pokémon Center**_

"James, did you grab Proton's lunch by mistake?" Jessie nervously questioned.

"I think so," James stuttered.

"We're going to have our legs broken," Jessie muttered.

"Forget that, we can attack those twerps and that nurse with our Pokémon," Meowth told James and Jessie.

"Right, lets take all of the Pokémon," Jessie said pointing towards the nurse.

Everyone was at a standstill. Ash and Serena had no Pokémon as Ash's Froakie and Pidgey and Serena's Fennekin were still recovering. How were they going to fight Ekans and Koffing without any Pokémon?

"I know we don't have any Pokémon, but I'm going to attack them head on," Ash said raising his fists, "Just get our Pokémon to safety."

"Ash don't," Serena begged.

"That's suicide, you can't fight them without any Pokémon," the nurse told Ash.

"Do you have any other options?" Ash questioned as Ekans and Koffing were coming in.

Ash was right, no one had a Pokémon to defend themselves with. Fighting them head on might be their best option. The only thing Serena and the nurse could do was agree with him.

"Okay, I'll get the Pokémon transferred to another Pokémon Center," the nurse told Ash.

"Okay," Ash replied as he saw Serena on his side.

"Ash, I want to fight with you too," Serena said.

"No, I can't let you get hurt," Ash told Serena.

"Ash, we're going to be in this together. I might as well join in," Serena retorted, "We can't just defend the Pokémon in this Pokémon Center, but our Pokémon too."

The two Pokémon were getting closer, and time was running out. The nurse went into the back room to get the Pokémon transferred. Serena was right on the mark too, even though Ash was trying to protect the nurse, the Pokémon, Froakie, and Pidgey, Serena also had to protect Fennekin.

"Alright, just be careful," Ash replied.

With that, Ash and Serena took a charge at Koffing and Ekans. Jessie and James smirked at the fact that those two kids were going to counter without Pokémon.

"Ekans use Wrap on those twerps!" Jessie ordered.

"Ekans!" Ekans cried out wrapping Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena were now caught in a bind as they couldn't move. The two struggled trying to get out, but Ekans's grip was too tight.

"I can't move," Ash cried out trying to break free.

"Looks like you're trapped, and now you're doing to die," James said with an evil smirk, "Koffing use Smog on the twerps."

"Koffing!" Koffing yelled out using Smog.

The poisonous smoke clouded up the area and Ash and Serena had to hold their breath. Two things were now preventing them from breathing, the wrap of Ekans wrapping them tightly, and Koffing's Smog for them to hold their breath.

"Alright you two, finish the job," Jessie ordered her Ekans and James's Koffing as she turned to James and Meowth, "James, Meowth, let's get the Pokémon!"

"Right away!" James and Meowth said in union.

The two ran to the back room in hopes of getting the nurse and obtaining all the Pokémon inside. Ash and Serena were now going struggling to break free from death's grip from Ekans and Koffing.

Meanwhile, Pikachu was hearing commotion as he was admiring the bottle of ketchup in his arms. Pikachu walked out with the bottle only to come across Jessie, James, and Meowth who tripped over Pikachu. Pikachu dropped the ketchup bottle, and it broke, and the trio were flat on their faces.

"Hey, watch where you're going you yellow rodent!" Meowth yelled out.

Pikachu saw the broken bottle of ketchup, and the Mouse Pokémon was starting to get teary eyed as he saw the love of its life be shattered to pieces.

"What, crying over Arceus damn ketchup," Jessie said looking at the Pikachu.

Pikachu was crying, and then looked up at the Team Rocket trio in anger. Pikachu hated the fact that they broke his beloved bottle of ketchup.

"Quit your crying, we got Ekans and Koffing tangling those twerps up in the lobby while we get these Pokémon," James told the Pikachu.

Pikachu was angry, and then it unleashed a Thundershock for that ketchup bottle. Jessie, James, and Meowth were all electrocuted by that little Pikachu's electric power. The trio fell to the ground and moaned in defeat. Pikachu then remembered a second ago what James said about twerps being tangled up in the lobby.

Pikachu remembered the boy that was trying to reason with him a moment ago. He was being kind enough to know what was going on with him, and then looked back at the two humans along with the Meowth that they were going to bring harm. Pikachu realized by what he heard from James, that the boy and possibly the girl with him were not going to bring any harm to him.

With that, Pikachu make a jump for the lobby where he saw Koffing unleashing its Smog and Ekans holding Ash and Serena with a Wrap. The two Pokémon trainers looked like were passed out, and Pikachu then showed a panicked expression. That boy was trying to be friends with him, and now here he is along with his possible girlfriend having their oxygen supply cut off.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as he unleashed a Quick Attack on Koffing.

Koffing was slammed into Ekans's head causing the Snake Pokémon to become dazed and weaken the grip releasing Ash and Serena who slumped onto the floor. Pikachu was in a battle stance as Ekans and Koffing began to attack right back.

"Pika...chu!" Pikachu yelled out unleashing a Thundershock on the two Pokémon knocking them out.

Pikachu ran up to Ash and Serena after Ekans and Koffing were defeated, and the two were passed out on the ground. Pikachu tried to wake Ash up and then he did the same for Serena, but neither were showing a response. No, this couldn't be, Ash and Serena just narrowly escaped death on their first day only to meet death now, this wasn't meant to be!

"PIKA!" Pikachu cried.

The nurse heard the cry of Pikachu as she opened the door. She saw the trio knocked out, but she had no time to tie them up as she heard Pikachu cry. Even though she was relieved the members of Team Rocket were knocked out, there were lives on the line.

"OH, MY ARCEUS!" the nurse cried out.

She saw Ekans and Koffing unconscious, but what was even more terrifying was seeing Ash and Serena unconscious. Pikachu waved over to the nurse.

"Pikachu are they okay!?" the nurse cried in panic.

"Pika," Pikachu said showing her to Ash and Serena.

She could catch the scent in the lobby that it was Koffing's Smog and then inspected the bodies to see that there red marks on their torsos knowing this had to be Ekans's Wrap. She tried to see if there was a pulse on either of the two kids…they had one but they we're weak.

"Alright, I'm going to perform CPR on the girl," the nurse said, "I don't know if we can save them both."

Pikachu realizes that time was not on their side. The nurse gave Serena chest compressions and started to perform CPR. Pikachu wanted to help too and looking at the boy who tried talking to him, he took actions too.

Pikachu jumped up and down hard as he could on Ash's chest since his hands were too small to bring any movement. Then Pikachu opened Ash's mouth and started to perform artificial respiration. Pikachu might have been a Pokémon with a small mouth, and not a human, but the truth is anything is better than nothing.

Serena was starting to show some movement on her face. Her eyes slowly opened, and the honey blonde girl woke up.

"Huh, what happened?" Serena weakly said as she was starting to sit up, "The last thing I remember was Ekans wrapping us, and Koffing unleashing poison gas on us preventing us from breathing. Did I survive?"

"Yes, but I don't know about your friend," the nurse told Serena.

"My friend," Serena said as she turned to see Pikachu trying to give CPR to Ash.

"ASH!" Serena screamed as she scurried over to Ash, "Ash, say something!"

Serena was shaking Ash around, and then she set him on the floor doing chest compressions on him.

"I don't think he's going to make it," the nurse said showing tears in her eyes.

"No, he can't die! I won't let him!" Serena cried as she started to give CPR.

Serena was giving Ash mouth to mouth all Pikachu could do was watch. It would be a miracle if Ash were to wake up. While they were watching, Jessie, James, and Meowth started to wake up from Pikachu's Thundershock.

"What just happened?" Meowth said as he started to wake up.

"That Pikachu zapped us because of a ketchup bottle!" Jessie retorted.

"Hey um, maybe we should go just in case that Pikachu comes back to finish the job," James said.

"Are you fucking nuts!" Jessie exclaimed as she went to peek out to the lobby, "We still got some Pokémon to steal, and besides Ekans and Koffing has everything under control."

Jessie saw that Ekans and Koffing were knocked out, and judging by the looks of it, Pikachu must have done that. Jessie was starting to get a little shocked looking at the state of their Pokémon, but they ignored the CPR attempt Serena was giving.

"On second thought, we should go," Jessie weakly said calling back her Ekans.

"Agreed," James and Meowth agreed in union as James called back his Koffing.

Jessie, James, and Meowth saw a nearby window to jump out through. They didn't want that Pikachu coming back for them, so they hurried out and ran far away from the Pokémon Center as possible.

"Do you think Proton is going to kill us for taking his sandwich?" James asked.

"Yes James," Jessie answered.

Serena kept going with mouth to mouth for 30 minutes, but she was getting no response. Ash told Serena never give up until the end, and she wasn't going to stop until he woke up.

"I don't think he's going to wake up," the nurse said.

"He will!" Serena screamed.

Serena kept going with CPR, and after what may have been the longest half-hour of her life, Ash Ketchum was starting to open his eyes. He had a pulse, and now the raven-haired Pokémon trainer was waking up.

"Wha-what happened?" Ash asked in confusion as he woke up.

"Never give up until the end!" Serena cried as she hugged Ash.

Serena was crying tears of happiness as she saw Ash wake up and giving hum a huge hug. Serena thought she was going to lose him, but he's alive thanks to her. The two finally stood up and were feeling fine right now.

"She was giving you CPR for 30 minutes," the nurse told Ash, "I gave her CPR to wake her up first, so Pikachu was attempting to wake you up with the same methods. I think that's what made the huge difference saving you, even though it was very little."

"Pikachu was trying to wake me up?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, and Pikachu was the one who saved you two from those crooks' Pokémon because I heard Pikachu cry while the transfers were in process, and I saw that Ekans and Koffing were knocked out," the nurse explained until she noticed that Ekans and Koffing were gone, "Speaking of Ekans and Koffing, where are they!?"

"And where's Team Rocket!?" Ash angrily asked.

"The Pokémon storage room! I left it open!" the nurse cried.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and the nurse all ran to the back room to where the Pokémon were. Pokémon were still being transferred, but to their surprise there was no one in the room, and it looked like none of the Pokeballs were taken.

"That's strange, they didn't take any Pokeballs," the nurse said.

"What about Fennekin and Froakie?" Serena asked.

"They're in the recovery room, I hope they didn't get in there," the nurse said as they all ran for the recovery room.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and the nurse all arrived in the recovery room to see that nothing happened. Ash saw his Froakie inside a tube sleeping peacefully, and Serena saw her Fennekin in a tube sleeping calmly. There was another tube containing a Pidgey, and it was the Pidgey that Ash caught on his way to Viridian City. It was a relief, all their Pokémon were doing fine, and were not harmed in any way.

"It doesn't look like anyone was in here," Serena said in confusion.

"Hmm, they wanted to steal Pokémon from here, but they didn't get anything," Ash said thinking, "Did they leave without taking anything?"

"I guess so, but why?" the nurse asked herself, "They had a shot to take Pokémon like it was open season, and it was all my fault. However, they leave with nothing."

It was strange for Jessie, James, and Meowth to flee the Pokémon Center without completing their missions. None would know that the real reason they escaped without getting anything was, so they didn't have to deal with that Pikachu again. It didn't matter if they got away or not, if the Pokémon were safe, that's what mattered.

"I'll call the police, if you two want to sit in here with your Pokémon, I won't mind," the nurse told Ash and Serena.

"I actually would like to be with Froakie right now," Ash told the nurse.

"Okay," the nurse said as she left the room.

Pikachu on the other hand decided to stay in with Ash and Serena. Ash went up to the recovery tube which had Froakie in there. Ash had a smile on his face knowing that Froakie was doing alright after the Spearow attack, and he probably was happier that he didn't wake up during the ruckus with Team Rocket.

"Hey Froakie, how are you doing?" Ash gently asked.

Froakie was sleeping like a baby. If anything, Froakie was lucky to have a trainer like Ash. Despite all the trainers he went through, Froakie couldn't be any happier.

"You alright Fennekin?" Serena asked with a smile.

Fennekin was sleeping like a baby as well. Fennekin couldn't bring herself close to any humans after being affected as an egg from Siegfried's wrath. At the end of the day, Fennekin was happy to be with Serena.

"It looks like our Pokémon are doing fine," Serena said turning towards Ash.

"Yeah, including my newest addition," Ash said turning over to Pidgey's tube where the Tiny Bird Pokémon was sleeping outside of her Pokeball, "Well, if everything is peaceful right now, I say we call it a night."

"Okay Ash," Serena said looking at Fennekin, "Hey Ash, do you think we could sleep in here tonight after all that happened?"

"I agree with you on that Serena, I rather be with my Pokémon just in case they decide to come back," Ash said agreeing with Serena.

Ash then felt a tug on his pantleg, it was Pikachu. Pikachu was the big hero in this whole fiasco. While none of them had a Pokémon to defend themselves with, Pikachu came to the rescue and saved the Pokémon Center. Pikachu was starting to think that maybe not all humans are bad after all.

"You…want to sleep with us tonight?" Ash questioned Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered.

"Okay, you can sleep with us tonight," Ash said as Pikachu got on his lap.

Pikachu could tell that Ash was a nice boy, and Serena was a nice girl too. Knowing how Serena cared for Ash, Pikachu was hoping for a way to return the favor to her as well. Just as they were about to go to sleep, Serena felt something strange around her waist. It felt like something wasn't there, so she went into her pockets only to find out that something wasn't there. Her money was in her pocket, and now it was gone.

"Ash, the money my moms gave me is gone," Serena said with a bit of a worry, "Check your pockets too to make sure yours is still there."

Ash began to check his pockets, and unfortunately, he was a victim too. Ash's money was gone as well.

"My money is gone too!" Ash exclaimed worried.

"We might want to explain this to the police when they get here," Serena said.

Did Ash and Serena get pick-pocketed?

* * *

 _ **Viridian City**_

"I'm so glad we got out of there before that Pikachu could try and kill us again," Meowth said.

"But we failed the mission, we didn't get any Pokémon," Jessie said until her Pokeball opened.

Ekans came out of the Pokeball regaining his coconscious. Ekans was showing her something on his tail.

"What is that Ekans?" Jessie said looking at what Ekans had, "Wait a minute, did you?"

What no one knew was that during that time Ekans wrapped Ash and Serena, Ekans used his tail to reach into their pockets and see if they had anything of value. In Ekans luck, he found two-thousand Pokedollars in each of their pockets resulting in four-thousand Pokedollars. Team Rocket may have not gotten any Pokémon, but they got the twerps' money.

"You stole the twerps' money?" Jessie questioned, "Oh Ekans how I love you!"

Jessie gave Ekans a big hug as Ash and Serena never knew that the Snake Pokémon stole their money. Despite Team Rocket's defeat, they still came out on top.

"We could use this money to buy the boss his new white suit, and then keep the rest for ourselves," Meowth suggested.

"That's a good idea, but we don't want another red wine incident happening again," James stated as he remembered when Proton threw Meowth at Giovanni knocking his wine out of his hand spilling onto his white suit, "I'm thinking…maybe a fancy orange suit."

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Pokémon Center**_

 _ **The Next Day**_

The Viridian City Police were investaging the Pokémon Center after last night's attack. Repairs were being made to the windows and other property that could've been damaged. They were relieved that none of the Pokémon were hurt, and that the two Pokémon trainers were alright. Ash and Serena mentioned about their money being stolen, and the police were generous enough to replace their stolen money.

"Well the most important thing is you kids are alive and alright," the officer told the kids.

"Thank you, sir, but the real reason the Pokémon Center was saved was Pikachu right here," Ash said showing the officers Pikachu as he now was starting to gain trust towards Ash and Serena.

"Well done Pikachu, I bet somebody would love to have you," the officer said.

Pikachu then stood up and pointed to Ash, and surprisingly, he started to point to Serena. The nurse was coming up towards the officer and Ash and Serena. She saw Pikachu pointing to Ash and Serena.

"I understand Pikachu pointing towards me, but why towards Serena?" Ash questioned.

"I think I can explain that," the nurse said looking at Ash and Serena, "Ash, Serena, it looks like Pikachu wants to come with you."

"Really?" Ash asked looking at Pikachu, "You want to be my trainer?"

"Pika," Pikachu said nodding at Ash…and Serena.

"Wait a minute, you want Serena to be your trainer too?" Ash asked in confusion, "But Pokémon can only have one trainer."

"It's actually true, but judging by Pikachu's instincts, I think Pikachu wants to repay the favor to Serena for trying to help Ash by helping her if necessary," the nurse explained.

"Really, Pikachu…you want me to be your trainer too?" Serena asked in shocked.

"Pika," Pikachu said nodding at Serena.

"So, Pikachu would be both of our Pokémon?" Ash asked in confusion.

"It looks like it, are you two okay with that?" the nurse asked.

"Okay, me and Serena want to travel this world together, and would be awesome that we could actually have a Pokémon that we could both share," Ash said in excitement, "But the question would be who would put it in a Pokeball?"

"PIKA!" Pikachu yelled in anger.

"I don't think Pikachu wants to be in a Pokeball," the nurse told Ash and Serena.

"You make a good point, it could get pretty confusing," Serena stated.

Pikachu was pleased that Ash and Serena were going to use Pikachu together. They were going to have a blast together, and most importantly it could fill the void in Pikachu's heart not only with the experiences he had with trainers but losing his true love to Team Rocket. He will dearly miss that bottle of ketchup.

"Welcome to the team," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

"Oh, and by the way, your Pokémon are in perfect health," the nurse said giving Ash and Serena their Pokeballs back.

"Thank you very much," Ash and Serena said in union.

Ash was happy to have Froakie back with him, and now he could have a chance to try out his new Pidgey. Serena was very pleased to have Fennekin back with her, but now all she needed to do was to find something to do while she travels with Ash.

"By the way, we never got to get that part for the Pokedex," Ash told the nurse, "Is it still there? I hope it's not damaged."

"Oh yeah, we were so caught up with last night's events that I forgot about that," the nurse said, "Let me go get the package for you."

Ash and Serena waited at the reception desk patiently. Ash pulled out the giant Pokedex as the nurse returned with the parcel containing the part.

"Okay, here's that special part needed to operate the Pokedex," the nurse said giving Serena the parcel.

"Thank you very much," Serena said giving a bow.

Ash and Serena went over to the lobby and sat down on the couch. The lobby was minimally damaged, so it was still habitable to Pokémon trainers waiting. They were not going to call their moms about their near-death experience they had with Team Rocket. Hell, it would've been more frightening if they heard it on the news.

"Go ahead and open it," Ash told Serena.

Serena opened the parcel, and inside it was a sleeping orange bulb creature with blue eyes. Was this a part or some model?

"Ash, I don't know what this is," Serena said in confusion looking at the orange bulb as it rose out of the box, "Oh my Arceus! It's floating."

"That doesn't look like a Pokedex part, that looks like a Pokémon," Ash said in shock.

What was that thing? Was it really going to operate the Pokedex? After the thing floated out of the box, it spotted the giant Pokedex Ash was holding. Without any hesitation, the thing dashed its way into the Pokedex.

"Whoa! It went inside!" Ash said in shock.

If that wasn't enough of a shocker, the Pokedex was starting to move. The screen turned on and it had blue eyes and a face, and not only that it had arms and feet.

"What the!" Ash said in more shock as it started to float.

"Whatever that thing is, must have possessed our Pokedex," Serena replied.

The giant Pokedex floated and then came in front of Ash and Serena. It had a white and blue screen with a mouth and blue eyes. Pikachu couldn't even believe what he was seeing.

"Greetings Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, I am Rotom Dex. I am powered by the Plasma Pokémon Rotom, and I will be happy to give you my service on your quest," Rotom Dex said introducing himself.

Ash and Serena couldn't believe that they just got a talking Pokedex.

* * *

 **There you have it, that giant Pokedex was Rotom Dex who will travel along with Ash and Serena on their journey giving information on Pokémon.**

 **Pikachu has now joined the team, but I decided to make it interesting and make Pikachu not only Ash's Pokémon, but Serena's Pokémon too. I was trying my best to come up with a scenario to have Pikachu work with both of them in their goals. Like the anime, it won't ever go into a ball.**

 **Ash and Serena may have survived Team Rocket's Pokémon Center attack, but they got the last laugh when Ekans stole their money, at least the police covered Ash and Serena paying them.**

 **Next time we will learn a bit about Rotom Dex, and we get to meet a new rival and an introduction to…Pokémon Contests.**

 **Chapter 5: Rotom Dex and the Contest**


	5. Rotom Dex and the Contest

**Before I begin, let me give a shout out to FanaticLAguy06 for his "The Road to be a Pokémon Master" series which has been inspiration to try and write my own Amourshipping Pokémon journey fanfiction. I would suggest you read it starting with Kanto, it's a very amazing Pokémon fanfiction series that I'm absolutely hooked on.**

 **Without further notice, here is the next chapter introducing Rotom Dex and Pokémon Contests, and I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash and Serena were just shocked that their Pokedex was floating in front of them, and that it was capable of speaking human language.

"Wait a minute, you're a talking Pokedex?" Ash asked.

"That's right, I am Rotom Dex. I am capable of speaking to you in your human language, and give you information on your Pokémon," Rotom Dex explained.

"So, if you're a Pokedex, can you scan information on Pokémon that are in front of you?" Serena asked.

"Most certainly," Rotom Dex answered looking at Pikachu, "Lets start off with Pikachu."

 _#025-Pikachu: Mouse Pokémon_

 _Its nature is to store up electricity. Forests where nests of Pikachu live are dangerous since the trees are so often struck by lightning._

Rotom Dex spoke the entry to Ash and Serena while showing a picture of Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon was pretty amazed at the technology that gave information on him.

"Pika," Pikachu said in amazement.

"Wow, that's so cool," Ash said.

"Indeed, I am the great work of Professor Kukui in the Alola Region. I am Rotom Dex, powered by the Pokémon Rotom," Rotom Dex explained, "I even have information on Rotom."

 _#479-Rotom: Plasma Pokémon_

 _Its body is composed of plasma. It is known to infiltrate electronic devices and wreak havoc._

"That's great, can you do an analysis on all of our Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Most certainly, whatever Pokémon you have, bring them out so I can take a look at them," Rotom Dex confirmed.

With that, Ash brought out Froakie and Pidgey while Serena sent out her Fennekin. Rotom Dex started to do an analysis on all three Pokémon that were in front of it. This was a good chance for Ash and Serena to gain information on their Pokémon.

 _#656-Froakie: Bubble Frog Pokémon_

 _It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked._

 _#653-Fennekin: Fox Pokémon_

 _As it walks, it munches on a twig in place of a snack. It intimidates opponents by puffing hot air out of its ears._

 _#016-Pidgey: Tiny Bird Pokémon_

 _Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction. It is capable of unerringly returning home to its nest, however far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings._

Getting a chance to learn more about the two Kalos starters was pretty amazing. There were still two questions on their mind, who was the grass type starter from the Kalos Region, and was it able to pick up data on other Pokémon they've seen before becoming operational? Well, they could get the answer to one question.

"So Rotom Dex, you don't carry the region restrictions, do you?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, does that mean you can get information on all the Pokémon from any region no matter what?" Ash asked.

"I don't carry a region restriction, so I will be able to identify any Pokémon that you come across," Rotom Dex told Ash and Serena, "I want you two to have your knowledge of Pokémon expand much as possible."

"Awesome," Ash responded, "Speaking of any Pokémon, were you able to scan any Pokémon before you operated?"

"I'm sorry to say this Ash, but I'm afraid I can't scan Pokémon when I'm not turned on," Rotom Dex said in disappoint, "If you saw any other Pokémon when I was off, I didn't get information."

"Oh, so that means," Serena said in disappointment.

Ash and Serena were disappointed that since Rotom Dex couldn't scan Pokémon when he was off, it didn't scan the majestic bird that flew over them which happened to be Ho-oh. Froakie and Fennekin knew that was Ho-oh when it spoke to them about the Rainbow Wing and Scared Ash.

"Man, I was hoping to learn more about that Pokémon," Ash said.

"Pika?" Pikachu said in confusion while Pidgey felt the same way.

"What Pokémon?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"You and Pidgey don't know this, but me, Serena, Froakie, and Fennekin did. We were chased by a flock of Spearow that Serena angered, and then during a storm we got saved by a Pokémon trainer, and then after the storm a beautiful bird like Pokémon flew over us leaving us these," Ash explained pulling out the Rainbow Wing and the Scared Ash, "I don't know what they're supposed to do, but if these things are connected to that Pokémon, then me and Serena hope to see it again someday."

"Do you know what they are?" Rotom Dex asked.

"We actually don't know," Serena answered.

Froakie and Fennekin remember the encounter with Ho-oh, and the parting words he left on the objects it left them.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **Road to Viridian City-Yesterday**_

 _Ho-oh flew past the horizon and over the rainbow leaving behind a rainbow feather and two patches of glowing white sand that somehow ended up in yellow pouches. After Ho-oh was out of sight, Ash picked up the rainbow feather as he and Serena looked at it in amazement. Froakie and Fennekin also noticed the glowing white sand until they heard a voice._

" _You will all have amazing adventures awaiting you. I leave you the Rainbow Wing which will bring you all eternal happiness, and Scared Ash which can revive the dead." Ho-oh echoed._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

"We think maybe we can learn about these things down the road, and if we're lucky we might meet that Pokémon again one day," Serena explained.

"That sounds like a good idea," Rotom Dex said in amazement, "My circuits would be buzzing if it came from a really rare Pokémon."

"That's the thing, the Pokémon could be rare," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Then keep looking, I want to be able to have information on every single Pokémon in the world," Rotom Dex happily said floating around.

"Well we can help you with that," Serena said, "We're traveling the world as Pokémon trainers, and we will get to meet many different Pokémon that are out there."

"Yeah, so whatever Pokémon we come across, you can record it," Ash stated.

"Well thank you, while I may be accompanying you in your travels, I'm honored that you will also let me collect all the data on every Pokémon around," Rotom Dex said.

* * *

 _ **2 hours later**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Pidgey were all gathered around in the Pokémon Center lobby. They still needed a chance to rest up as they couldn't due to Team Rocket's attack on the Pokémon Center. Fennekin on the other hand was sleeping on the couch when Froakie came up to the Fox Pokémon.

"Froakie, Froakie," Froakie said saying hello to Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said saying hello back to Froakie.

Froakie scooched closer to Fennekin as the little Fox Pokémon was his best friend after all. Froakie wanted to talk to Fennekin about what they were going to do if they wanted to help out Ash and Serena. They weren't aware that the nurse was taking care of them as they were drained of energy from fighting the Spearow, as they were still weary of some humans. Thank Arceus they were not up for the hell taking place by Team Rocket.

"If my analysis is correct, are you two the starter Pokémon of Ash and Serena?" Rotom Dex asked.

Froakie and Fennekin nodded yes.

"It seems as though you two are good friends," Rotom Dex said which got Froakie and Fennekin confused a bit, "Have you known each other longer than the time with Ash and Serena?"

It was a pretty strange question that Rotom Dex was asking. Rotom Dex was supposed to be analyzing data on Pokémon and what Pokémon the trainers had, but it looked like Rotom Dex was asking a life question to the two Pokémon. After all, it was a Rotom on the inside of Rotom Dex. Froakie and Fennekin spoke to Rotom Dex about the time they knew each other.

"It's sad you can't take to other humans, but I'm glad you're giving Ash and Serena a chance. After all, I'm sure they will treat me the same way they treat you, with lots of care," Rotom Dex happily said.

Ash and Serena may not know, but maybe this Pokedex does carry feelings. It can be true since it is a Pokémon running the contraption.

Then, a boy walks into the Pokémon. The boy was wearing a red cap with raven hair underneath, a blue jacket, blue pants, and black boots. He then gives the nurse his Pokémon, and then sees Froakie, Fennekin, and Rotom Dex having their friendly conversation.

"Wow, a Froakie and a Fennekin, you can't find those in Kanto," the boy said looking at the Pokémon.

Rotom Dex looked at the boy, and it noticed that he was looking at them. Rotom Dex had a puzzled look on its face. Froakie and Fennekin tried to keep a distance from the boy.

"Are you looking at us?" Rotom Dex asked.

"It talked!?" the boy said in shock as he walked over, "What are you?"

"I'm sorry if I scared you, allow me to introduce myself. I am Rotom Dex, and I have been programed to give information on Pokémon to Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Rotom Dex explained, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

The boy was a bit surprised when he heard the name Serena Gabena. He never heard of Ash Ketchum, but it sounded like he heard of Serena Gabena.

"Did you say, Serena Gabena?" the boy questioned.

"Yeah, she and Ash are over there," Rotom Dex said looking at Ash and Serena.

The boy saw Ash and Serena watching over Pikachu and Pidgey. The boy noticed Serena with her long honey-blonde hair, and without warning, he walked over to them.

"Um excuse me," the boy said nervously.

The boy caught Ash and Serena's attention. Pikachu and Pidgey looked at the boy as well. He looked at Serena liked he knew her but had a neutral look towards Ash.

"Are you Serena Gabena?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," Serena answered feeling a bit surprised, "But how did you know me?"

"I believe I've seen you back in Vanillie Town. You were the girl that didn't want to talk to anyone," the boy said.

"Yeah, that was me," Serena said looking at the boy, "Me and my moms moved from Vanillie Town to Pallet Town here in the Kanto Region. I was a really shy girl back then, and for some reason I didn't have the push to talk to anyone."

"Really, what was wrong?" the boy asked.

Then Ash turned at the boy. He knew Serena felt gloomy until she met him, and Ash was the one who spoke.

"Well she's not the girl from back in Kalos anymore," Ash told the boy, "When I met her at summer camp, she suddenly started to open up to me."

"Really?" the boy questioned.

"Yeah, it happened during a scavenger hunt where she tripped and hurt her knee. I helped her back up and told her never give up until the end," Ash explained smiling at Serena and the honey-blonde girl smiled back, "And then she got up, and the next thing she knew throughout the years, she started to have some social skills."

"Wow, she really came a long way from when she lived in Vanillie Town," said the boy.

"I have, it's that there is something about Ash that just made me feel…warm, like he told me that there is nothing wrong with having two moms," Serena stated.

"Of course, there isn't anything wrong with that," the boy replied.

"And now here I am starting my own Pokémon journey, and I'm traveling along here with Ash," Serena responded.

"Ash? So, your name is Ash?" the boy questioned.

"Yep, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Me and Serena have been neighbors for three years," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Pleased to meet you Ash Ketchum, my name is Calem Anderson," Calem said introducing himself.

After the introduction, Froakie, Fennekin, and Rotom Dex all gathered around Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Pidgey, and Calem. Calem turned around to see the two Pokémon and Rotom Dex appear next to him.

"So, I take it these Pokémon are yours?" Calem asked.

"You got that right, Froakie is my starter Pokémon, and Fennekin is Serena's starter Pokémon," Ash said introducing Froakie and Fennekin, "Froakie, Fennekin, this is Calem."

Froakie and Fennekin were pretty nervous around and decided to back away from the boy. Then Calem turned around to see Rotom Dex appear next to him.

"So, your name is Calem, my name is Rotom Dex," Rotom Dex said introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you Rotom Dex. It's kind of cool to meet a talking Pokedex," Calem said scratching the back of his head.

He then turned to Froakie and Fennekin who were still pretty nervous. There were two questions on Calem's mind right now.

"So, why are those little guys nervous? And more importantly, if you two were in Pallet Town starting your Pokémon journey in Kanto, how did you get Kalos starters?" Calem asked, "I mean trainers who start in Kanto can only get Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. How did you get a Froakie and a Fennekin?"

"Well Calem, I guess we can tell you all about it," Serena solemnly said.

So, Serena told Calem about how their families were killed by a sadistic Pokémon hunter, the fact that they somehow were happy and comfortable around Ash and Serena when they hatched from their eggs at Professor Oak's summer camp, and Professor Sycamore's decision to let Froakie be Ash's Pokémon and Fennekin be Serena's Pokémon. Calem heard the sad story of how Siegfried greatly affected their lifestyle when they were eggs and wondered how those two were going to show any affection to any other human.

"I feel for those two Pokémon," Calem said solemnly, "I hope Froakie and Fennekin can open up to other humans soon."

"Don't worry, we're going to teach them that not all humans in this world are bad," Ash said looking at his Froakie.

"It's true that there are some bad humans, but that doesn't mean they can't be friends with any humans," Serena said looking at her Fennekin, "It's a good idea Fennekin and Froakie try to get along with us."

"Well that's good, take baby steps and in time they will accept all human kind one day," Calem said.

The dinger went off as Calem's Pokémon were healed. Calem went back to retrieve his Pokémon and then returned to Ash and Serena.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said comforting Froakie and Fennekin after hearing their story.

Froakie and Fennekin each gave out a thank you to Pikachu, and the Mouse Pokémon felt a little better after hearing their backstory which turned out to be much worse than Pikachu's, but he still felt for them. Calem came back with his Pokémon.

"Well, since you got the water-type starter and fire-type starter in Kalos, let me introduce to you the grass-type starter in Kalos," Calem responded sending out a Chespin.

Chespin was a brown chipmunk with green on top of its head. Ash and Serena were amazed to see a Chespin in front of them. Rotom Dex began to analyze Chespin.

"Now analyzing Chespin!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

 _#650-Chespin: Shiny Nut Pokémon_

 _Such a thick shell of wood covers its head and back that even a direct hit from a truck wouldn't faze it._

"I actually got my starter from Professor Sycamore in the Kalos Region, but I decided to travel to the Kanto Region," Calem explained, "But hey, it's amazing that you guys got Kalos starters too."

"Thanks," Ash and Serena said in union.

"Well, now that I have my Pokémon in tip top shape, I'm going to get ready for the Viridian City Pokémon Contest," Calem said.

"Pokémon Contest?" Serena questioned.

"You guys never heard of Pokémon Contests?" Calem questioned.

"Not really," Ash answered.

"Well allow me to explain," Calem responded.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Pidgey, Froakie, and Fennekin all gathered around to hear what Calem has to say about Pokémon Contests.

"I carry the profession of a Pokémon Coordinator, and one thing they do is enter Pokémon Contests. In a Pokémon Contest, a Pokémon shows off their beauty and elegance with the moves. If the Pokémon and the coordinator get a high enough score, then they will engage in contest battles where they show off their moves in a Pokémon battle, and the more appealing the attack, the better outcome you will get. The last coordinator standing will receive a ribbon. If you get 5 ribbons, you will qualify for the Pokémon Grand Festival," Calem explained.

"Pokémon Contests, I like to give that a try," Serena said in excitement.

"No thanks, I'm competiting for the Pokémon League so I don't need to enter any silly contests," Ash said.

"Come on Ash, this is a way to see your Pokémon's moves for yourself," Serena told Ash with her hands on her hips, "Just go out and have fun. Don't you want to see what Froakie can do?"

Serena did make a good point, Ash could use the contest as a way to see what moves Froakie is capable of using. He already knows Froakie can use Bubble and Pound, so what other moves can the Bubble Frog Pokémon use?

"It's a good way to analyze Froakie's abilities," Rotom Dex told Ash.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Alright, I'll enter," Ash said.

"Great, I'll enter too," Serena replied.

"Well, this is going to be interesting. We can all compete tomorrow in the Viridian City Pokémon Contest," Calem said, "But you do need to get a Contest Pass, and you can get one tomorrow."

So, Ash, Serena, and Calem were all going to enter the Viridian City Pokémon Contest tomorrow. That would be good since the two need some extra rest following the events the other night at the Pokémon Center.

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Contest Hall**_

 _ **The Next Day**_

Ash, Serena, and Calem all arrived at the Viridian City Pokémon Contest Hall. The building was red with a blue roof, and the three went in. Once they arrived, they got to the reception desk.

"May I help you?" the receptionist said.

"Yeah, the three of us would like to enter the Viridian City Pokémon Contest," Calem said presenting Ash and Serena with them.

"Okay, let me see your contest passes," the receptionist said.

Calem presented his contest pass, but Ash and Serena didn't have one. The two looked dumbfounded as they realized they needed a Contest Pass in order to enter the Pokémon Contest.

"They don't have contest passes, they never entered a Pokémon Contest before," Calem told the receptionist.

"It's okay, I can provide them one right now," the receptionist said as Ash and Serena came up to the front of the desk, "What are your names?"

"Ash Ketchum," Ash answered.

"Serena Gabena," Serena answered.

"Okay Mr. Ketchum and Ms., Gabena, let me print you up some passes," the receptionist said going through the process of creating contest passes, "Here you are, and you are set for today's contest."

"Thank you," Ash said to the receptionist.

"You're welcome, go into the waiting area and change into the available clothes we have, or you can wear your own wardrobe as long as the staff says you can wear it," the receptionist told Ash and Serena.

"Change into available clothes?" Ash questioned.

"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you. In Pokémon Contest, Pokémon Coordinators dress up for when they take the stage," Calem explained.

"You mean we get to wear cute fancy clothes for when we enter Pokémon Contests," Serena said beaming with happiness, "I'm definitely counting myself in."

Serena rain over to the waiting area to change, but the receptionist stopped Serena.

"Wait, what Pokémon are you going to use miss?" the receptionist asked as Serena backtracked back to the desk.

"My Pokémon?" Serena questioned.

"Yes, for your appeal round and contest battles. You can use the same Pokémon for both, or you can use one for the appeal round, and another for contest battles," the receptionist explained.

This wasn't going to be a tough decision for Serena. Her only Pokémon was Fennekin, but then again, she and Ash were going to use Pikachu together on their travels. Without any further delay, Serena made her decision. Ash listened in and went first.

"For my appeal round, I'll use Froakie, and then when it's time for contest battles, I'll use Pidgey," Ash told the receptionist.

"As for me, I'll use Fennekin in the appeal round," Serena told the receptionist as she then looked towards Ash, "And then I'll use Pikachu in the contest battles."

"Pikachu," Pikachu happily said being alright with that.

"It looks like Pikachu is alright with you Serena," Rotom Dex told Pikachu.

"I agree Serena, you can have Pikachu for this contest," Ash told Serena.

"And my Pokémon will be Chespin for the opening round, and I have a Sandshrew that will take place in the contest battles," Calem told the receptionist.

"Alright, let me get those Pokémon registered," the receptionist said as she registered Ash's Pokémon, Serena's Pokémon, and Calem's Pokémon, "And now you're all set."

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

Ash, Serena, and Calem were all in the dressing room and waiting room awaiting for the Pokémon Contest to begin. Serena came out wearing a plain pink dress with her hair in a ponytail with a pair of pink flats, and Ash came out wearing a light blue tuxedo with blue pants and black shoes, and Calem was wearing a royal blue uniform top with blue pants and black boots. Rotom Dex had to float around in the waiting area since it couldn't be by itself.

"You all look beautiful." Rotom Dex said.

"Aw, why thank you Rotom Dex," Serena said blushing, "I guess you were programmed to give complements too."

"I'm a Pokémon, so I can still have feelings," Rotom Dex said.

"I don't look beautiful, I look rather handsome," Ash said admiring himself in the mirror.

"Oh Ash, knock it off," Serena said pulling Ash away from the mirror.

Then on a stage, we see a woman with orange brown hair wearing a white vizor, a blue polo shirt, blue pants, and white boots who happens to be the hostess of the Viridian City Pokémon Contest.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Contest! I am your host, Lillian! Today we have thirty Pokémon Coordinators attempting to claim the Viridian City Pokémon Contest Ribbon," Lillian announced holding a small ribbon with a gold crown marking with green stripes on the ribbon, "Whoever collects five of these ribbons in the Kanto Region can qualify for the Pokémon Grand Festival!"

The crowd erupted in cheer and applause as the Pokémon Contest was about to begin. Calem looked pretty confident as he has been in Pokémon Contests before, but Serena and Ash seemed a little nervous. True, it was the first time they were going on stage, but for right now they just wanted to have fun.

"Analyzing chances," Rotom Dex said calculating, "Ash, Serena, each of you have a 3.33% percent chance of winning."

"Wow, you can do math too," Ash said feeling a bit astonished.

"We don't need calculations Rotom Dex," Serena told the Pokedex.

"And now here is our first coordinator, and his name is…Calem!" Lillian announced as the crowd applauded.

Calem was on stage, and he looked very confident. The young boy from Vanillie Town looked like he was going to get this down.

"Chespin, take the stage!" Calem yelled out sending out Chespin.

Chespin came out of its Pokeball spinning around and landing on both of its feet with its arms spread out. The crowd roared with applause.

"Chespin use Seed Bomb!" Calem yelled out.

"Chespin!" Chespin yelled out delivering a Seed Bomb.

"Now use Pin Missile!" Calem called out.

Chespin now launched a flurry of pins at the Seed Bomb attack causing the attack to divide into pieces.

"Now use Vine Whip!" Calem called out.

Chespin used Vine Whip to whip out the pieces into more pieces, thus delivering tiny sparkling brown bits as Chespin delivered a bow. The crowd applauded for Chespin fine work of attack combinations.

"Amazing, lets see what the judges think," Lillian said as the scores revealed an 8.8, and 8.9, and a 9.0 giving Calem a 26.7

"26.7, now that's impressive!" Lillian announced as the crowd applauded.

"Wow, Calem knew what he was doing," Serena said.

"Yeah, trying to combine moves together to present something amazing," Ash responded, "This is going to be pretty tough."

More Pokémon coordinators were going through the competition, and then after about 14 competitors, Ash was the next one up.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for entry number 16, Ash!" Lillian announced as Ash approached the stage.

Ash was pretty nervous in front of the crowd, heck this would be good practice when he got into the Pokémon League because the crowd was going to be a hell of a lot bigger than what he was going to deal with. Ash held his special blue Pokeball in his hand. He wasn't going to expect a masterpiece, just do his best.

"Come on out Froakie!" Ash yelled out sending out the Bubble Frog Pokémon Froakie.

"Froakie!" Froakie exclaimed jumping out of its Pokeball.

Honestly, Ash had no clue on what to do. He decided to just take his best judgements from Calem's appeal. Froakie was struck with stage freight as there were a lot of people in front of him. Ash knelt down to Froakie's level to talk with him.

"Froakie, its okay they're not going to hurt you," Ash said comforting him, "They're just here to watch. Now we're going to present your moves in the best way possible, just do your best."

"Froakie," Froakie said nervously.

"Amazing, it looks like our coordinator is giving his Pokémon a little pep talk," Lillian announced as Ash was about to begin.

"Froakie use Bubble," Ash called out.

Froakie unleashed a flurry of bubbles into the air. Now Ash had to figure out the best way to showcase the bubbles.

"Okay Froakie...jump into a bubble," Ash called out to Froakie.

Froakie hopped into the air and jumped into a bubble. Froakie was now engulfed in one of his floating bubbles while the other ones were floating in the air.

"Now break out of it!" Ash told Froakie.

Froakie used his strength to break out of the bubble but ended up falling at a fast pace resulting in a faceplant. There were a few mummers of disagreement in the audience, but a lot of laughs too. After all this was the first time Froakie was on a contest stage.

"Well, looks like Froakie had a little wipeout," Lillian said chuckling a little bit, "Lets see what the judges think."

Ash got a 5.0, a 4.3, and a 4.6 giving him a low 13.9. Ash wasn't disappointed because he knew he and Froakie weren't going to do well. They just did their best, and that's what happened.

"13.9," Lillian announced.

Serena felt down for Ash that his appeal with Froakie didn't go well. There was no way Ash was going to make it to the second round.

"Poor Ash, you did your best," Serena said to herself.

Ash came back into the waiting room with Froakie. He did feel a bit disappointed that he and Froakie didn't do so well, but as long as they had fun, that's what matters.

"We didn't do so great," Ash told Serena and Calem.

"Hey, you tried at least," Calem said giving a thumbs up.

"Heh, thanks," Ash responded.

After many more coordinators went through the appeal round, there was only one left to take the stage. That person was none other than Serena. Serena was pretty nervous, but she needed to take the same attitude as Ash and just have fun.

"Remember Serena, just go out there and have fun," Ash told Serena.

"I will, thanks Ash," Serena replied.

"Go get'em Serena," Rotom Dex said.

Serena left the waiting room with a smile and proceeded to the stage. She didn't need to be perfect, she just needed to do her best, and Fennekin needed to do her best too.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final coordinator to take the stage. This is her first contest, so give it up for Serena!" Lillian announced as Serena took the stage.

Just like Ash, Serena looked pretty nervous. The only thing Serena needed to do is for her and Fennekin to have a good time and do their best. As soon as she appeared on stage, Serena felt pretty comfortable. In fact, it seemed as though she liked to be in the spotlight. Serena felt like she could see her beauty show off more on stage, and if that was the case for her, then maybe it could be for her Pokémon.

"Fennekin, spotlight!" Serena happily beamed out as she threw her red Pokeball sending out Fennekin.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin squealed until she saw the crowd.

Just like Froakie, Fennekin seemed pretty nervous around all of those people including Lillian and the judges. Serena noticed how Fennekin was feeling and knelt down to her level to talk to her.

"Fennekin, none of these people are out to get you. All they want you to do is to see how elegant you are and how you can showcase your abilities," Serena explained to Fennekin, "There's nothing to be afraid of, just go out and have fun."

"Fennekin," Fennekin nervously said.

The Fox Pokémon started to shake off her nerves, but she still felt uncomfortable around all those people. However, she remembers what Serena told her and that she needs to put her fears aside. Despite the emotional pain, Fennekin could trust Serena, and all she wanted to do was to make Serena happy.

"Alright Fennekin use Ember in the air!" Serena called out.

Fennekin unleashed an Ember attack in the air, and then Fennekin was awaiting for Serena's next order.

"Now use Scratch on those embers," Serena told Fennekin, "And then go through them."

Fennekin jumped into the air and used scratch to scratch up the embers into little red pieces and then proceeded to hop through them giving out a fiery red glow. The crowd gave a nice round of applause. It wasn't the best, but it seemed like Serena did a good job. Fennekin was pretty happy too as Serena gave a bow.

"Well, looks like Fennekin came up from the ashes to give out a good first ever appeal," Lillian announced, "And lets see what the judges think."

Serena's appeal wasn't terrific, but it did seem better than Ash's appeal. Serena got a 5.4, a 6.0, and a 5.9 giving her a total of 17.3.

"A 17.3, that's alright," Lillian said.

Serena returned to the waiting room where Ash gave her a pat on the shoulder. She smiled knowing she wasn't going to make it past the opening round, but she and Fennekin gave it their all.

"You did great Serena," Ash told Serena.

"Thanks," Serena responded, "You know, even though I didn't get a good score, I say me and Fennekin had some fun."

"That's good to hear," Calem said giving a thumbs up, "I'm glad you had fun."

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our opening round. Now lets see which eight coordinators will move on to the next round," Lillian announced as the board revealed the coordinators moving on to the second round.

Ash and Serena with no surprise did not see their pictures on the screen which meant they missed the cut. Calem came in at number three having the third highest score among the thirty coordinators.

"You made it to the next round Calem," Serena happily said.

"But you and Ash didn't," Rotom Dex told Ash and Serena.

"It's okay," Ash replied.

"And these are the eight coordinators moving on to the next round," Lillian announced as the board was jumbling up the coordinators into different slots now, "And here are the matchups for the second round."

"Too bad you guys didn't make it, but now you can take a look at contest battles," Calem told Ash and Serena.

Even though Ash and Serena didn't make it to the next round, they could actually watch the contest battles. The two changed out of their contest clothes and back into their normal clothes, and then proceeded to look for seats. Luckily for Ash and Serena, they found two empty seats next to each other where they could sit down. Pikachu was on Ash's lap while Rotom Dex was on Serena's lap. Froakie and Fennekin were put back into their Pokeballs, and the contest battles were about to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for contest battles. In contest battles, Pokémon will battle while showing off their moves with magnificent combinations and styles. There is a five minutes time limit and the battle ends when either a Pokémon is defeated, the coordinator's points reach zero, or the five minutes are up, and the winner will be decided with who has the most points," Lillian explained as she showed the pictures of Calem and another coordinator, "Our first battle will be Calem versus Sean."

Calem was on stage with another coordinator. The coordinator Sean had blonde hair and wore a green uniform top with grey pants and black shoes. The two were on opposite sides with Ash and Serena sitting in the stands watching.

"I wonder how contest battles are like?" Serena questioned herself.

"We'll lets watch and see," Ash responded.

"Alright, begin!" Lillian announced as the clock began winding down.

"Okay Sandshrew, come on out!" Calem yelled out sending out a light brown shrew creature with a white belly.

"Go Drowzee!" Sean yelled out sending out a gold creature with an elephant nose and the lower body being brown.

"Analyzing Pokémon," Rotom Dex said analyzing Sandshrew and Drowzee.

 _#027-Sandshrew: Mouse Pokémon_

 _When its skin gets wrinkled from moisture, it heads for a volcano. It lies flat on a spot with a lot of geothermal heat and dries itself out._

 _#096-Drowzee: Hypnosis Pokémon_

 _It can be spotted near recreational facilities, intending to eat the pleasant dreams of children who enjoyed themselves there that day._

"Drowzee use Confusion!" Sean called out.

Drowzee engulfed Sandshrew in a confusion attack. Drowzee then lifted Sandshrew up into the air with its confusion attack.

"Drowzee is using its Confusion to lift Sandshrew into the air," Lillian said as Calem was losing some points, "Does Calem have a strategy up his sleeve."

"I do," Calem said to himself, "Sandshrew use Rollout!"

Sandshrew curled up into the ball in the air, and broke free of Drowzee's Confusion attack easily. Sandshrew used her Rollout attack and struck Drowzee, and right when she made contact and took off points from Sean, Calem gave Sandshrew another order.

"Now use Sand Tomb and Swift at the same time!" Calem called out to his Sandshrew.

Sandshrew unleashed a Sand Tomb attack followed by Swift which got the Hypnosis Pokémon up into the air and pelted with sand and stars.

"Sandshrew has now brought out a Sand Tomb and Swift combination sending Drowzee dazing with stars," Lillian announced as Drowzee fell to the ground knocked out, "And Drowzee cannot continue."

Calem had more points than Sean, but that didn't matter since Drowzee was knocked out. The board showed that Calem was the winner of the match and was moving on.

"Calem and Sandshrew have won the match, and will proceed to the next round," Lillian announced as the crowd erupted with applause.

"Wow, Sandshrew did pretty amazing," Ash said.

"That's because Calem was able to find out what moves Sandshrew was capable of using and took the time to figure out how he was going to use them in a contest for appeal and for contest battles," Rotom Dex explained, "If you want to be great Pokémon trainers, then you need to see what your Pokémon can do, and I can help you with that."

"Really, you can know what moves a Pokémon can use?" Serena asked.

"I sure can," Rotom Dex answered, "I want to do whatever I can to make you two great Pokémon trainers, and your Pokémon skilled as possible, including you Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu said.

It really was going to help Ash and Serena in the long run that Rotom Dex was going to be able to provide moves that a Pokémon can use. Rotom Dex was going to be a good addition to the group not only because it can talk and give info on Pokémon, but it can also provide moves and abilities of Pokémon too.

Ash and Serena then proceeded to watch the rest of the contest. Looking at how all of the Pokémon were presenting their attacks with such elegance and spunk, Serena couldn't help but be amazed. The girl was taking an interest in these Pokémon Contests with dressing up, how the Pokémon is well presented, and showing off some flashy combinations. As the contest went on, they saw that Calem won the whole thing.

"And the winner of the Viridian City Pokémon Contest is…Calem!" Lillian announced as the crowd gave out a roaring applause.

"I can't believe Calem won!" Serena cheered.

Serena couldn't help but smile when Calem was presented his Contest Ribbon. Serena just loved the scene of him being on stage looking all flashy, the beauty of Pokémon moves, and just being on stage receiving a beautiful ribbon. Serena didn't know what she wanted to do when her journey begun, but after partaking and watching this Pokémon Contest, Serena thought it would be fun if she could do this more often.

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Outside the Contest Hall**_

Calem was outside, and Ash and Serena were coming over to greet him.

"Hey Calem, congratulations on winning the contest," Ash said greeting him.

"Hey there, and thank you very much," Calem said complementing them, "I'm sure you two had fun today."

"We sure did, we got to try something out with our Pokémon, and the fact we had a good time is all that mattered," Ash told Calem.

"Well I'm happy to hear that," Calem responded.

Serena couldn't help but smile at Calem. He, his Chespin, and his Sandshrew did a really good job on the stage in the Pokémon Contest. She approached him which made Ash a bit nervous. Ash was hoping to Arceus she wasn't asking him out.

"Calem, I have to say that these Pokémon Contests are amazing. It's a really great way to showcase Pokémon," Serena said as she brought out her Fennekin, "Fennekin here had a great time too. Seeing myself on stage putting on a show with my Pokémon was just amazing, and I feel like Fennekin could put on more shows that are better than the one she gave today."

"Really?" Calem questioned.

"Yeah, plus I see it as a good way to get Fennekin comfortable around humans. I know she only wants to be close to me, but I have to teach her to be comfortable around everyone else too," Serena explained, "And I couldn't help but be amazed at how you did in your contest battles. I want a good way to have Fennekin shine and other Pokémon I get as my friends as well."

"Serena are you saying?" Calem questioned.

"Yes Calem, I'm going to become a Pokémon Coordinator," Serena told Calem.

Ash heard what Serena said, and he was really happy. Serena wasn't traveling with him now to be close with him or have Froakie and Fennekin together, Serena now could travel the Kanto Region with an objective.

"That's great Serena," Ash said to Serena and then looks at Pikachu, "Here that Pikachu, you won't just enter gym battles, but Pokemon Contests too. Are you happy about that?"

"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu happily said.

"Well Pikachu, it looks like you'll be getting extra training now that Ash and Serena will be in need of your services," Rotom Dex told Pikachu.

"Well then, if you're going to be a Pokemon Coordinator, then that makes us rivals," Calem said to Serena giving a little smirk.

"I guess so," Serena commented, "And you're already ahead of me by one ribbon so I got some catching up to do."

"Love that rival trying to catch up talk," Calem said giving a little chuckle, "Serena, I think you'll do great as a Pokemon Coordinator. All you and your Pokemon need to do is to put in a lot of hard work, and it will pay off."

"I will," Serena said looking at Rotom Dex, "And now with Rotom Dex, I can learn more about what Fennekin can do. Right Fennekin?"

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily said as the Fox Pokemon did feel a little comfortable around Calem.

"Absoluetly Fennekin, there's much more about you that you don't know," Rotom Dex told Fennekin.

"Well in that case Serena, I hope to see you in future contests," Calem said giving a thumbs up.

"Same here," Serena replied.

"Well we better get going so we can train our Pokemon, and then I can get my first Kanto Badge," Ash said giving a fist pump.

"Well then you can head to Pewter City which is the closest official Pokemon League Gym from here," Calem told Ash, "There is one here in Viridian City, but that gym is barely ever open. No one knows who the leader is, or what type of Pokemon the leader uses."

"Alright then, we'll come back later for the Viridian Gym," Ash said, "We can go to Pewter City."

"Sounds good Ash, I wish you the best of luck," Calem said, "May we meet again in the future."

Ash and Serena waved their goodbyes to Calem as they knew this wasn't going to be the last time they saw him. Ash couldn't help but feel a little judgemental about Calem, after all Ash really likes Serena. Rotom Dex floated towards the Pokemon trainer and now Pokemon Coordinator.

"Ash, Serena, I also serve as a map that can help you get to your destination," Rotom Dex said showing a map on its screen, "In order to get to Pewter City, you must cross through the Viridian Forest."

"The Viridian Forest?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, the Viridian Forest is filled with lots of bug Pokemon," Rotom Dex explained.

"Wow, you even know about places too," Ash said in amazement, "Whoever this Professor Kukui guy is really knew what he was doing when creating you."

"You mean the Pokedex, I'm still a Rotom on the inside," Rotom Dex told Ash, "Speaking of which, why don't we go to the store three blocks down and get some supplies before we embark to the Viridian Forest."

"Yeah, it's getting late," Ash said, "We could stock up on some supplies, and then call it a day. We still need to rest up from the Spearow and Team Rocket."

"Speaking of Team Rocket, what ever happened to them?" Serena questioned.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"Who's Team Rocket?" Rotom Dex asked.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

Coming out of the double doors was Giovanni who was now wearing a fancy orange suit. Giovanni was now feeling powerful again now that he didn't have a suit with wine stain. He saw Jessie, James, and Meowth in front of them with a man with purple hair wearing a black uniform, and Proton.

"Jessie, James, Meowth, you failed the Pokemon Center raid because you were scared of a fucking Pikachu! Also you stole Proton's lunch!" Giovanni roared, "However I like this suit you got for me, so I forgive you."

"What, no national televised neck breakings!?" Proton cried.

"Thanks boss, we actually got the money for it by stealing from these two twerps," Jessie said.

"Yeah, we don't know if they're alive still," James said.

"Impressive, at least you got something," Giovanni said with an affirmative tone, "Proton, Petrel, you can go now."

"Yes sir," Petrel said as he walked out.

"Wait, torture them!" Proton yelled out.

"You can do that later Proton," Giovanni calmly told Proton, "Just go now, okay."

Proton was really angry as he punched James in the face. Proton stormed off, and Jessie, James, and Meowth were relieved that he was gone. Giovanni though was still glaring at Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Boss, why do you play favorites with Proton," Meowth nervously questioned.

"Because Proton knows how to succeed in his criminal activites," Giovanni answered, "After all, he is the cruelest and scariest of the rockets. You three on the other hand are a disgrace."

"Please, is there anything we can do!" Meowth cried as he got on his knees and begged.

"Here's what you can do, go off and do some training. Make sure that Ekans and Koffing you have are getting stronger." Giovanni told the trio, "If I see improvement on those two Pokemon, I'll consider giving you another assignment."

"Oh thank you boss, we won't let you down," Jessie said.

"Good, but you won't begin until after you clean the mess in my personal bathroom you three made," Giovanni said as grunts were bringing mops and cleaning supplies, "No one is allowed to use my bathroom."

"But Proton used it without your permission," James told Giovanni.

"I fucking know Proton did that! I'm blaming you anyways!" Giovanni roared.

* * *

 **The trio sure gets disrespected by Giovanni as he treats them like garbage. Heck, Giovanni even wonders how the trio got admin rankings.**

 **So there you have it, Serena is going to be a Pokemon Coordinator, and since we have Froakie and Fennekin, it's fair that Chespin should be introduced into the story. I don't know if I did well in writing a Pokemon Contest, hopefully I can get better at that.**

 **Next up, Ash and Serena are on their way to the Viridian Forest where Ash and Serena each catch a new Pokemon. With Rotom Dex on their side, the duo now has a Pokemon encyclopedia and a map. I also want to do my best in giving Rotom Dex some character development besides just being a floating Pokedex that can talk.**

 **Until then, see you next time!**

 **Chapter 6: The Viridian Forest**


	6. The Viridian Forest

**Here we are, Ash and Serena are now going to make their way into the Viridian Forest, but they better watch out as some familiar faces will make a return.**

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Pokémon Center**_

It was late evening at the Pokémon Center. Ash and Serena were about to call it a day but figured it would be nice to give their moms a call before they left. Serena went to the video phone to call her moms with Ash waiting.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Residence**_

Back in the Gabena house, Grace and Jade were sitting on the couch watching a movie cuddled in a blanket. Then they heard the phone ring.

"Jade could you see who that is," Grace told her partner.

Jade got up from the couch to look at the color ID, and it was reading Viridian City Pokémon Center.

"The Viridian City Pokémon Center, it looks like Serena is calling us," Jade told Grace.

"Serena?" Grace said as she went to the video phone.

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Pokémon Center**_

"Hi," Serena said to her moms.

"Serena my baby, it's so nice of you to call on such short notice," Grace said clasping her hands.

"Thanks, well me and Ash are going to spend the night here in the Pokémon Center so were all set for tomorrow," Serena told her moms.

"That's good to hear," Jade said looking at Ash, "And Ash, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," Ash answered with Pikachu hopping on his shoulder.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said to the video phone.

"Is that a Pikachu?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, we found it here in the Pokémon Center and now me and Ash are both going to raise it as our own Pokémon," Serena explained.

"That's amazing," Grace replied.

Then the floating red Pokedex floated around and then spun around and then jetted towards the screen looking at Grace and Jade. Grace and Jade were pretty shocked to see Rotom Dex in front of them.

"Serena also didn't introduce me, my name is Rotom Dex and I will be Serena and Ash's Pokedex," Rotom Dex said introducing itself.

Grace and Jade both had sweat drops coming from their foreheads wondering did Serena really just get a talking Pokedex.

"What is that?" Grace asked in shock.

"Rotom Dex, don't be rude," Serena said with her hands on her hips.

"Sorry Serena," Rotom Dex responded rubbing its head on the back of its circuit board.

"Moms, did I ever tell you that our Pokedex needed a special part for it to work," Serena told her moms.

"Yes," Grace and Jade both replied.

"Well you see it turned out that the special part we needed was actually a Pokémon called Rotom," Ash explained, "It went into the giant Pokedex, and then it came to life as Rotom Dex. So now Rotom Dex is not only our Pokedex and guide to knowing about Pokémon, it's also our new friend along with Pikachu."

"I see," Grace said rubbing her chin and then smiled, "Well anyway it's nice to meet you Rotom Dex, I'm Serena's mom Grace and this is her other mom Jade."

"Serena has two moms?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"Yeah Rotom Dex, you see my moms are actually what we called a same sex couple," Serena told Rotom Dex, "It's when two people of the same gender are in love with each other."

"Oh," Rotom Dex replied as Serena went back to talking to her moms.

"Okay, I might give Rotom Dex a little bit more of an explanation with you two, but I have something to tell you," Serena told her moms.

"What is it?" Jade questioned.

"Today we met this boy named Calem, and he's actually from Vanillie Town in the Kalos Region where we used to live, but he decided to travel to Kanto," Serena told her moms.

"Calem, I think we've seen him before," Grace said, "Wasn't he our neighbor?"

"I think so, he actually knew me back in Vanillie Town knowing that I didn't really want to talk to anyone. Back when I was the really shy girl," Serena explained, "Well anyway he was entering Pokémon Contests in the Kanto Region, and we decided to tag along with him to see what they were like."

"Really, how did you like them?" Grace asked.

"Well me and Ash actually got to partake in one, and we didn't do very well, so we decided to watch Calem. He showed us how spontaneous Pokémon could be with the moves they use and how they present themselves. Also, you got to wear nice clothes on stage," Serena explained.

"Did you like them sweetie?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, in matter of fact I've decided I'm going to follow in Calem's footsteps and enter Pokémon Contests in the Kanto Region. I'm going to be a Pokémon Coordinator!" Serena announced.

Grace and Jade gasped, and Ash wasn't surprised since he already knew that. Her moms were hoping she finds something to do in her life, and it may have made their hearts flutter that Serena was going to enter Pokémon Contests.

"Honey, I'm so happy for you," Grace happily said.

"I knew you would find something," Jade replied.

"Yeah, I feel like that's something for me," Serena said.

"I'm happy for her too, I mean it would be awkward if we were going to compete in the Pokémon League together, but her aiming for the Grand Festival sounds great too," Ash said, "And I'll help her out along the way."

"Well that's good to hear, I hope you do well. Be one with your Pokémon and always go for broke," Grace told her daughter.

"I will mom, and so will Fennekin and Pikachu along with many other new friends I hope to make along the way," Serena said, "And if you're able to find Pokémon Contests on television, be sure to look for me."

"Will do, now you take care, and Ash make sure Serena is taken care of," Jade said giving Ash a wink.

"You can count on me," Ash responded.

"Alright, I'll check in with you when we get to Pewter City," Serena told her moms, "I love you."

"We love you too," Grace and Jade said in union as they hung up and the screen turned black.

Serena was pretty happy to speak with her moms and that they seem to approve of her taking a career in being a Pokémon Coordinator. Her moms were definitely surprised when they got a scare from Rotom Dex. Now it was Ash's turn to call his mom as he began to dial the number towards his house.

"Alright Rotom Dex, don't startle my mom like you did with Serena's moms," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Not a problem," Rotom Dex said pounding his screen with his arm.

The video screen finally turned on to see a woman with auburn hair. It was Ash's mom Delia who was on the video phone.

"Ash is that you?" Delia questioned looking at her son with astonishment, "What are you doing calling again so soon?"

"Hi mom, me and Serena have been staying in Viridian City for some time, and we're going to be heading out tomorrow to the Viridian Forest to head for Pewter City. The closest Pokémon Gym is there," Ash told his mom.

"That's wonderful, but I thought there was a gym in Viridian City," Delia said feeling a little confused, "Was that leader powerful?"

"No mom, I never challenged the gym here in Viridian City because it's closed right now," Ash answered, "Besides, I just became a trainer. Should I really begin my Pokémon career against a big bad gym leader right now, absolutely not!"

"Well that's a good choice you made Ash," Delia said in an approving way, "How's Serena been?"

Serena then joined Ash on the chair, so she could see Serena too.

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum, I'm doing good," Serena answered.

"Hi Serena, I'm glad you're doing good," Delia responded.

"Thanks, and I already checked in with my moms to tell them that I'm doing good. Also, I got some big news," Serena said.

"Really, what's that?" Delia questioned.

"I already told my moms, I'm going to become a Pokémon Coordinator and enter Pokémon Contests," Serena announced to Delia.

"Oh my, that's so amazing to hear Serena," Delia said clasping her hands, "Now both you and Ash have something to do on your journey."

"Yeah," Ash said as he brought Pikachu and Rotom Dex over, "By the way mom, I want to introduce you to two new friends. Say hello to Pikachu, and Rotom Dex."

"Pika Pika," Pikachu said waving hello.

"Hello there," Delia happily said until she turned to the Pokedex, "So a new Pokémon and a floating Pokedex?"

"Not just any Pokedex, it can even talk," Ash told his mom, "Say hello."

"Greetings, I am Rotom Dex. I will be accompanying Ash and Serena on their quest through Kanto giving them information on all the Pokémon they will see," Rotom Dex said introducing himself.

"Oh, hello there. I'm Ash's mom Delia and I hope my son does okay out there with Serena," Delia said.

"Not to worry, I also am a map, so they won't get lost," Rotom Dex said spinning around showing a map on its screen.

"Don't worry mom, as long as me and Serena use good judgement, and our Pokémon and Rotom Dex know what they're doing, we'll be just fine," Ash told his mom.

"Well that's good," Delia replied, "By the way Rotom Dex, will you remind Ash to change his underwear every day?"

"Mom!" Ash cried in embarrassment as Serena and Pikachu giggled.

"Not to worry, I'll make sure everyone is on task to their duties," Rotom Dex said.

"Same old mom," Ash said rubbing his head.

"Okay Ash, I want you and Serena to take care of each other. Just like you Ash, I worry for Serena too like she could be my own daughter," Delia told Ash.

"I understand mom," Ash said, "Well me and Serena are going to call it a night. We're leaving tomorrow for Pewter City. I love you and I miss you."

"I love you too Ash," Delia said as the screen went black.

After their phone calls, Ash and Serena looked at each other. They knew it was time for them to hit the sack as they were going to make their way towards Pewter City tomorrow by going through the Viridian Forest.

"Well, let's get our rest for tomorrow," Ash suggested.

"Yeah," Serena said looking at Fennekin's Pokeball, "Hey I might have Fennekin sleep with me tonight."

"You know what, I'll do the same for Froakie," Ash said as he looked at Froakie's Pokeball.

Ash and Serena each sent their starter Pokémon out. Froakie and Fennekin were so happy to see Ash and Serena as always.

"Hey Froakie, how would like to sleep with me tonight," Ash said looking at Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie happily said.

"Same here Fennekin, do you want to sleep with me?" Serena asked Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily answered.

"That's great," Ash said until Pikachu tugged his pantleg, "Huh, what is it Pikachu?"

"Pika pika," Pikachu begged saying he wants to sleep with Ash.

"You want to sleep with me?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered.

"Well why not, you and Froakie can both sleep with me," Ash said giving out a big smile.

"So where do I sleep?" Rotom Dex asked.

"You're a floating computer, you actually shut yourself off," Serena told Rotom Dex, "But if you're going to try and sleep, you can bunk with me tonight."

Rotom Dex never thought of actually sleeping with a human being. No way, Rotom Dex wasn't going to have that kind of sleepover with Serena, she just meant it would charge up in her room.

"Bunk with you?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"It means you sleep in my room," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Oh, I accept your request," Rotom Dex said giving a bow.

After that, the two went to their separate rooms to rest up for the next day. Ash was going to have Froakie and Pikachu sleep with him while Serena had her Fennekin sleep with her along with Rotom Dex. Tomorrow their adventure would continue.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex along with Froakie and Fennekin who were out of their Pokeballs were in the forest. They were in a nice grove deciding to take a break after a nice hike down the trail. They should be reaching Pewter City anytime soon.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said pointing to a berry tree.

"Oh, you want some berries Pikachu," Ash said to Pikachu.

"Pika pika," Pikachu happily said.

"Okay, why don't we get some," Ash said as he and Pikachu were running towards the berry tree, "Come on Serena."

"Wait for me," Serena said following Ash, "Froakie and Fennekin, we'll be right back."

"Froakie," Froakie happily said waving at them.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily said waving at them.

"I better go too, there could be some rare Pokémon I could scan," Rotom Dex said as he floated towards Ash, Serena, and Pikachu.

Froakie and Fennekin were all alone. Froakie didn't mind having some alone time with the Fox Pokémon, better yet he was pretty happy. Froakie and Fennekin both got to sit down on a tree stump to talk to each other.

"Froakie Froakie," Froakie said telling Fennekin how nice she looked.

"Fennekin," Fennekin replied giving a thank you.

Froakie was talking with Fennekin about how this Pokémon journey could be a good way for the two to actually get closer. Froakie really did want to establish a great relationship with Fennekin, even though it was already good, but it wouldn't hurt to make it better. Fennekin was agreeing with Froakie that traveling with Ash and Serena would help them in the long run. The two were about to hug until something came up.

Fennekin was then grabbed by the throat by a muscular man who was bald, wore sunglasses, and wore a camouflage jacket, green cargo jeans, and brown boots. No, dear Arceus no, it can't be.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin weakly cried.

"Froakie, Froakie!" Froakie cried calling out to Ash and Serena.

Unfortunately, the two were out in the distance and couldn't hear Froakie. They were left alone with this muscular monster who was strangling Fennekin. It was…Siegfried.

"They don't love you, they just left you here to die so I can kill you shitholes!" Siegfried screamed.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin tried screaming but it was too late.

Siegfried gouged Fennekin's eyes out with a pocket knife as the Fox Pokémon was screaming in terror. Froakie was watching in horror wondering where Serena was. Her beloved Fennekin was being gored by this monster. The Pokémon Froakie was friends with was being killed, and he was powerless to help her.

Then Siegfried opened his mouth and took a big bite into Fennekin as he started to devour her insides. This thing wasn't even human. Fennekin was dead, and then Siegfried ripped her head off and tossed it into a tree shattering it to pieces leaving debris of brain cells and blood out.

"I killed your friend in front of you, and I'm going to masturbate to that!" Siegfried screamed.

"Froakie!" Froakie cried in terror calling for Ash.

Ash didn't come, he was supposed to be his best friend, the boy who was going to help him become fond of humans. No, he betrayed him, he wasn't there to save him, and now Fennekin is dead and the Bubble Frog Pokémon was going to die. Froakie couldn't bear to deal with any human now. He lost his trust to Ash, and any trust Fennekin had for Serena was sure to be gone.

"He doesn't love you! Now watch this!" Siegfried yelled as he pulled out a spike mace, "I'm going to fucking kill you, and I'll start by breaking your penis!"

Siegfried was ready to hammer the mace onto Froakie's crotch, and the Bubble Frog Pokémon cried.

"Time to fucking die you shit fuck!" Siegfried yelled out as he was ready to bash Froakie to death.

Siegfried slammed the mace onto Froakie's crotch area, and then everything went black.

* * *

Froakie woke up on Ash's bed screaming waking Ash and Pikachu up. Ash was absolutely startled, and Pikachu fell onto the floor. Froakie was breathing heavily and then realized that he was in Ash's room at the Pokémon Center and not in a forest.

It was all just a nightmare.

"Froakie are you okay!?" Ash frantically asked.

Froakie started to calm down and looked at Ash with concern. The Bubble Frog Pokémon just had a nightmare that he and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex were going out to get berries leaving him and Fennekin behind only for Siegfried to show up and kill them both.

"Froakie," Froakie said feeling scared.

"Is something wrong?" Ash asked, "You woke all of us up."

Froakie tried to explain to Ash about the nightmare he had. Froakie was worried that Ash wouldn't be there for him when he was in trouble. All Froakie could do was cry and beg Ash not to ever leave him.

"Don't worry Froakie, you just had a nightmare," Ash said trying to soothe Froakie, "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Froakie just laid there looking at Ash. Froakie was afraid he might leave him behind for Siegfried to come after him, but he found Ash as the one human he could trust. What was it about Ash that allows Froakie to stay by his side?

"Now go to sleep Froakie, we got a big day tomorrow," Ash said as he went back to sleep.

Ash and Pikachu returned to sleep while Froakie went back to sleep as well. There were definitely some concerning thoughts running through Froakie's head like will Ash be there for Froakie in his time of need, and what will happen if they were to see Siegfried?

* * *

 _ **The Next Day FOR REAL**_

 _ **Viridian Forest**_

Ash and Serena now continued their Pokémon journey as they entered the Viridian Forest. The forest was pretty dark, but they had Rotom Dex as their guide to help them through with its map program.

"This forest sure seems dark," Serena nervously said.

"Well judging by the distance and the pace we're all traveling in, it could take at least two days to get through this forest," Rotom Dex said.

"Well I'm sure we can catch some new Pokémon while were in here," Ash said.

It was a good chance for them to capture some Pokémon. Ash wanted another partner to go with his Pidgey, and Serena still needed to get her first capture. As they were walking through the forest, Ash spotted a green worm like creature with big black eyes.

"Ash, what are you looking at?" Serena asked.

"I just found a Pokémon," Ash said inspecting the Pokémon, "It's a Caterpie!"

Serena remembers that Pokémon from four years ago. That was the Pokémon Ash helped her find in the scavenger hunt after he helped her up in the forest. Rotom Dex noticed the Caterpie and began to do an analysis on it.

"Now scanning Caterpie," Rotom Dex said giving Ash and Serena information on Caterpie.

 _#010-Caterpie: Worm Pokémon_

 _Its body is soft and weak. In nature, its perpetual fate is to be seen by others as food._

"I remember that Pokémon from summer camp, that was the Pokémon I needed to look for in my scavenger hunt," Serena said looking at Ash, "And you managed to help me find that Pokémon."

"Well yeah, I was just helping someone out," Ash said rubbing his hand on the back of his head.

Ash couldn't help but look at the Worm Pokémon. He knew that this Caterpie could be a great addition for the team.

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

"Yeah buddy, I'm going to catch Caterpie," Ash said taking out a Pokeball.

Ash approached the Worm Pokémon with caution because he didn't want to make the same mistake Serena did with Spearow which nearly got them killed. The Pokeball he had was Pidgey's as he now wanted to give her a chance to battle.

"Pidgey I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Pidgey.

Pidgey came out of her Pokeball and saw Caterpie standing on the other side. Caterpie didn't seem nervous, but the fact Pidgey was a flying type and Caterpie was a bug type, Pidgey sure was to have the advantage. Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were standing on the sides watching Ash.

"Pidgey use Gust!" Ash yelled out.

Pidgey unleashed a blast of wind onto Caterpie causing him to fly backwards and hit a tree. Caterpie then unleashed a String Shot attack and Pidgey was able to dodge it.

"Now use Tackle!" Ash told Pidgey.

Pidgey came ramming in at Caterpie with a Tackle attack knocking out the Worm Pokémon. Now that Caterpie was down it was time for Ash to take out a Pokeball and capture it.

"Pokeball go!" Ash yelled out throwing the Pokeball.

Caterpie was sucked into the ball and it wiggled three times before it dinged. Ash did it, he caught Caterpie. His face beamed with joy as he picked up the Pokeball.

"We did it Pidgey, we caught Caterpie!" Ash exclaimed.

Pidgey gave out a chirp of approval after catching the Worm Pokémon. Ash just caught his second Pokémon not counting Pikachu who was joining both Ash and Serena. Serena was just really happy that Ash caught another Pokémon, and he and Pidgey were enjoying the moment. Then Ash came over to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, do you see this," Ash said showing Pikachu Caterpie's Pokeball, "We got ourselves a new friend. Soon we're going to make lots of new friends."

"I'm so happy for you Ash," Serena said clasping her hands, "You got two Pokémon, but I haven't caught one yet."

Serena was feeling pretty down at the moment. What she said was true, she didn't catch a Pokémon of her own yet.

"Well then in that case, the next Pokémon you see I'll let you catch it," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Really," Serena said.

"Yeah, just keep looking around until you see a Pokémon," Ash told Serena.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said.

"You're right, like you say never give up until the end," Serena said with a wink.

"Serena, do you wish for me to analyze Pokémon that are in this area?" Rotom Dex asked.

"You can do that too?" Serena questioned.

"Sure, I can, let me scan around to see what we can find," Rotom Dex said as she spun around loading his tracking process to locate a wild Pokémon, "There is a wild Pokémon located 21.3 feet northeast!"

"What is it?" Serena asked.

"We have to get a look at it to find out," Rotom Dex answered as he floated northeast, "Follow me!"

Ash called back his Pidgey as he and Serena along with Pikachu followed Rotom Dex. Going through the patch of trees and prickly bushes, Rotom Dex spots a dark yellow worm with a white pin on its head and tail along with a pink nose.

"What is that Pokémon?" Serena asked.

"Analysis under way," said Rotom Dex analyzing the worm.

 _#013-Weedle: Hairy Bug Pokémon_

 _Weedle has an extremely acute sense of smell. It is capable of distinguishing its favorite kinds of leaves from those it dislikes just by sniffing with its big red proboscis (nose)._

"Serena are you sure you want a Weedle?" Ash asked.

"Ash, you caught two Pokémon and I think it's my turn to catch one," Serena told Ash, "Besides, if you want to be a great Pokémon trainer or Pokémon Coordinator, you have to be willing to work with any Pokémon."

"I gotcha, just cautiously approach Weedle. Don't make the same mistake with Spearow," Ash told Serena.

"I won't," Serena said as she approached Weedle.

Serena saw Weedle was eating a leaf on the ground as she approached the Pokémon. Weedle looked at her, and Serena looked a little nervous.

"Hey there little guy," Serena said.

"Weedle," Weedle responded.

"Do you want to come with me?" Serena asked, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Weedle looked at the honey blonde girl with curiosity. Serena looked friendly and sweet natured, and she said she wouldn't hurt him. Weedle was ready to defend himself as he knew Serena was going to capture him.

"That look of wanting to attack, does that mean you want to come with me?" Serena questioned.

"Weedle," Weedle nodded.

"Alright then, show me what you can do," Serena said pulling out her red Pokeball, "Come on out Fennekin!"

Fennekin came out of the Pokeball to go up against the Weedle that was in front of her. Weedle was prepared to battle as he unleashed a flurry of white needles which happened to be Poison Sting.

"Fennekin get out of the way," Serena told Fennekin as she dodged.

"That was Poison Sting, you better be careful it can poison your Pokémon," Rotom Dex told Serena.

"Fennekin use Ember!" Serena yelled out.

Fennekin jumped up and pelted Weedle with an Ember attack. Weedle was hurt, but then he countered right back with a String Shot which engulfed Fennekin.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried out.

Weedle came at Fennekin with another Poison Sting pelting the Fox Pokémon. Fennekin was left defenseless as Serena couldn't stand the state she was in.

"Fennekin are you alright," Serena called out.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded as it was able to toughen it out.

"Alright Fennekin, try to break out of those strings," Serena told Fennekin.

Fennekin struggled to break out of the strings and Weedle launched another Poison Sting attack. Fennekin was getting hurt and the Fox Pokémon was getting weakened.

"Come on Fennekin!" Serena cried.

As Fennekin was getting weakened by Weedle, she could remember the time she and Froakie tried to fight off the Spearow flock. The two worked together, but they were too weak to save Ash and Serena. Fennekin wanted to start a friendship with Serena and she let her down with the Spearow. The only reason they lived was because of a trainer who came out of nowhere catching the lead Spearow. Fennekin then remembered the trainer telling them no one will always come to their rescue and that they need to figure out how to get out of these situations on their own.

After that, Fennekin started to unleash a red glow and engulfed herself in fire burning off the strings freeing her.

"Fennekin," Serena said in astonishment.

Then Fennekin charged at Weedle engulfed in flames smashing into him. Weedle hit a nearby tree and was knocked out. Serena couldn't believe what just happened, and Ash was surprised too.

"What was that?" Serena asked.

"Fennekin's special ability Blaze which powers up Fennekin when weakened, and the move Fennekin used to strike Weedle was called Flame Charge. Flame Charge is a fast fire type attack," Rotom Dex explained.

"Fennekin has Blaze and knows the move Flame Charge," Serena said looking at Fennekin.

"Serena, think about that later! Now's your chance to catch Weedle," Ash yelled out.

"You're right," Serena replied.

Serena pulled out a Pokeball and looked at the knocked out Weedle. That Weedle definitely put up a fight against Serena's Fennekin, but they both have to remember that they are both beginners still. Now it was time for the capture.

"Pokeball go!" Serena yelled out throwing the Pokeball.

The Pokeball struck Weedle and sucked the Hairy Bug Pokémon in. The ball wiggled three times until she got the ding. Serena and Fennekin did it, they caught their first Pokémon. Serena went over to pick up the Pokeball as she knew that this Weedle was going to be a great addition to the team. He put up a good fight.

"I did it! I caught Weedle!" Serena exclaimed as she raised the Pokeball in the air.

"Amazing work Serena," Ash said raising his fist in excitement.

"Well that Weedle was tough, but I'm sure we can become good friends," Serena said looking at her Pokeball, "Look Fennekin, we got a new friend."

"Fennekin," Fennekin said now feeling fine after that battle.

* * *

 _ **Nearing Nightfall**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex continued to travel through the forest as the sun was going down. It was starting to get dark, so it was best that they set up camp and call it a night.

"Alright everyone, I think we're going to have to call it a day," Ash told the others.

"According to my clock, the time is 7:13 PM. We're getting close to sunset," Rotom Dex said, "We should set up camp."

With that, Ash and Serena set down their backpacks and got their sleeping bags out. They got some firewood, so they could start a fire, and then all of their Pokémon came out. Ash brought out his Froakie, Pidgey, and Caterpie while Serena brought out her Fennekin and Weedle.

"Okay everyone, I thought we could all have some introductions since we're going to be traveling together. I'm Rotom Dex and I will be serving Ash Ketchum (showing a picture of Ash) and Serena Gabena (showing a picture of Serena) in their quest to be great Pokémon trainers," Rotom Dex said introducing himself, Ash, and Serena.

"Now I want you all to meet Froakie, Pidgey, Pikachu, and Caterpie," Ash said introducing his Pokémon to Serena's Pokémon.

"As for all of you, this is Fennekin and Weedle," Serena said introducing her Pokémon to Ash's Pokémon.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Hoohoo," Pidgey responded.

"Mur," Caterpie responded.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded.

"Weedle," Weedle responded.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

"Well let me tell you about myself, I'm dreaming of becoming a Pokémon Master and me and my Pokémon are going to conquer all the gyms in Kanto and enter the Pokémon League!" Ash said in excitement.

"As for me, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do before I started traveling, but now I want to become a Pokémon Coordinator," Serena told all the Pokémon.

All the Pokémon were cheering Ash and Serena on as they were going to have so many fun times together. Pidgey and Caterpie would learn that Froakie would be the leader of Ash's squad while Weedle could understand Fennekin and any other Pokémon that join Serena would lead her squad. There was still one problem, what were they going to do for dinner.

"Ash, I was wondering, did any of us learn to cook yet?" Serena questioned.

"Oh crap," Ash said facepalming himself.

Ash and Serena were now going to have their first attempt in cooking a meal. Luckily for the Pokémon they got some Pokémon food that they got from the store, but Ash and Serena were going to have to cook for themselves.

"Okay, I got some noodles and frozen carrots," Serena said pulling out the noodles and carrots.

"Really, we're going to eat cheap crap?" Ash questioned.

"Hey, it's the best thing for beginners trying to cook a dinner. Sorry we're not having burgers or beef wellington," Serena scolded, "And I don't see a McDragonite anywhere for us to order fast food!"

"Okay okay, we'll eat the cheap garbage," Ash muttered.

Serena got some a pot out to begin cooking the noodles and the carrots. Serena glared at Ash.

"Tomorrow you're cooking!" Serena scolded to Ash.

"Fine," Ash responded.

* * *

 _ **Later that Night**_

Ash and Serena were asleep in their sleeping bags and Rotom Dex was on sleep mode. While the rest of the Pokémon were sleeping, Pikachu noticed Caterpie up on a tree stump looking at the moon. Pikachu was coming up towards Caterpie who felt a little sad.

Caterpie began to talk with Pikachu about wanting to evolve. Pikachu admitted that he didn't trust humans just like Froakie and Fennekin didn't, but they seemed to open up to Ash and Serena. Pikachu told Caterpie that if he ever wants to fully evolve, then he needs to build a bond with Ash to help him get stronger. After that, Caterpie looked up into the full moon to see a Butterfree flying over wishing he could become one someday.

Pikachu could only hope Ash can help Caterpie achieve that dream.

* * *

 _ **The Next Morning**_

Everyone was still asleep, and Fennekin was the first one to get up. Fennekin could see that everyone was sleeping peacefully even though the sun was out. Fennekin immediately went over to Serena.

"Fennekin, Fennekin," Fennekin said to Serena.

The honey blonde girl was still sleeping peacefully along with the rest of the Pokémon. Fennekin tried to push Serena in order for her to wake up, but she wasn't waking up.

"Fennekin," Fennekin sadly said.

Did Serena overcook her meal resulting her to die of food poisoning. Did Serena somewhat pass away to natural causes that were not known. The next thing Fennekin did was go up to Ash and try to wake him up.

"Fennekin Fennekin!" Fennekin frantically cried as she tried to wake up Ash.

Ash wasn't waking up either. Something must have happened to them, and it drew Froakie's attention along with the rest of the Pokémon. Rotom Dex was still on sleep mode.

"Fennekin Fennekin," Fennekin cried.

"Froakie," Froakie nervously said thinking the worst happened to Ash and Serena.

No, this was not meant to be. Ash and Serena were laying there peacefully on the ground where they possibly passed away from something like maybe undercooked food.

This was sad, now the Pokémon had no one to look after them. Ash and Serena laid there in their sleeping bags not waking up. Then things got a lot worse, there was the sound of an engine.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said as she looked out in the distance.

A jeep was pulling up towards the campsite and coming out was him. They couldn't believe it, it was Siegfried.

"Pokémon! I get to massacre these shitfucks!" Siegfried screamed, "WHO WANTS TO DIE! OH WAIT, ALL OF YOU DO!"

Without any warning, Siegfried pulled out a machine gun and began to shoot all the Pokémon at the campsite. Without any guidance from Ash or Serena, everyone was being brutally shot.

Pidgey got her head blown off, and Pikachu couldn't fight back as he was struck in the chest causing the Mouse Pokémon to fall flat on his back. Caterpie and Weedle tried to get away, but Siegfried was too fast as he chased them.

"Hey, I got these new boots," Siegfried said showing Caterpie and Weedle his boots, "Why don't get a closer look at them!"

Siegfried then stomped on Caterpie smothering the Worm Pokémon to his death, and then he did the same thing to Weedle. Weedle was now flattened with goo coming out of his body.

"Oh, mother fuck my boots are ruined! I'll take my frustrations out on that Froakie!" Siegfried yelled out.

Siegfried grabbed Froakie by the neck and Fennekin was just standing their helpless. Then with all of his strength, Siegfried ripped off Froakie's head and slammed it into a tree. Fennekin was all alone with Ash, Serena, and all of the Pokémon dead. Fennekin broke into tears that her best friend was killed by this sociopath. The next thing that happened, he pulled out a military combat gun.

"Hey guess what, your friend is dead because I enjoy killing you fucking bastards! Now you get to die!" Siegfried screamed as he began to open fire on Fennekin.

* * *

"FENNEKIN!" Fennekin cried as she woke up realizing that it was all a nightmare.

"Fennekin are you okay!" Serena cried as she scurried out of her sleeping bag.

Serena came over to Fennekin to embrace her in a hug. Fennekin realized that all of the Pokémon are still alive, and Serena was alive too. Fennekin also could notice Siegfried was not anywhere in sight. After the horrible nightmare that took place, Fennekin began to cry.

"It's okay Fennekin, everything is going to be okay," Serena said soothing Fennekin.

Ash and the other Pokémon were also awoken by the screams of Fennekin. Rotom Dex came out of sleep mode.

"What's wrong with Fennekin," Ash asked Serena.

"Ash, I think Fennekin had a nightmare," Serena told Ash.

Upon hearing what Serena said about Fennekin had a nightmare, it reminded Ash of the night before when Froakie screamed out of fear. Ash realized that Froakie had a nightmare too that night. Did their dreams have something in common?

"Serena, I never told you this, but the same thing happened the night before with Froakie," Ash told Serena, "Froakie woke me and Pikachu up, and I'd figure he had a nightmare too."

Serena could recall the words from Ash about Froakie having a nightmare. With how close their Froakie and Fennekin have been throughout the years, it wouldn't be a surprise that they shared some fear together. Did that fear happen to be Siegfried?

"Serena, do you think Fennekin and Froakie had a nightmare about…that Siegfried guy?" Ash questioned.

"You mean, the guy that killed their families?" Serena questioned.

They did hear the story from Professor Sycamore when Professor Oak handed them Froakie and Fennekin as their starters. Even though Froakie and Fennekin weren't born, they were affected by the surroundings around them when they were eggs. It was Siegfried's fault that made them like this.

"Ash, I can't stand it. Our Pokémon are like this because of that maniac," Serena said nearly starting to sob, "I just want my little Fennekin to live a happy life, but it hasn't because of that sick bastard!"

"I know how you feel," Ash said giving Serena and Fennekin a hug, "I feel the same way for Froakie. How will our Pokémon move on when there is the possibility that Siegfried is still out there?"

Serena dried her tears after hearing Ash speak. Froakie also wanted to cry, but he didn't want to add to the pain that everyone was dealing with. Then with determination in his eyes, Ash looked at Serena and Fennekin, and he also drew Froakie's attention.

"Serena, Froakie, Fennekin, I'm not going to deal with this anymore. One of our goals on our Pokémon journey will be for Froakie and Fennekin to get closure!" Ash said raising his fist, "If we ever see this Siegfried guy, we will make him suffer. It's not just you two he did this too, but other Pokémon too."

Froakie could hear the words coming from Ash that he was willing to find Siegfried and put him away for good. Ash was upset with all the pain Froakie was getting, and it was time to do something.

"We don't know where he is, but once we find him, we will get him out of society," Ash told everyone.

"Ash is right, as long as we know he's still free to roam the world, there's no chance that you two can move on," Serena said.

Froakie and Fennekin heard their words that the two were going to take Siegfried down. However, it was going to take more than the words and minds of two ten-year olds. Froakie and Fennekin want to bond with them so they can be stronger for when that day comes.

"Froakie," Froakie said with determination.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said with determination.

"You guys want to stop him too," Ash said.

Froakie and Fennekin both said yes that they wanted to stop him.

"In that case, we will help you get stronger for when we confront him. That's where all the gym battles come in Froakie," Ash told his Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"And Fennekin, while you get the chance to shine in Pokémon Contests, I'll make sure you're the toughest Fennekin out there," Serena told her Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded.

It seems as the two have come to an agreement that they would stop Siegfried if they ever should see him. If Siegfried were to be gone, then there would be no more nightmares, no more trust issues with humans, and most importantly, closure.

* * *

 _ **3 hours later**_

After a badly cooked breakfast made by Ash (because he had to open his mouth about cheap food to Serena), Ash and Serena continued through the Viridian Forest. As they traveled down the path, there were two shadowy figures standing in the way.

"What the," Ash said looking at the shadowy figures.

"Prepare for trouble," a woman in the shadows said.

"Make it double," a man in the shadows said.

"It's them again," Serena said with fear.

"To protect the world from devastation," the woman recited.

"To unite all people with in our nation," the man recited.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love," the woman recited.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," the man recited.

"Jessie," the woman recited.

"James," the man recited.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," Jessie recited.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight," James recited.

"Meowth that's right," Meowth recited as he jumped in.

"I remember you creeps, you were the ones who tried to kill us at the Pokémon Center!" Serena yelled out.

"Oh yeah, we remember you twerps. We had you until that Pikachu came in," Meowth said pointing to Pikachu.

"Oh, but we got the last laugh when we took your money," Jessie said.

"I should've known you took our money," Ash said gritting his teeth.

"Yes, we used your money to buy our boss a new fancy orange suit because our abusive executive Proton who treats us like fucking crap ruined it, and the boss blamed us for it!" James screamed, "And he also put us on janitor duty because of you!"

"Enough with the complaining, hand over your Pokémon or you die!" Jessie demanded.

"Never," Ash said gritting his teeth.

Just like that Siegfried guy he has been hearing about, Ash really hated these criminals too. He and Serena barely escaped death because of Pikachu. This time though, Ash and Serena actually had Pokémon on their side to defend them.

"I'm analyzing you two, and it appears that you two are criminals of an organization called Team Rocket," Rotom Dex said, "Your names are Jessie and James, is that correct?"

"Yes, weren't you hearing the motto you," Meowth said until he noticed that it was a floating computer, "Um, what are you?"

"Oh, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Rotom Dex and my purpose is to serve Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena on their journey as Pokémon trainers by giving them much information on Pokémon," Rotom Dex said introducing himself to Meowth, "Speaking of, let me get information on you Meowth."

 _#052-Meowth: Scratch Cat Pokémon_

 _It loves coins, so if you give it one, you can make friends with Meowth easily. But it's fickle, so you can't count on that friendship lasting._

"Oh, so the twerps names are Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Jessie said taking out a device pad putting their names down, "And your names have been sent to Team Rocket Headquarters."

"Rotom Dex, you gave away our names to a criminal organization!" Ash yelled out.

"Sorry, I didn't know I may have put a target on your back," Rotom Dex said feeling down.

"We'll talk later, right now we need to get these creeps out of here," Serena said glaring at Team Rocket.

"Oh, you won't live this time, go Koffing!" James yelled out sending out Koffing.

"Attack Ekans!" Jessie yelled out sending out Ekans.

"And I'll get information on these Pokémon," Rotom Dex said analyzing Ekans and Koffing.

 _#023-Ekans: Snake Pokémon_

 _By dislocating its jaw, it can swallow prey larger than itself. After a meal, it curls up and rests._

 _#109-Koffing: Poison Gas Pokémon_

 _Koffing embodies toxic substances. It mixes the toxins with raw garbage to set off a chemical reaction that results in a terribly powerful poison gas. The higher the temperature, the more gas is concocted by this Pokémon._

So, Ash and Serena were now going at it again with these two crooks and their Meowth. They got their Pokeballs out as they were now going at it with Team Rocket again.

"Froakie," Ash called out.

"Fennekin," Serena called out.

"I choose you!" Ash and Serena said in union as they sent out Froakie and Fennekin.

"What the, I never seen those Pokémon before," Meowth said feeling dumfounded.

"Who cares, they're going down!" Jessie yelled out, "Ekans use Wrap on those two! Crush them!"

Ekans jumped towards Froakie and Fennekin and the two were immediately engulfed by Ekans wrap just like how Ash and Serena were.

"Now Koffing use Smog!" James yelled out.

Koffing unleashed a Smog attack on the two Pokémon. Froakie and Fennekin were trying to fight it off, but they just got too weak. This was exactly like the scenario at the Pokémon Center, only now it was their Pokémon rather than the trainers. Ash and Serena were not going to have their Pokémon be put in any danger, so they grabbed their Pokeballs to call them back.

"Return!" Ash and Serena called out brining back Froakie and Fennekin.

"Pidgey use Gust!" Ash yelled out sending out Pidgey.

Pidgey unleashed a Gust attack to clear out the smog that was created by Koffing. Now it was a Pidgey who they had to fight, and then Pikachu stepped in.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled out.

"Ash has Pidgey, so you'll hear from me Pikachu," Serena told Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu replied looking at Serena.

Now it was Pidgey and Pikachu who were going to take on the terrible trio. Jessie, James, and Meowth already knew Pikachu well, and knowing how common Pidgey were, they probably think Pidgey wouldn't be a problem.

"Pikachu use Quick Attack!" Serena commanded.

"Koffing Sludge!" James yelled out.

Pikachu came at Ekans and Koffing with Quick Attack, but Koffing Sludge was quicker as it hit Pikachu in his eyes. The Mouse Pokémon was blinded and couldn't do anything else.

"NO!" Serena cried.

"Hahaha, we took the Pikachu out," Jessie said with a smirk.

"You won't be messing with us this time," James said.

"We'll show you, Pidgey use Tackle!" Ash yelled out to Pidgey.

Pidgey flew towards Ekans and Koffing, but now the two Pokémon were ready to attack the Tiny Bird Pokémon.

"Ekans use Poison Sting!" Jessie yelled out.

Ekans unleashed a Poison Sting attack that drilled Pidgey in the chest causing her to come crashing down.

"The twerp's Pidgey is down, and I'll make sure it stays down," James said looking at Pidgey, "Koffing use Tackle!"

Koffing came closing in at Pidgey, and the Poison Gas Pokémon crashed into Pidgey knocking it unconscious. Ash gritted his teeth as he called back Pidgey.

"Pidgey return!" Ash angrily said calling back Pidgey.

Ash and Serena were at Team Rocket's mercy again. Froakie and Fennekin were weakened by Koffing's Smog attack and Ekans's Wrap, Pikachu got blinded, and Pidgey was knocked out. Not to forget the fact that Rotom Dex gave them their names.

"It's over twerps, and now its time for you to die," Jessie told Ash and Serena as Ekans and Koffing were coming towards them.

"And this time no one is going to save you," James responded.

"It's not over yet," Serena said grabbing Weedle's Pokeball, "I still got one more Pokémon."

"Same here," Ash said taking out Caterpie's Pokeball, "Like I always say, never give up until the end."

Ash and Serena glared at Jessie, James, Meowth, Ekans, and Koffing. They knew that their only hope was going to be their newest additions Caterpie and Weedle.

"Go Caterpie!" Ash yelled out sending out Caterpie.

"Go Weedle!" Serena yelled out bringing out Weedle.

Caterpie and Weedle came out of their Pokeballs, and the only thing the trio could do was laugh. Caterpie and Weedle were so weak, and it only made Ash and Serena angry.

"Is this all you got! Two tiny bugs!" Meowth said mocking them, "Come on you two, lets crush them and call it a day."

With that, Ekans and Koffing came towards Caterpie and Weedle. The two Pokémon were really nervous, but Ash and Serena knew that they were their only options. As the two got closer, Ash and Serena called out to their Pokémon.

"String Shot!" Ash and Serena yelled out in union.

Caterpie and Weedle unleashed a String Shot attack that engulfed Ekans's head and completely covered up Koffing. Ekans couldn't see anything and Koffing fell flat to the ground.

"Now use Tackle on Koffing!" Ash yelled out.

Caterpie came charging towards Koffing, and he hit the Poison Gas Pokémon dead on. With perfect aim, Caterpie was able to have Koffing hit Ekans in the head too, and both Pokémon were knocked out.

"What the?" Jessie questioned.

"This is a fucking joke, right?" James questioned.

"Who cares, I'll deal with these twerps myself," Meowth said as he was ready to attack.

"String Shot again!" Ash and Serena both yelled out in union.

Caterpie and Weedle both unleashed their String Shots towards Meowth completely covering the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Meowth was now unable to move.

"Now Weedle use Poison Sting!" Serena yelled out to her Weedle.

Weedle unleashed a Poison Sting that pelted at Meowth causing him to fall down to the ground. Meowth was unconscious and Jessie and James were embarrassed as they called back Ekans and Koffing.

"Did these twerps beat us again?" James questioned.

"First it was that Pikachu, now it was a Caterpie and a Weedle," Jessie said feeling surprised, "We are in huge trouble with our superiors when they find out we lost to these twerps again."

"Hey if I were you, I probably make a run for it," Ash suggested to the trio.

"Alright, we'll go. But remember, Team Rocket now has your identities, so you twerps better be careful from now on!" Jessie yelled out.

"We'll let you go today, but next time you'll be sorry!" James yelled out as they ran off in the distance with Meowth.

Jessie and James were long gone, and even though Ash and Serena wanted to be mad at Rotom Dex for giving out their names, they couldn't. Right now, they wanted to congratulate their Pokémon.

"Way to go you guys!" Ash said giving Caterpie a hug.

"You were amazing," Serena told Weedle.

"Well done Ash and Serena, and I'm so sorry I leaked information about you to Team Rocket," Rotom Dex said with an apologetic look.

"It's okay Rotom Dex, you didn't know. We were just caught in a bad situation and we didn't know what to do," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"We forgive you Rotom Dex," Serena replied.

"That's super to hear, and your Pokémon were super too," Rotom Dex looking at Caterpie and Weedle.

As they were celebrating their victory, something unbelievable happened. Caterpie and Weedle started to glow white. This only meant one thing, Caterpie and Weedle were starting to evolve. Ash was now holding a green cocoon with eyes while Serena was holding a yellow cocoon with black eyes.

"What happened to our Pokémon?" Serena asked in amazement.

"I know what this is," Ash said with a big smile, "They evolved."

It was amazing, yesterday Ash caught Caterpie and Serena caught Weedle, and today those two Pokémon defeated Team Rocket only to evolve. It was an amazing sight to see.

"Now analyzing," Rotom Dex said analyzing the two Pokémon.

 _#011-Metapod: Cocoon Pokémon_

 _Metapod is the evolved form of Caterpie. Its shell is filled with a thick liquid. All of the cells throughout its body are being rebuilt in preparation for evolution._

 _#014-Kakuna: Cocoon Pokémon_

 _Kakuna is the evolved form of Weedle. Kakuna remains virtually immobile as it clings to a tree. However, on the inside, it is extremely busy as it prepares for its coming evolution. This is evident from how hot the shell becomes to the touch._

"So, my Weedle is now…a Kakuna," Serena said looking at her Kakuna.

"Yeah, and my Caterpie is now a Metapod," Ash said looking at Metapod, "And pretty soon, these Pokémon should evolve again."

As Serena was happy with her newly evolved Kakuna, Serena could only help but look at her special red Pokeball. There was one thing that was on Serena's mind, and that was Fennekin.

"Hey Rotom Dex, is Fennekin capable of evolving?" Serena asked.

"I have data on Fennekin, and yes Fennekin is able to evolve, and so can Froakie. However, I do not have data on those Pokémon as of right now," Rotom Dex told Serena.

"Thanks for sharing that with us," Ash said as he looked at his blue Pokeball, "If Rotom Dex is right and Froakie can evolve, I wonder what he'll be like?"

It seems the evolving of Caterpie and Weedle may have given Ash and Serena some foreshadowing for their starters to evolve. But right now, they had to focus on what was ahead of them, and that was getting out of the Viridian Forest.

"I'm sure we will be able to learn more, but right now we should be on our way. There's probably lots more Pokémon to be found," Ash said as he and Serena began to get going.

And so, Ash and Serena were on their way to the deeper parts of the Viridian Forest. They knew that there will be bigger challenges along the way, but whatever came their way, they were going to get through them together with their Pokémon.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

As Giovanni was sipping coffee from his desk, a woman with red hair walked into Giovanni's office. She wore yellow earrings, a white dress with a red R badge on her right side, and white high heeled boots. She brought some papers to Giovanni.

"Oh, my dear Ariana. How are you?" Giovanni asked.

"Giovanni, I'm doing alright," Ariana answered, "So I was wondering after were done with work today, do you want to jump into the bed and have some wild sex?"

"Anything for my dear wife, after all we started this organization together," Giovanni said giving his wife a kiss until she pulled away.

"It would've been better if our son were here," Ariana said, "But he wanted to do his thing of entering the Pokemon League."

"Our son Silver was supposed to work for our Pokemon terrorist organization, but no he chose to be a pathetic Pokemon trainer!" Giovanni growled, "He's dead to me."

"I feel the pain of Silver leaving us too, but he wasn't going to take your forceful attitude," Ariana told her husband, "But don't worry, if you want we can make another child who will do such a thing for us."

Giovanni's face showed a big smile as Ariana was giving a wink. He had a hot wife who was working for his organization, no their organization, the criminal organization they created together. Their son Silver was supposed to take over when Giovanni passed, but Silver didn't want to be with them, because he rather be a Pokemon trainer. Plus, he considered Team Rocket to be weak and pathetic.

"Let's head to the bedroom," Giovanni said to Ariana until a man in with light blue hair wearing a white uniform with a red R badge on his shirt came in, "Archer, what do you want?"

"Well, I wanted to let you know Jessie and James met those two kids they saw at the Pokemon Center again in the Viridian Forest, and they reported that they were beaten by them by their Caterpie and Weedle," Archer told Giovanni.

"Oh, those bumbling fools!" Giovanni roared, "Why did we even hire them!?"

"Well they did do one thing, since they've encountered them twice, they were able to get their names. Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Archer reported.

So now it was official, Ash and Serena had their names reported to the high authorities of Team Rocket. Then Giovanni glared at Archer.

"Were by any chance they were near our operation in the Viridian Forest? The one where we sent some grunts out?" Ariana questioned.

"No, they weren't anywhere near them, but I will inform our men about those Pokemon trainers," Archer informed.

"Alright, please do. Let them know about those two pieces of crap that kicked the asses of our three pieces of crap," Giovanni told Archer.

"Yes sir," Archer said giving a salute.

Archer left the room as he pulled out a phone trying to make a phone call to someone. Then Giovanni looked at Ariana with a seductive look.

"Now, how do you want to undress me," Ariana said giving a seductive look.

* * *

 **Ash has captured Caterpie and it evolved into Metapod, and Serena caught her first Pokemon which was a Weedle, and it evolved into Kakuna. Now Ash and Serena are going deeper into the Viridian Forest where there is some operation going on with Team Rocket.**

 **The nightmares Froakie and Fennekin had about Siegfried have seemed to be taking an emotional toll. Ash and Serena will do whatever it takes to make sure they can make it through.**

 **Well in this Pokemon AU, Giovanni and Ariana are married and both are the leaders of Team Rocket. They are the respective parents of Silver but wants no part of Team Rocket. We won't see Silver until the Johto Arc. Next up, Ash and Serena will get further down in the Viridian Forest. See you next time.**

 **Chapter 7: Thicket**


	7. Thicket

**So now we are in the second part of the Viridian Forest. There are going to be a few more Team Rocket members around in the forest. Enjoy the chapter, and I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 _ **Viridian Forest**_

Somewhere in another part of the Viridian Forest, there are two men dressed in black driving a black jeep. They had red Rs on their outfits wearing black hats as they were members of Team Rockets. They technically were grunts. The men had plenty of Pokémon in cages as an attempt to bring Pokémon from the Viridian Forest to headquarters.

"Hey Biggs, didn't we hear something from Archer about a mossy rock with special powers hiding here in the forest?" one of the grunts asked.

"What are you talking about Grunk?" Biggs questioned.

"Something about a rock that could bring affect on some Pokémon if they were to touch it," Grunk explained.

"I don't recall seeing anything like that," Biggs responded as he took out a cigarette and a lighter to start smoking.

As Biggs was smoking, there was a message coming through in the jeep. Grunk was the one driving as he halted the jeep. It was Archer who was on the line.

"Who's calling?" Biggs asked.

"It's Archer," Grunk answered as he answered the radio.

"Biggs, Grunk, are you there?" Archer asked with authority.

"Executive Archer, what are you calling for," both men responded as Biggs put out his cigarette.

"How is the operation of capturing and imprisoning Pokémon from the Viridian Forest going?" Archer asked.

"It's going well sir, we've already captured 20 Pokémon in the forest," Grunk responded.

"Please for the love of Arceus do not tell me you got a bunch of Caterpies and Weedles, those things are weak as hell," Archer growled on the radio.

"No, we know those things are totally weak," Biggs said with an evil chuckle, "Only retarded bastards would want to have a Caterpie and Weedle."

"Good, because we would break your legs if you were to even bring one of those worthless bugs," Archer said, "By the way, Jessie and James were wondering around the Viridian Forest and they ran into some pesky Pokémon trainers who beat them twice."

"Wow not surprised since they're fucking stupid," Grunk said as he began to smoke.

"They are stupid, and we don't know why we let them continue running major operations. We did get the names of these trainers, and I want you two to be on a look out for them," Archer responded.

"Come on, they couldn't fight their battles, so we have to fight for them!" Biggs yelled out, "We're busy working on our assignment."

"Yeah, let me give you the trainers descriptions. One of them is a boy with spiky raven hair with a red cap named Ash Ketchum, and the other is a girl with long honey-blonde hair with a pink hat named Serena Gabena. They were seen wandering through the Viridian Forest, and they have a Pikachu and some floating red computer with them. If you two should see those trainers, immediately seize their Pokeballs and kill them," Archer demanded.

"Yes sir!" Biggs and Grunk said with authority.

"Good, because if anything we don't take answers from anyone, especially little runts like those two," Archer growled.

"What the fuck, those two Pokémon trainers are…kids?" Biggs questioned.

"Yes, and we don't show mercy to children," Archer said, "Now continue to search for Pokémon in Viridian Forest! Oh, and let me know if you ever find that mossy rock I've been hearing about. Archer out."

Archer hung up and Biggs and Grunk got information on the Pokémon trainers. Now the two Team Rocket grunts had to be more alert on their surroundings.

"So, we're going to find these kids and kill them?" Grunk asked.

"No, Archer is warning us about those Pokémon trainers who took out Jessie and James you fucking idiot," Biggs answered, "But we will teach them a lesson of why no one messes with Team Rocket."

With that, Biggs fired up the jeep and continued to drive onward through the thicket of Viridian Forest. Little did they know, there were a group of Beedrill lurking in the deep part of the forest watching them.

"Hey Biggs, want to smoke?" Grunk asked handing Biggs a cigarette.

"Sure, why not," Biggs answered taking the cigarette and beginning smoking, "After this you want to hit the bar?"

"I sure do you sick bastard," Grunk answered.

* * *

 _ **Another Part of Viridian Forest**_

Ash and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex continue through the Viridian Forest in hopes of reaching Pewter City. Right now, Ash was vomiting in a nearby bush with Serena watching as he may have gotten sick.

"Are you alright Ash?" Serena asked.

"No, you can thank the cheap stuff we brought for giving me food poisoning," Ash growled.

"Cheap stuff, more like you stunk at cooking," Serena retorted until she looked down, "Or I haven't been getting good with cooking yet."

Its true, Ash and Serena were not experienced yet with their cooking skills. Ash did need to understand that the food they purchased was mostly cooking for beginners. Ash continued to vomit for a good period of time and looked over at Serena with an angry face. He knew he couldn't stay mad at her though, it was just the stressful fact that he was having an upset stomach.

"Rotom Dex, please tell us that you can give us cooking lessons," Serena said looking at Rotom Dex.

"Not exactly, I may have some great features for you, but teaching you how to cook is not one of them. After all I'm still a Pokémon," Rotom Dex commented.

"Great, so how are we supposed to learn how to cook?" Ash questioned after he finished vomiting.

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

"Maybe we can get some tips when we reach Pewter City," Serena answered, "Or look for some cookbooks. That way we can cook some decent meals."

Ash looked at Serena and apricated the idea she had. Why not just go to Pewter City and spend some time cooking there, especially since they will be there for Ash's first gym battle and Serena's next attempt in a Pokémon Contest.

"Alright," Ash answered, "Anything that can expand our options on meals. But where in Pewter City can we get some good cooking skills from, or maybe who?"

* * *

 _ **The Next Day after Ash was feeling better**_

They continued to walk through the Viridian Forest with Pikachu. The forest was a lot darker and the trees were thicker too. It was a treacherous part of Viridian Forest, and Rotom Dex had some information on these parts.

"We must be careful as a group of powerful Beedrill live in these parts of the forest," Rotom Dex said analyzing the area.

"Beedrill?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, I can't give a full analysis on them yet until I spot one," Rotom Dex told Ash.

As they continue to trek through the thicket of Viridian Forest, Ash and Serena hear an engine. The two stop in their tracks and Pikachu stood still as well. While the two stood there, they started to see headlights and that it was a black jeep coming towards them. The jeep was not stopping, and Ash and Serena stood there like Deerling caught in a headlight.

"Jump!" Serena shouted.

Ash and Pikachu jumped in one direction while Serena jumped into another direction with Rotom Dex on her side. The jeep then stopped, and Ash and Serena got back up to see what was inside. In the jeep were cages filled with captive Pokémon, and the driver and passenger in the jeep wee men in black uniform with red Rs on their tops. The two men who were in that jeep were Biggs and Grunk.

"Yeah, serves them right not to stand in the middle of the road," Biggs grunted, "I wouldn't have wasted anytime running those sick bastards over."

"Um Biggs, shouldn't we be finding more Pokémon to give to Giovanni?" Grunk questioned.

"We are, those kids need to learn not to stand in the middle of the," Biggs said until he interrupted himself.

Biggs took a close look at the trainer on his left while Grunk saw the trainer on his right. The two noticed something about those trainers, so they got out of the jeep and each of them took a closer look. Biggs went over to Ash and saw the rocket grunt, and Grunk went over to Serena and she saw him too. After analyzing them, Biggs pulled out a whip and whipped Pikachu into submission.

"No Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he reached for Froakie's Pokeball.

"I don't think so!" Biggs shouted as he grabbed Ash's Pokeballs.

Grunk also seized Serena's Pokeballs and then they each slammed Ash and Serena into a nearby tree. The two grunts were giving them an evil glare, and Rotom Dex was floating in his place as he didn't want to get hurt by any whips like Pikachu did.

"Now you listen here you fucking brats, there are some friends who will right now execute you two right here, right now!" Biggs yelled out as he threw a rock into the trees.

"What are you doing?" Serena asked.

As the rock hit the trees, the leaves were shaking and there was now a buzzing sound. Biggs punched Ash in the face, and Grunk did the same to Serena knocking them both to the ground. The buzzing was getting louder, and Biggs took Pikachu along with Ash and Serena's Pokeballs and hopped into the jeep.

"You're going to die now!" Grunk yelled out.

Biggs stepped on the gas and drove off. Ash and Serena managed to get up but only seconds after Biggs and Grunk were gone. They got their Pokémon and Pikachu, but Rotom Dex was still there.

"They took our Pokémon," Ash angrily said clenching his fist.

"I think that might be the least of your problems right now," Rotom Dex said looking at where the buzzing is coming from.

Coming from the trees were a group of yellow bee like creatures with red eyes and big stingers on their arms Rotom Dex immediately began his analysis on the Pokémon.

 _#015-Beedrill: Poison Bee Pokémon_

 _Beedrill is extremely territorial. No one should ever approach its nest—this is for their own safety. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm._

"Beedrill," Serena nervously said.

"They're coming for us," Ash said nervously too.

The two were in a loss of words as the best thing they could do is to just run from the Beedrill. However, what Ash and Serena didn't notice was that some of the Beedrill from the swarm ended up going in the direction of where Biggs and Grunk went. Ash, Serena, and Rotom Dex began to run from the Beedrill.

"Why are the Beedrill after us!? We didn't do anything to disturb them, it was those two guys from Team Rocket!" Ash hollered as he was running.

They kept running as they had no Pokémon to help them fight off the Beedrill. This meant that in order to stop the Beedrill, Ash had to use his head. While they kept running, he notices that they were about to run into a tree. Then Ash had an idea.

"Serena, I got an idea. I'm going to go left, and I want you to go right. We go around in a half-circle and then when we meet up, we pass each other," Ash explained.

"What's that supposed to do!?" Serena questioned Ash.

"Just trust me," Ash told Serena.

"Okay," Serena replied.

So, Ash went to the left and Serena went to the right with Rotom Dex going along with Ash. Some of the Beedrill went in one direction to get Ash while another went in the other direction to get Serena. The two continued to run as they curved around in opposite directions until seeing each other again. As Ash and Serena were eye to eye with each other, Ash deliver the message.

"Pass me Serena," Ash told Serena.

Ash and Serena ran by each other and the Beedrill ended up colliding with each other causing all of them to fall down. They weren't knocked out, but this was going to give them time to escape.

"Good thinking Ash, it worked," Serena said praising Ash, "You took out the Beedrill without a single Pokémon."

"No Serena, we actually slowed the Beedrill down. They're going to get back up eventually. I'm using this as an opportunity for us to escape," Ash explained as he and Serena along with Rotom Dex kept running, "Now let's get our Pokémon back."

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere in the Viridian Forest**_

Biggs and Grunk were still driving through the forest with Ash and Serena's Pokémon now in their possession. As they continued to drive, they come across a strange looking rock in the distance.

"What is that Biggs?" Grunk asked.

"Jackpot," Biggs responded as he saw the rock.

It was a grey rock with green moss on it. This was the rock that Biggs and Grunk were looking for, the Mossy Stone. They parked the jeep a reasonable distance away, but little did they know, the Beedrill were coming at them. They got out of the jeep and took a look at the rock.

"Today has been our day, we got some Pokémon, we got the Beedrill to kill those brats, and now we found the moss-covered rock that emits some strange powers," Biggs said rubbing his hands, "And now lets take it to headquarters."

Before Biggs and Grunk could get their hands dirty, there was a buzzing sound. The two stopped in their tracks to hear what it was, but it only got louder.

"What is that sound?" Grunk questioned.

"I don't know, but I can't stand that shit," Biggs answered.

The buzzing sound got louder, and then emerging from the trees were none other than the Beedrill. They couldn't believe it, they thought the Beedrill were all targeting Ash and Serena, but apparently some of them were able to catch on to Biggs and Grunk.

"BEEDRILL! WHAT ARE THOSE MOTHER FUCKING BEEDRILL DOING HERE!" Biggs screamed as he pissed in his pants.

The two screamed…but no one heard them as the Beedrill attacked.

* * *

 _ **Rejoining Ash and Serena**_

"Are you sure they went this way?" Serena asked as they kept running.

"It's the only way I can think of," Ash answered.

Rotom Dex actually got in front as he used his screen as a headlight to help look through the dark parts of the forest. Then as the two continued to scramble through the forest, Rotom Dex found an opening.

"Look Ash and Serena, I found some light," Rotom Dex said pointing to an opening.

Ash and Serena got out of the thicket of trees and came across a disturbing scene. They found the jeep that belonged to Team Rocket with all of the cages knocked down and the Pokémon gone as they ran away. The more disturbing part was seeing Biggs and Grunk near the Mossy Stone sprawled on the ground with blood coming out of them.

"I think we found them," Ash said in alarm.

"Check on them Ash, I'll try to find our Pokeballs," Serena said until a familiar yellow rodent came with two belts.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said holding Ash and Serena's Pokeballs.

"Pikachu! Thanks buddy," Ash said as he got his Pokeballs back and handed Serena her Pokeballs.

After clipping their Pokeballs back on their belts, Ash and Serena went over to check on the two men. Biggs and Grunk were bleeding and had holes in their bodies as it looked like they were impaled by something or someone.

"You…brats…beware of the…Beedrill," Biggs weakly said until he croaked.

The Team Rocket grunts Biggs and Grunk were now both dead as it was clear that Beedrill punctured through their lungs. Despite the Beedrill chasing after Ash and Serena, they were aware now that some Beedrill were on to these grunts as well. They stopped looking at the dead grunts when they heard more buzzing sounds.

"Ash, do you hear that?" Serena asked.

Then, more Beedrill came out from the trees. The Beedrill were now seeing Ash and Serena as they were now ready to come at the Pokémon trainer and Pokémon Coordinator. This time, Ash and Serena now had their Pokémon, so they could fight back.

"Are you ready Serena?" Ash asked as he got his Pokeballs out.

"I am," Serena answered grabbing her Pokeballs.

"Froakie, Pidgey, Metapod, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie, Pidgey, and Metapod.

"Fennekin, Kakuna, come on out!" Serena yelled out sending out Fennekin and Kakuna.

Froakie, Pidgey, Metapod, Fennekin and Kakuna were all out of their Pokeballs. Pikachu was still weak from the abuse from the rocket grunts. The Beedrill were coming in, and it was time to fight back.

"Froakie use Bubble, Pidgey use Gust, Metapod use String Shot!" Ash yelled out to his Pokémon.

"Fennekin use Ember, Kakuna use String Shot!" Serena called out to her Pokémon.

All of the Pokémon were sending their attacks out, and the Beedrill were going down one by one. But there were just too many of them coming after the two kids.

"How many Beedrill do you think there are?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"I don't know, but they keep coming," Ash said clenching his fists.

There Pokémon kept trying to take out the Beedrill, but their Pokémon eventually were starting to show signs of fatigue. Two Pokémon were having enough, and those Pokémon were none other than Metapod and Kakuna. While all of their Pokémon were giving it their all, Metapod and Kakuna weren't doing much except String Shot.

"Ash, our Pokémon are getting tired! What are we going to do!" Serena exclaimed.

Serena didn't want to end up like the two dead grunts, but their Pokémon as of now did have limits. Metapod and Kakuna could notice that the two trainers were struggling, and that's when they started to glow white.

"Oh, my Arceus, are Metapod and Kakuna evolving?" Ash questioned feeling stunned.

Ash Metapod was starting to transform into a purple butterfly with red eyes, a blue nose, and white wings. Serena's Kakuna evolved into the same Pokémon that have been attacking them, a Beedrill.

"My Kakuna evolved into a Beedrill," Serena said in shock.

"And what did my Metapod evolve into?" Ash asked as Rotom Dex started its analysis.

 _#012-Butterfree: Butterfly Pokémon_

 _Its wings are covered in toxic scales. If it finds bird Pokémon going after Caterpie, Butterfree sprinkles its scales on them to drive them off._

"Metapod, evolved into Butterfree," Ash said with happiness coming from his voice.

Despite watching their Pokémon evolve, Ash and Serena had to recall themselves that the Beedrill were still attacking them. Now their newly evolved Pokémon were ready to fight back.

"Alright, what attacks do Beedrill and Butterfree know?" Ash asked with Serena by his side.

"Butterfree's attacks consist of Gust, Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, and Beedrill's attacks consist of Twineedle, Fury Attack, and Pin Missile," Rotom Dex explained, "They should have more, but I don't have time to deliver them."

"Beedrill use Pin Missile!" Serena yelled out.

Serena's Beedrill unleashed white needles at the opposing Beedrill causing a lot of them to be weakened. The fact that the Beedrill defending them was raised by a trainer likely made the Poison Bee Pokémon stronger than the other Beedrill.

"Now Butterfree use Sleep Powder!" Ash called out.

Butterfree began to fly over the weakened Beedrill and started to sprinkle his Sleep Powder attack on the Beedrill putting them to sleep. Beedrill and Butterfree worked together and were able to bring the Beedrill swarm down. Ash and Serena did it, they actually defeated the Beedrill.

"We did it, we beat the Beedrill," Ash said.

Butterfree flew over to Ash and he gave him a hug. Pikachu was starting to feel better, and he could notice the scene that the Beedrill were defeated. The electric mouse Pokémon was now smiling.

"Good job Butterfree," Ash said hugging Butterfree.

"You too Beedrill," Serena said as Beedrill flew over to give Serena a hug but had his stingers out, "Not the stingers, not the stingers!"

Hearing Serena, Beedrill put his arms down and carefully maneuvered them around Serena giving her a hug. The hug felt a little uncomfortable for Serena, but she loved her Beedrill, so she didn't mind.

* * *

 _ **Outside the Viridian Forest-The Next Day**_

"We did it! We got through the Viridian Forest!" Ash declared as he raised his fist in excitement.

Ash and Serena finally made it through the Viridian Forest as they each not only got a new Pokémon but got them to evolve as well. The two would need to train their Pokémon for their upcoming gym battles and contests, and then decide who would be competing.

"If we keep going, we should reach Pewter City by tomorrow," Rotom Dex said calculating the distance to Pewter City.

"Well were going to need to give our Pokémon a chance to get better if you want to win your gym battle, and I want to win my contest," Serena told Ash.

"Yeah, let's go," Ash said as he and Serena made their way to Pewter City.

Despite all of the dangers they have dealt with so far in their adventure, Ash was really enjoying his time with Serena. He always has felt close to her, but he now feels that he could get closer. Serena couldn't help but feel the same way for Ash, and now they were on their way to Pewter City for Ash's first gym battle and Serena's second contest.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

"Biggs, Grunk, come in!" Archer yelled as he was getting impatient.

Archer hasn't heard from the two grunts since yesterday. They were supposed to be on an assignment to catch Pokémon in the Viridian Forest and be on the lookout for Ash and Serena.

"Where are you two!" Archer screamed, "Jessie and James screw up every single time, but at least they report it to us."

Archer is not aware of the fact that the two grunts are dead. He then made a phone call to Petrel.

"This is Petrel," Petrel said on the other line.

"Petrel bring in some men and search the Viridian Forest for those men I sent in," Archer told Petrel, "They're not answering to us meaning they might have failed us and are afraid to say something."

"I thought we were going out drinking," Petrel responded.

"Change of plans, I do not want Giovanni or Arianna to get pissed off," Archer said as footsteps were approaching Archer.

"Pissed off about what," a woman behind Archer replied.

"Miss Arriana," Archer replied.

* * *

 **That concludes the Viridian Forest part of the journey. Ash's Metapod evolved into Butterfree and Serena's Kakuna evolved into Beedrill.**

 **Well its clear that we will have deaths in this series, and there will be a few more deaths that will take place in the Kanto Arc.**

 **Ash and Serena will not arrive into Pewter City until Chapter 9 because the next chapter will involve Ash having a Pokémon Battle with a new rival. Stay tuned for Ash's first battle.**

 **Chapter 8: Ash's Rival**


	8. Ash's Rival

**Before Ash and Serena arrive in Pewter City, Ash will meet his new rival and engage in a Pokémon battle. This will be my first trainer battle I will be writing in this story. Ash and Serena's Pokémon will learn some new moves, and I will not go over them learning those moves so you'll get a list of what they learned. Enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

Grace and Jade heard the news that Serena was going to be entering Pokémon Contests in the Kanto Region, so now they wanted to do what they can to support her. The two were looking in a magazine at dresses they could give her.

"How about this one," Jade said pointing to an orange dress, "It would match the color of her Fennekin."

"I sort of like that, so we can't get that. Remember, Serena has a habit of picking the opposite of what we think is the better option. So, we have to find something we don't like, that's the secret," Grace said winking at Jade.

Then there was a knock at the door. Jade put down the magazine and went over to the door to see who it was. It was Delia Ketchum.

"Hi there ladies," Delia said.

"Hello Delia, would you like to come in?" Jade asked.

"I wouldn't mind at all Jade," Delia answered as she entered the house.

Delia took a seat with Grace on the couch and she saw the magazine the she and Jade were looking at. The two were in a debate on what kind of dress to give Serena when she takes part in a Pokémon Contest.

"I take it that you're looking into dresses that you want to give to Serena," Delia said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we're trying to figure out which dress would be better," Grace said.

Delia took a quick look in the magazine, and then she set it down. She then looked at the lesbian couple with a smile.

"I have a better idea, why don't you make a dress for Serena," Delia suggested.

"What?" Grace and Jade questioned.

"Yeah, how about you make a dress. I made Ash his clothes for his Pokémon journey when he left, so why don't you two actually sew up a dress," Delia said.

Grace and Jade had confused looks on their faces. They knew about wanting to give Serena a dress for Pokémon Contests, but to actually make one for her.

"You want us to make a dress?" Jade questioned.

"Why it's a good way to show Serena that you love her and that you're doing everything you can to support her in being a Pokémon Coordinator," Delia explained.

"Delia don't get this wrong, but we don't know anything about sewing or making clothes," Grace said.

"And I don't think we know much about fashion, except for the fact that Serena will go against our opinions for clothes," Jade explained.

Serena's mothers made a good point. Serena has always taken the opposite of their opinions. Delia really wanted to help Serena out just like how she tends to help Ash out. After all, Delia does tend to see Serena as her own daughter at times.

"Hey how about this, why don't I make the dress for Serena, and all you have to do is provide me with details," Delia suggested.

"Wait, you're going to make a dress for Serena?" Grace said.

"Of course, and in return I'll teach you how to make clothes, so you can make her a dress in the future, like maybe the Grand Festival," Delia said giving out a wink.

"Really, why do you want to teach us how to make clothes?" Jade asked.

"Because that way you can show how much you love Serena, and when she gets into the Grand Festival, the two of you can make her another dress for that big moment," Delia explained.

"Okay deal, you can make the dress Serena will wear in her contests, and then we can learn how to sew so we can make her a dress for if she makes it to the Grand Festival," Grace said.

It looks like the moms were on the same page with Serena as Delia was agreeing to make Serena's dress. Now of course there were going to be the details. Delia got out a notepad and a pencil.

"Now why don't you tell me what she likes and what you don't like," Delia said, "Because she will only wear something you don't like."

"Well, I haven't been a big fan of the color pink," Grace said, "And I don't like magenta either."

"And I prefer not to wear bows," Jade commented as Delia was writing stuff down.

"Keep going," Delia said with a smile.

* * *

 _ **Pathway to Pewter City**_

Ash and Serena were on their way to Pewter City after a treacherous hike through the Viridian Forest where they escaped Team Rocket and a swarm of Beedrill. Ash and Serena obtained new Pokémon that eventually evolved.

The two decided to take a break and have some training sessions with their Pokémon and then relax and let them play. For Ash's Pokémon, Froakie managed to learn Quick Attack, Lick, and Water Pulse; Pidgey learned Quick Attack and Whirlwind, and Butterfree managed to learn Confusion. For Serena's Pokémon, Fennekin was able to learn moves such as Psybeam and Fire Spin while Beedrill got some work in with Rage and Pursuit. Pikachu was getting good with his speed and got Quick Attack and Agility down.

The Pokémon were all having a good time, but the two Pokémon who were really enjoying each other's company were Froakie and Fennekin. Froakie grabbed some flowers and gave them to Fennekin.

"Froakie Froakie," Froakie said to Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded taking the flowers.

Froakie was so happy with the gesture that Fennekin took the flowers, and then she happily ate them. Who knew the Fox Pokémon had a taste for flowers, and that left Froakie with a deadpan face. Fennekin went up to Froakie and rubber her nose on the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Froakie felt a little bit of affection.

"Froakie," Froakie said.

Rotom Dex floated over to Froakie to check up on him. Froakie wanted to do whatever he could to show Fennekin how much he really liked her. They were good friends, but Froakie had a little bit of a crush on her.

"Froakie, do you like Fennekin?" Rotom Dex asked.

Froakie answered that he likes Fennekin, but also explains that he has a crush on her just like how Ash has a crush on Serena. Rotom Dex wasn't an expert on love, but Froakie was talking about it with the floating Pokedex.

"Ah, young love. It would be amazing if you two were to both fall in love with each other," said Rotom Dex looking at Froakie, "Don't worry Froakie, I'm sure Fennekin will like you back."

After hearing that, Froakie couldn't help but smile. Fennekin has been Froakie's best friend for 4 years, and Froakie sometimes could see Fennekin more than a friend.

As for the Pokémon trainers themselves, Ash laid on the grass watching the clouds with Serena on his side. It was such a beautiful day to get some training in and relax. The only thing the two really wanted to do was look at each other with a little giggle.

"I just love the fact that we can relax after all we've been through in the Viridian Forest," Ash said.

"Yeah, especially since we came across two dead bodies," Serena said.

It was true that those two Team Rocket members were killed by Beedrill, but Ash and Serena found a way to fight them off. They really took that trainer's words to heart that no one will always come to their rescue that they need to figure out how to handle the situation on their own. That was the case twice in the Viridian Forest with Team Rocket and the Beedrill where they managed to figure out how to resolve things.

There were going to be some more challenges in their travels that they would happen to deal with such as dangerous trails, more-deadly Pokémon, figuring out how to cook, and what if they were to run into Team Rocket again. For right now, the only thing Ash and Serena should be focused on is their upcoming challenges in Pewter City.

"Well Serena, whatever comes our way, we'll get through it together," Ash told Serena looking at her giving a thumbs up.

"You're absolutely right Ash," Serena responded giving a little bit of a red blush.

Serena always thought of Ash as a nice guy, but he even knows that he can't get through everything on his own. Ash will always want to find a way out of certain scenarios and protect the ones he cares about, and that's why she always liked him.

Froakie jumped onto Ash's stomach going up to Ash's face giving a happy hello. Ash gave out a little chuckle.

"Oh Froakie," Ash giggled.

Then coming down the road was a boy with purple hair. As he approached Ash and Serena, he stood there looking at Ash and Serena with a cold stare. Ash looked up and noticed the boy. Pikachu and Rotom Dex didn't know this boy, and neither did Pidgey, Butterfree, and Beedrill, but Froakie and Fennekin did.

"So, I guess you're alive," the boy said.

Ash and Serena saw this boy before. This was the Pokémon trainer that ended up saving them from the flock of Spearow by catching the lead Spearow and causing the other Spearow to flee.

"What the, it's you," Ash said in shock.

"You were the one that saved us," Serena responded.

"Yeah, you're alive because you got lucky someone canned you out of the gutter. I told you no one is always going to come save you, so you better learn to be prepared," the boy told Ash and Serena.

"We understood what you said, and we have been in more danger after that," Ash stated.

"Man, what is wrong with you. It's been about a week and you can't keep your butts away from death for one minute. You all shouldn't even be here as Pokémon trainers," the boy grunted.

"Hey, you listen, we're beginners okay. We don't look for trouble, we keep running into it by mistake. It's mostly because we keep running into Team Rocket," Serena explained.

The boy was dumbfounded to hear Ash and Serena fighting Team Rocket.

"Wow, you two don't have any brain cells," the boy said with a little colder tone, "You say you're beginners and you fight a terrorist organization. I've heard about Team Rocket, they're a Pokémon terrorist organization, and I make sure to keep my butt out of their business, but you two don't have the right minds to do that."

"Like I said, we don't look for trouble, we mistakenly run into trouble. Do you really think we actually want to fight those guys?" Serena questioned.

"Hmph, looking at you two, you don't seem like compatible Pokémon trainers," the boy said.

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned.

"I mean look here, you rather play around and lounge with your Pokémon and get your butts kicked by people you shouldn't mess with rather than taking your jobs as Pokémon trainers seriously by being aware of what you're coming at or finding your Pokémon's inner strength," the boy commented.

Ash was now starting to get a bit angry at this cold boy. It was understandable that he may have given them helpful traveling advice but saying they didn't learn anything from the Spearow and that they didn't take their jobs as Pokémon trainers seriously. Ash got up with Froakie hopping off of his stomach.

"Now you listen here…what's your name?" Ash questioned with an angry tone.

"The name is Paul, Paul Aggrot," the boy answered.

"Now you listen here Paul, I take my job as a Pokémon trainer seriously. I mean I had training sessions with my Pokémon today, and we decided to take a break," Ash retorted.

"Take a break, a break is when they sit in their Pokeball or rest at the Pokémon Center awaiting for their next challenge, not laying on the trainer's stomach," Paul told Ash.

"Well it's a friendly gesture from Froakie since Froakie is my friend," Ash said looking at Froakie who gave a happy nod.

"Friend, that Pokémon is your friend. You rather be friends with your Pokémon than making sure that they're considered worthy of battling?" Paul questioned.

Ash's eyebrow raised at the comment made by Paul. Ash couldn't believe that Paul could say something like that. Some Pokémon were born to battle, but they were still living creatures like humans. That was something Ash wanted to take in consideration deeply with Froakie.

"Any Pokémon can be worthy of battling, but I also take the time to get along with my Pokémon," Ash stated.

"Wow, you're pathetic," Paul muttered.

"Pathetic," Ash replied.

"Yeah, you rather be weak by being friends with your Pokémon rather than work them to find their full potential," Paul said.

"I'm not weak! In fact, I can prove that I have been working as a Pokémon trainer. I challenge you to a battle right here, right now," Ash declared.

Serena could see what Ash was talking about. He was right, that Pokémon should be their friends and that they have learned from their time after the Spearow.

"Alright, challenge accepted. It will be three on three," Paul said who was now looking at Serena, "Your little girlfriend will be the judge for this battle."

"Me," Serena questioned until Rotom Dex flew in.

"Did you say a Pokémon battle?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"Um yeah, we're having a Pokémon battle," Ash answered.

"Well not to worry, I'll be the judge of your Pokémon battle," Rotom Dex said.

Paul was now looking puzzled when seeing the floating Pokedex in front of him. The cold boy was wondering what the hell was that thing, and was it really going to referee the battle.

"Um, what are you?" Paul questioned.

"Oh, you haven't met Rotom Dex," Ash said.

"Greetings Paul Aggrot, I am Rotom Dex and I am going to be serving your opponent Ash Ketchum and his female traveling companion Serena Gabena on their journey around Kanto by offering them information on Pokémon," Rotom Dex explained, "I have other features as well, and being a judge for a Pokémon battle is one of them. I even have my own battle board!"

Rotom Dex's screen now showed a picture of Ash on one side and Paul on the other side with three empty squares below them. It was pretty cool not only does Rotom Dex have a mind of its own to know how to officiate a battle, but it can also show the results.

"Wow, that's amazing," Ash said.

"That means you can be our referee for any time me and Ash want to have a Pokémon battle with each other," Serena said.

"That's right. Not only will I help you gaining information on Pokémon and guiding you to your destinations, but I also will keep track of your battle records and officiate your official Pokémon battle whether they're for training or just for fun," Rotom Dex explained.

"Hey enough with the chit chat, let's get this battle going," Paul called out.

"Alright," Ash said looking over at Pikachu, "Pikachu, I'm going to use you in this battle."

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

Ash was on the left side while Paul was on the right side. Serena was sitting on the sidelines with Fennekin in her lap and Pikachu was on her side too, while Rotom Dex was across from her as it was going to be officiating the battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our exciting Pokémon battle between one of my loyal masters Ash Ketchum, and the challenger Paul Aggrot!" Rotom Dex announced as it showed the screen with Ash and Paul's faces with three empty boxes, "Each trainer will be allowed to use three Pokémon. The last one standing wins. Since Ash is my loyal master, I will let him pick first."

"Fine, I don't mind," Paul muttered.

"Alright, Froakie I choose you!" Ash yelled out calling out Froakie.

Froakie jumped onto the field as Rotom Dex now showed a picture of Froakie which filled in one of the empty boxes under Ash.

"Rattata, standby for battle!" Paul yelled out sending out Rattata.

Rattata jumped onto the field as Rotom Dex now showed a picture of Rattata which filled in one of the empty boxes under Paul. Rotom Dex began to do an analysis on Rattata.

"Analyzing Rattata," Rotom Dex replied.

 _#019-Rattata: Mouse Pokémon_

 _This Pokémon is common but hazardous. Its sharp incisors can easily cut right through hard wood._

After the analysis was done on Rattata, the battle between Froakie and Rattata began.

"Why don't you make the first move," Paul suggested.

"Okay, and I'm going to make that your biggest mistake," Ash declared, Froakie use Lick!"

Froakie lunged forward and sent out his long tongue to lick Rattata. Rattata though was not effected by the lick at all, to make things worse, Rattata didn't look like he was phased one bit.

"Rattata use Quick Attack," Paul told Rattata.

Rattata unleashed a Quick Attack that knocked Froakie back. Ash was stunned that Froakie's Lick didn't work.

"Froakie!" Ash called out, "Why didn't Lick work?"

"You weren't thinking when you had your Pokémon attack. Lick is a ghost type attack and Rattata is a normal type Pokémon, therefore ghost attacks don't effect normal type Pokémon," Paul explained, "Now let's add to your humiliation, Rattata use Hyper Fang!"

Rattata was coming at Froakie with his mouth wide open, and Ash needed to act quickly. It was time to turn to another one of Froakie's attacks.

"Froakie use Quick Attack!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie jumped forward and charged at Rattata with a Quick Attack which knocked Rattata on the ground. Rattata was trying to get up, but Ash made the next move.

"Now use Bubble!" Ash called out.

Froakie let out a flurry of bubbles at Rattata, and the Mouse Pokémon was getting pelted by all of the bubbles Froakie was firing.

"Counter with Quick Attack!" Paul commanded.

Rattata charged at Froakie light a bullet and struck Froakie with a Quick Attack. Froakie was falling back and Serena and Fennekin were both gasping at what could happen to Froakie.

"Froakie quick use Water Pulse!" Ash yelled to Froakie.

Froakie brought out a water wave like attack at Rattata, and it made direct impact on Rattata. The Mouse Pokémon was knocked to the ground and was unable to get up. Paul gave a really stern look at the fallen Rattata.

"Rattata is unable to battle, the winner is Froakie," Rotom Dex announced as the Rattata on the screen turned gray indicating Rattata has been defeated.

"Alright, way to go Froakie," Ash called out giving Froakie a thumbs up.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

Paul wasn't very happy with Rattata's performance. The cold boy immediately got his Pokeball out and called Rattata back, and then looked at it.

"I go out looking for the Pokémon with the best possible strength they possess, and my goal is to make sure that those Pokémon are facing their foes with their fullest potential without holding back," Paul said looking at Rattata's Pokeball, "That's all you got!?"

Ash was not fond of the words that Paul said to his Rattata, and neither was Serena. It didn't look like Paul was trying to be friends with Rattata at all, and that was something Ash couldn't stand. Paul then pulled out his next Pokémon, and Ash was going to stick with Froakie.

"Rattata doesn't seem to be showing any value right now, but my next Pokémon does carry some decency," Paul said taking out another Pokeball, "You might know this Pokémon by the way. Spearow, standby for battle!"

Paul released his second Pokémon, and it turns out to be a Spearow. Ash and Serena remember that Spearow very well, and so Froakie and Fennekin, but Pikachu wasn't familiar with that Spearow, except for in another universe maybe. That was the lead Spearow from the flock that Paul caught in which he saved Ash and Serena in the process. Rotom Dex now showed a picture of Spearow in one of the empty boxes under Paul's picture and proceeded to do an analysis on Spearow.

 _#021-Spearow: Tiny Bird Pokémon_

 _Its reckless nature leads it to stand up to others—even large Pokémon—if it has to protect its territory._

Spearow definitely remembers Ash and Serena back on that day Fennekin accidently attack her. The only reason this Spearow did not kill them on that day was because Paul and his Elekid stepped in to capture her. Now Spearow is one of Paul's Pokémon, and Spearow was ready to attack Froakie.

"Is that the lead Spearow you caught?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, don't you remember when you and your girlfriend were sitting there looking and feeling pathetic?" Paul questioned.

Ash just growled at Paul's comment, I mean yeah, he saved his life, but to pretty much make them feel like they're weak. Ash wasn't going to let that get to him.

"Froakie, use Water Pulse!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie delivered another Water Pulse attack at Spearow. Froakie now wanted to prove to that Spearow that he was stronger than he was before.

"Mirror Move," Paul muttered.

Spearow all of a sudden used Water Pulse, and Spearow's Water Pulse overpowered Froakie's Water Pulse hitting the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Froakie was sent flying back until Paul gave Spearow another command.

"Now use Aerial Ace," Paul told Spearow.

Spearow then flew like a bullet at Froakie and slashed him with her beck, and then Froakie was knocked out. While Froakie was laying unconscious, he couldn't believe that failed to beat that Spearow again, and Fennekin was feeling sad too. Ash was in total shock as Froakie's picture turned gray.

"Froakie is unable to battle, the winner is Spearow," Rotom Dex said with a little bit of sadness.

"What the, how on earth can Spearow use Water Pulse?" Ash asked.

"Spearow was technically using Mirror Move where the Pokémon uses the last move used by their opponents, in that case Froakie's last move happened to be Water Pulse," Paul explained, "And that Water Pulse from Spearow that overpowered your Froakie's Water Pulse proves my point of finding the most compatible Pokémon. The only reason that Froakie was able to beat Rattata was because it didn't have high potential."

Ash was just looking very angry after hearing what Paul just said. He was making Ash feel like his ways of raising Pokémon were low while Paul seems to not show any emotions to them. The only good thing about that is that at least he can understand that Pokémon were living creatures. Ash pulled out his special blue Pokeball to call back Froakie, but Fennekin called out to Ash.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin called out.

"I think Fennekin wants Froakie to sit next to her," Serena told Ash.

"Really," Ash questioned while Paul was giving a cold stare.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Okay," Ash said while taking Froakie over to Serena, Fennekin, and Pikachu, "You did a great job Froakie, take a good rest."

"Wow, that also proves how pathetic you are," Paul responded, "Wanting your Pokémon to hang with another Pokémon instead of figuring out where they went wrong and how to prepare for the next battle."

Ash was clenching his fist, but Serena put her hand on Ash.

"Ash don't worry about that. Just focus on the battle," Serena told Ash.

Ash did calm down after hearing what Serena said. It was always good to hear Serena's voice whether it was for a nice compliment or advice. Something about her just made Ash feel pretty warm in his heart.

"Alright, thanks Serena," Ash said as he got out Pidgey's Pokeball and went back to his side of the battlefield, "Alright Pidgey, I choose you!"

Ash brought out Pidgey to go up against Paul's Spearow. Then Paul smirked and said something to Ash.

"A Pidgey, you're going to use a Pidgey?" Paul questioned.

"Yeah, sure Pidgeys are very common, but like I said any Pokémon is worthy of battling if you take the time to be friends with them," Ash explained.

"So, you chose to catch a random Pidgey instead of looking for one that had the best stats?" Paul asked.

"Let's just get on with this," Ash retorted.

As the battle was about to continue, Froakie was now sitting next to Serena with Fennekin in her lap. Fennekin then held out a big blue berry towards Froakie.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said with a happy gesture.

"Froakie," Froakie responded saying your welcome taking the berry.

Froakie kindly took the Oran Berry that Fennekin gave him and took a bite. Froakie knew that the berry tasted good, but it tasted better because it was Fennekin who gave it to Froakie. Was Froakie starting to get the feeling Fennekin may like Froakie back? Well the only thing that mattered now was the battle that was going on between Ash and Paul.

"Alright Pidgey use Quick Attack," Ash told Pidgey.

"Spearow use Agility to dodge!" Paul called out.

Pidgey was charging at Spearow with Quick Attack, but Spearow got out of the way with Agility. It almost looked like Paul was one step ahead of Ash. Was Ash missing something, or was this Spearow just too good?

"Now use Fury Attack!" Paul called out to Spearow.

Spearow came in at Pidgey and pelted the Tiny Bird Pokémon with multiple pecks knocking Pidgey to the ground. Pidgey was feeling weak as she tried to get up.

"Pidgey, are you alright?" Ash asked Pidgey.

Pidgey was able to get back up, and Spearow flew back onto the ground. Spearow glared at Pidgey and Pidgey just stared back. What was Ash going to go?

"Alright Pidgey, lets use Tackle!" Ash yelled out.

Pidgey flew back up and began to fly at Spearow, and all Paul could do was look at Ash dumbfounded like he didn't learn anything.

"Spearow use Peck," Paul told Spearow.

Spearow flew over at Pidgey ready to drill her with a Peck attack. Ash needed to think of something, and then something hit him.

"Pidgey stop with Tackle and use Whirlwind!" Ash yelled out to Pidgey.

Pidgey aborted the Tackle attack and switched over to Whirlwind. A powerful wind was blowing out at Spearow, but something unfortunate happened. Spearow was able to power through Pidgey's Whirlwind and strike her with Peck. Ash couldn't believe it, and neither could Pidgey.

"What the, but how!" Ash said feeling shocked.

"Spearow has proven to be a valuable Pokémon to my team. I make sure Spearow can fly through winds no matter how powerful they are. I will not let anything have my Pokémon slow them down, so if there is an obstacle it must be overcome," Paul explained to Ash, "Now Spearow use Aerial Ace!"

"Dodge it!" Ash cried.

It was too late, Spearow struck Pidgey with Aerial Ace and the next thing Ash would know, his Pidgey fell to the ground in defeat. Ash couldn't believe it, this Spearow has beaten two of Ash's Pokémon as Pidgey's picture turned gray on Rotom Dex.

"Pidgey is unable to battle, the winner is Spearow," Rotom Dex solemnly said.

"I can't believe Pidgey lost," Serena said in disbelief.

Fennekin and Froakie couldn't believe it either. That Spearow who lead the flock that Froakie and Fennekin struggled with has beaten Froakie again and Pidgey as well. Ash only had one Pokémon left as he reached out for Pidgey's Pokeball.

"Pidgey return," Ash said calling back Pidgey, "You did a great job, take a good rest."

Ash looked around as he noticed Pikachu on the sidelines with Serena, Fennekin, and Froakie. Ash knew who his final Pokémon was going to be now.

"Hey Pikachu, you want to battle?" Ash asked the mouse Pokémon.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered as Pikachu made his way to the battlefield.

Rotom Dex now showed Pikachu's picture which filled in the final empty box under Ash's picture on Rotom Dex's screen. Pikachu was now going up against a pretty powerful Spearow, and not to forget that Paul still had one more Pokémon.

"Come on Pikachu," Serena whispered to Pikachu.

Serena, Fennekin, and Froakie were all on the sidelines as Ash was now ready to continue the battle.

"An electric type against a flying type, at least you're making a wise decision in your matchup," Paul responded.

"I'm going to show you that being friends with my Pokémon is what it takes to win, not whatever nonsense you come up with," Ash retorted.

"Once again, you're pathetic," Paul replied.

"I'll show you, Pikachu use Agility!" Ash yelled out.

"Spearow use Aerial Ace!" Paul retorted.

Pikachu started to speed up with Agility, but Spearow was coming in on Pikachu with Aerial Ace. Pikachu was able to get out of the way, and then the electric mouse turned to look at Spearow.

"Now use Thundershock!" Ash called out.

Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock that zapped Spearow. The Tiny Bird Pokémon was fried, and she was now just hovering. Spearow was now angry and charged at Pikachu with a Peck attack.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu came at Spearow with Quick Attack and beat her to the punch. Spearow was knocked backwards to the ground, and Pikachu remained on his feet. Spearow was out cold as Pikachu emerged victorious.

"Spearow is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu," Rotom Dex said with enthusiasm as Spearow's picture turned gray.

"Way to go!" Ash exclaimed to Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

Paul pulled out Spearow's Pokeball and called her back. After Spearow was back in the ball, Paul just looked at the Pokeball and didn't even give a response. Well, I guess that's an improvement from Rattata, I mean Spearow did beat two Pokémon.

"You got lucky with your type advantage, but now that's going to change," Paul muttered to Ash as he got out his last Pokeball, "Spearow was definitely one of my better Pokémon, but this last one has proven himself to be a tough Pokémon."

Ash saw the Pokeball in Paul's hand. He was wondering what kind of Pokémon Paul planning on was sending out to counter with Pikachu.

"Just like Spearow, you may have known this Pokémon in the past," Paul said as he threw the Pokeball.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a creature who was yellow with black stripes and a black thunderbolt symbol on its body and looked like a plug. Ash, Serena, Froakie, and Fennekin all knew who this Pokémon was. It was Elekid, the same Pokémon that defeated the lead Spearow that Pikachu just beat.

"Now analyzing," Rotom Dex said as he not only filled the last empty box under Paul's picture with an Elekid, but also did an analysis on Elekid.

 _#239-Elekid: Electric Pokémon_

 _When it hears the crash of thunder, Elekid's mood improves. It can be useful to record that sound and play it when Elekid's feeling down._

"I remember that Elekid, that was the Pokémon Paul used to save us from the Spearow," Serena said to herself, "Now Ash and Pikachu have to fight this Pokémon."

Ash was now looking at Paul and Elekid. The only thing that he would love to do right now is to give this boy a piece of his mind. It was now going to be a showdown between two electric Pokémon.

"Why don't you make the first move," Paul told Ash.

"Fine, Pikachu use Thundershock!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock attack at Elekid, but Elekid wasn't feeling phased out one bit. If anything, it looked like Elekid was much more powerful than before.

"What just happened? Why didn't Elekid get hurt?" Ash asked himself.

"You really don't learn anything do you, Elekid took in that electricity for himself. If anything, it looks more like you gave Elekid a super charge," Paul told Ash, "And now you're going to pay the price. Elekid use Thunderbolt!"

Elekid unleashed a powerful jolt of electricity on Pikachu, and Pikachu was being painfully zapped. How could this be, Elekid took in electric attacks but Pikachu was suffering from an electric attack.

"Great, now I can't turn to electric attacks," Ash said gritting his teeth, "Alright Pikachu, lets go with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu charged at Elekid with a Quick Attack, and the Electric Pokémon was knocked back. Elekid was strong on his feet, and Pikachu was quick on his feet too.

"Now use Agility!" Ash called out, "Run around Elekid!"

Pikachu started to use Agility to run around Elekid to maybe try to confuse him. Elekid just stood there and didn't even bother to keep his eyes on Pikachu. Was there some sort of strategy that Paul came up with? Why wasn't Elekid keeping his eyes on Pikachu?

"You're not going to fool Elekid with that. I made sure my Pokémon learn not to keep an eye on a Pokémon because it can cause them to lose their focus," Paul told Ash.

"Then how will Elekid know where Pikachu is when he attacks?" Ash questioned.

"Either Elekid must have a good sense where his opponent is or just man up and take the blow," Paul answered.

"Well then in that case, Pikachu use Quick Attack!" Ash exclaimed.

Pikachu came at Elekid with a Quick Attack and struck the Electric Pokémon from behind. Elekid was gritting his teeth as he was weakened, but Pikachu was worn out too. Then it was time for one final attack.

"Now use Quick Attack again!" Ash called out.

"Elekid use Thunderpunch," Paul told Elekid.

Pikachu came at Elekid with a Quick Attack while Elekid charged at Pikachu with Thunderpunch. Both Pokémon were coming in at high speed, and Serena and the other Pokémon could just watch to see how this would turn out.

Then an explosion came which mostly came from Elekid's Thunderpunch. Both Pikachu and Elekid were caught in the explosion and Ash and Paul had to shield their eyes. Serena and the other Pokémon shielded their eyes too, and when the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were out cold. Rotom Dex gave the call.

"Both Elekid and Pikachu are unable to battle. This match is a draw," Rotom Dex announced as both Pikachu's picture and Elekid's picture turned grey and then showed in big bold letters DRAW.

"No, this battle is not a draw, it's a tie," Paul told Rotom Dex.

"A tie?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, a tie. And if I were you, I suggest you take it," Paul told Ash as he called back Elekid.

So, this is how the battle ends, Ash and Paul end up in a tie. Ash wasn't happy with the results, he wanted to win. Ash was thinking to himself that he should've used Butterfree, but that wouldn't fare well against Spearow or Elekid. Serena then walked over to Ash to try and calm him down.

"Ash just take the tie," Serena said to Ash.

"Okay," Ash replied.

"At least maybe you're getting somewhere as a Pokémon trainer so be happy you got a tie," Paul responded, "With that I'm going to move out. But before I do, I have one piece of business to take."

What on earth could Paul be wanting to do before leaving. Paul ended up taking out Rattata's Pokeball, and Ash and Serena were wondering what he was going to do, and then he did something unthinkable.

"Get lost," he muttered.

Paul opened the Pokeball activating the release function! Rattata was out of the Pokeball and ran out into the field and out of sight. Ash and Serena were left in shock to see what he just did, he released Rattata.

"Why did you do that!?" Serena frantically asked.

"That Rattata was not up to my standards so it's longer to be part of my team. This is why I only accept the compatible Pokémon, they have proven to show that they can improve," Paul explained.

"I told you any Pokémon can be a good battler! You let a Pokémon go when they lose," Ash yelled out.

"No, I know Pokémon are going to lose battles. The ones who can improve from those losses can stay like Spearow and Elekid. That Rattata didn't have what it takes," Paul said, "Besides there's a million Rattatas out there."

"I think you should go," Ash said glaring at Paul.

"Good idea, I don't have time for novices anyway," Paul said as he walked away from Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena couldn't believe it. He just released a Pokémon because it wasn't strong enough. Ash wanted to do something to him, but then he had to take deep breaths. Paul was not worth his time, after all he did save their lives even though he probably didn't care about them.

"Ash let's forget about him. The only thing we should focus on is our Pokémon," Serena told Ash.

"She's right Ash, everyone will raise Pokémon in a different way whether their good or bad. But maybe it's best you don't battle trainers to make a point to them. My suggestion is that if you should run into Paul again, have another battle with him but not to get back at him, but to show how you, Ash Ketchum, have improved," Rotom Dex explained.

"Yeah, you did make some mistakes and you can learn from them," Serena said, "I believe you will be a great Pokémon trainer."

Ash heard Serena's words and she was right. She knew Ash had what it takes to be an amazing Pokémon trainer and future Pokémon Master. Froakie and Fennekin were all looking at them with determination, and so was Pikachu who was getting up.

"You're right, Paul isn't worth my time. I'll do what I can to better myself," Ash said.

"That's my Ash," Serena said.

Ash always loved to hear Serena's voice, and she really helped him back up. It shows that Serena really cared about Ash, but Ash is wondering when he should tell her. Serena was thinking the same thing.

* * *

 _ **Later in the evening**_

Ash and Serena were by themselves along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex as all of their Pokémon were back in their Pokeballs. They continued down the road, and their encounter with Paul was put aside. Then something caught their eye, it was a city with lots of buildings meaning that Ash and Serena made it.

"We did it, we made it to Pewter City!" Ash said.

"Now I can get ready for my next Pokémon Contest!" Serena happily said.

"And I can get ready for my first gym battle," Ash declared.

"I think that battle you had with Paul really will help you gain experience as a Pokémon trainer," Serena said to Ash.

"I know, I hope you get a rival who can drive you forward," Ash said looking at Serena.

"I think I may have gotten that with Calem," Serena said looking at Ash.

Ash was dumbfounded when he heard Calem's name again. That boy was from Kalos like Serena, and he almost seemed like a Kalos version of Ash. Ash didn't let that get in the way as the two raced for Pewter City.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Ketchum Household**_

Delia, Grace, and Jade all came into the Ketchum household with a plastic bag. In the bags were all the supplies needed to make Serena's dress for Pokémon Contests.

"So, how long have you been making clothes?" Grace asked.

"Only a few years, I practiced for when Ash begins his Pokémon journey," Delia answered, "And guess what, the clothes he has been wearing were made by me."

"It's nice of what you're doing for Serena Delia, I just hope we can do something for Ash in the future. Just like how you sometimes see Serena as a daughter, we sometimes see Ash as a son," Jade said.

"That's very nice of you," Delia said, "Now why don't we get started."

"Um, how about tomorrow since its getting late," Grace suggested.

Delia did notice that it was getting late. The sun was going down, and maybe it would be best to start in the morning when they were filled with energy.

"I guess you're right," Delia said chuckling a little bit, "Do you ladies like to stay for the night. We can have a girls night."

"Okay," Grace and Jade answered.

"Great, I found some good movies on Pokeflix that we can watch," Delia said.

So, the ladies made their way to the couch after Delia set the supplies on the table. They were just going to relax and watch a movie for the night and stay over. After all, these ladies were definitely friends since the Gabenas moved to Pallet Town.

* * *

 _ **Viridian Forest**_

Back in the Viridian Forest, the Team Rocket Executive Petrel was out searching the forest for Biggs and Grunk who were supposed to bring back Pokémon that lived in the forest.

"Where are those two," Petrel said to himself.

As Petrel was driving in his jeep, he spotted the Team Rocket jeep next to a rock covered in moss. Petrel got out of the jeep and inspected the area. He saw that not only are all of the Pokémon in the cages are gone, but he also found two corpses.

"Oh, my Arceus," Petrel said as he got out his communicator to call Archer.

"What is it Petrel?" Archer questioned.

"Archer, I've found Biggs and Grunk and they're rotting on the ground. I'm afraid they're dead," Petrel declared.

"What!?" Archer questioned.

"Yes, it seems that they were killed," Petrel said inspecting the Beedrill punctures, "And if we're correct, they may have run into those kids and they may have been the ones who did this."

"Wait, are you saying those brats that Jessie and James were dealing with we're behind this?" Archer questioned.

"That is my theory," Petrel answered.

"Very good, by the way I did some research on that rock in the Viridian Forest, and all it does is make an Eevee evolve into a Leafeon so there is no value to that," Archer said until a bang sound was heard.

"What was that?" Petrel asked.

"It's uhm, nothing. Archer out!" Archer announced as he shut off the communicator.

Petrel took a look at the two dead grunts and couldn't believe it. Was it possible that Ash and Serena killed these two men, of course not because it was angry Beedrill that killed them. Petrel didn't want to believe that, and he was sure the rest of Team Rocket didn't want to believe that either.

"I know Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena did this," Petrel said with a dark tone.

* * *

 **It seems Team Rocket is suspecting that Ash and Serena killed the grunts when it clearly was the Beedrill. I wonder how things will go with Team Rocket in the future.**

 **Well Ash had his first battle with Paul and it was a tie. Despite saving Ash and Serena, Paul is still the cold boy who tries to only use the Pokémon that he seems fit for him. We already saw him release Rattata and let's hope Ash has a better meeting with him in the future.**

 **Coming up next is Ash's gym battle with Brock, and pretty soon will be Serena's next Pokemon Contest. It looks like Ash's mom will make her dress since I kind of see her the best clothes maker in the anime, but Grace and Jade will eventually learn how to sew up a dress for Serena.**

 **Well, see you next time!**

 **Chapter 9: Pewter Gym Battle**


	9. Pewter Gym Battle

**So here it is, Ash's first gym battle with Brock. Let's see what Ash can bring to the table. Also, I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Ketchum Household**_

As morning rose in Pallet Town, the three ladies woke up after a night of watching movies. Delia slept in her own bed while Grace and Jade decided to snuggle with each other on the couch.

Delia got up and started making breakfast for herself and her guests, just like how she always made breakfast for Ash and sometimes Serena if she ever came over. They had eggs and sausages along with pancakes. Delia's cooking was always good, and Grace and Jade complemented on her cooking.

Then after breakfast, the ladies went to a desk where Delia had a sewing machine and brought her supplies along with her.

"Okay you two, I have been making some of Ash's clothes for many years. Yes, I do buy him some clothes, but I also take the time to make some clothes for him, especially the outfit I gave him for his journey," Delia explained.

"Oh, that shows you really love your son," Jade said clasping her hands.

"I always have, and I always will," Delia replied as she put the pink fabric on the table, "And you ladies may not know this, but in addition to the dress, I'll also make Serena her accessories."

"Even her shoes?" Grace questioned.

"Yeah, I even found tips on how to make the sneakers that I gave Ash for his outfit. A bit complex, but I was able to pull it off," Delia said giving a wink, "The only thing I didn't make was his hat which he sent a million postcards to win."

"Why the hell would he need to send a million postcards to get a hat?" Jade asked.

"Because he really loves the Pokémon League Jade, and secretly I wasn't pleased that he sent so many postcards. Imagine the cramps he had in his wrist from writing those postcards or worse, how many trees were killed for the paper for all of those cards," Delia explained.

Grace and Jade couldn't believe that Delia made all of his clothes except for his hat. This was a woman who truly cared for her son. Though Grace and Jade cared for Serena greatly as well, it didn't match how Delia could sometimes go the extra mile.

"Hey, why don't we watch you make Serena's dress and all off her other stuff," Grace suggested.

"Yeah, we can take tips on how we could design clothes ourselves for Serena," Jade replied.

"That's a great idea, after I finish making this for Serena, you two can actually try making a few clothes yourselves to gain experience," Delia responded, "And when you start to get some experience, you can then work on Serena's outfit for when she gets into the Grand Festival."

Without further comments, Delia began to get started on making Serena's dress with Grace and Jade watching curiously. The two wanted what was best for Serena, and they knew they could trust Delia.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pokémon Center**_

It was morning at the Pewter City Pokémon Center. Ash and Serena went to retrieve their Pokémon and Pikachu, and then Ash grasped his wrist as he had a little cramp that went and gone.

"Yeah, you should've not been writing all of those postcards mister," Serena sternly said with her hands on her hips, "Seriously, why a million postcards? And what about the trees?"

"I'm fine Serena," Ash responded.

"Okay, I have established a map of Pewter City into my system," Rotom Dex floating in front of the two Pokémon trainers showing a map of the city, "And according to my calculations, the Pewter City Pokémon Gym is three blocks north."

"Alright, well after my battle with Paul, I'm determined to be ready to beat the Pewter Gym and get my first Kanto badge!" Ash said with enthusiasm until he heard a growl from his stomach, "But first, can we get something to eat."

"Okay," Serena replied with a facepalm, "Besides we haven't had breakfast this morning."

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Restaurant**_

Ash and Serena arrived at a restaurant to have some breakfast with Pikachu and Rotom Dex on their side. The two sat down and ordered their meals, and while they waited, Serena and Ash talked about Ash's upcoming battle.

"So, Ash, what Pokémon are you going to use for your gym battle?" Serena asked.

"Well lets see, since this will be my first gym battle I have to have Froakie come in to battle, and as for my second Pokémon, hmmm," Ash answered trying to think.

"Just remember Ash, the Pokémon Gyms Leaders are supposed to be tough," Serena told Ash.

Ash knew he was going to use Froakie because after all, he was his first Pokémon. The question though was who is going to be his second Pokémon? Ash had the options of Pidgey or Butterfree, but there was also Pikachu that he and Serena were both going to use. He wasn't completely sure on what Pokémon the gym leader had, but then Ash made his decision.

"I'll use Pikachu in this match as well," Ash responded.

"So, you're going to use Pikachu and Froakie?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Ash answered.

As Ash declared what Pokémon he was going to use in his gym battle, there was one other thing that was on his mind. What Pokémon was Serena going to use in her contest. Ash knew she was going to use Fennekin, but what about her second Pokémon. Was it going to be Beedrill or Pikachu?

"So what Pokémon are you going to use for your contest?" Ash asked, "I mean I know it isn't for a week, but it's never too early to start preparing."

"Hmm, I know that I will use Fennekin, but as for my other Pokémon," Serena said while tapping her chin, "Maybe I'll use Beedrill. If Pikachu is going to be used in your gym battle, then I don't want to wear him out."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

"See Pikachu, even though we're both your trainers, we still have to make sure you get the proper rest," Serena told Pikachu petting him on the head, "So are you going to help Ash win his gym battle?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily exclaimed meaning yes.

"That's great," Ash said.

After their little talk about their upcoming battles, Ash and Serena get their breakfast. Ash got himself some strawberry pancakes with a side of bacon, Serena got an egg and cheese omelet with hash browns, and Pikachu got…a bottle of ketchup. When Pikachu got his ketchup, he looked at it with lovey dovey eyes.

"Wow Pikachu, you seem to have a taste for ketchup," said Rotom Dex who noticed Pikachu with the ketchup bottle.

After getting his bottle, Pikachu started cuddling with the red ketchup bottle and then drinking from it. Then Pikachu did something a bit odd, he started to kiss the ketchup bottle like it was his girlfriend.

"Wow, it seems Pikachu takes a great interest in ketchup," Serena said.

"Yeah, I didn't realize Pikachu loves ketchup so much," Ash said looking at Pikachu, "But him kissing the bottle is a little creepy."

Pikachu sure did love ketchup, and he wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of his ketchup or they were going to get it. Hell, Jessie, James, and Meowth made that mistake at the Viridian City Pokémon Center when they broke the ketchup bottle that Pikachu had. All they did was make him angry, and that's what caused the electric mouse to go on a rampage against him.

As Ash and Serena were eating their breakfast, they found that the food was pretty good. Heck, the only thing they were eating were mostly cheap noodles and cheap frozen vegetables because they didn't properly learn how to cook. They figure it would be so nice if they could make food like this.

"How is everything?" the waitress asked.

"This is awesome, it's like the best thing I've ever eaten," Ash answered with a big smile.

"Yeah, I never had an omelet this good in my life," Serena said.

Their breakfasts were delicious, but they can't ever say that they're better than what their moms make for them. Still, the food in the restaurant was amazing. They would love to know who cooked their meals.

"Well you can thank our cook, he is one of the best," the waitress said.

"Hey, can we thank your cook personally?" Ash asked.

"Not a problem," the waitress answered as she left.

The waitress then returned with the cook. Ash and Serena got to meet the lucky chef who made their meals. He was tanned skin with spiky brown hair and had squinty eyes.

"You guys must really love my cooking," the cook said.

"Yeah, not anything compared to my mom," Ash responded, "Well because she's my mom and I got to always respect her cooking."

"Thank you very much mister uhm," Serena said as she trailed off.

"The name's Brock," Brock answered.

"Hey Brock, thanks again for making our breakfasts. Now I'm going to be totally pumped when I face the Pewter City Gym Leader," Ash told Brock.

"Pewter City Gym Leader, we'll guess what you're looking at him," Brock said pointing to himself.

"What!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yep, I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader. Working here is just a part-time job for me to go along with my duties as gym leader," Brock explained.

Ash couldn't believe it, the man who just made their breakfast was the Pewter City Gym Leader. It had to be pretty interesting for someone to balance out two jobs of working at a restaurant and being a gym leader. The question now is will Ash be able to get a battle with him now that he's working.

"Thanks for the food Brock, but I guess will be having our battle another day since you're working," Ash said feeling a little bad, "I was looking forward to my first gym battle."

"Hey, don't sweat it, we can have our gym battle today. I'm only here today for the breakfast shift. By noon I'll be able to open up the gym and we can have our match," Brock said giving a thumbs up.

"That's great, looking forward to seeing you," Ash said with a smile.

"Thanks, well I got to get back to work," Brock said, "See you later."

Brock returned to the kitchen. So, Ash was going to have his battle with Brock, and heck he was a pretty good cook. He could just imagine having him traveling alongside with him through Kanto cooking for him and Serena, but he was too busy with other stuff, so he didn't have time to do that. Though his cooking did take an interest in Serena.

"I wonder what his secret is to his good cooking skills?" Serena asked herself.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pewter Gym**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex arrived at the Pewter City Pokémon Gym around 12:30 PM so they could give Brock time to get ready. The building was a giant grey rock with big doors in the middle. They didn't have a hard time looking for this gym thanks to Rotom Dex's ability to give them a layout of the city.

"According to my calculations, this must be the Pewter City Pokémon Gym," Rotom Dex said looking at the building.

"It is, there's a sign reading Pewter Gym," Ash said pointing to the sign in front of the gym.

"Well we still arrived and that's what matters," Rotom Dex said spinning around.

This was it, Ash was now going to attempt to get his first badge. Ash didn't know what Pokémon Brock was going to be using, but he was going to give it his all. Ash walked up to the door and opened it, and he went inside.

Ash and Serena looked around the gym and saw it had yellow walls with stripe patterns, a grey platform in the middle, dirt, and grey boulders. So, this was where Ash was going to have his battle.

"Well, this must be the place," Ash said.

"You got that right," a voice called out.

Ash looked ahead and saw that it was none other than Brock. He was now wearing an orange shirt with a green vest, brown pants, and blue and white sneakers.

"So not only are you a cook at the restaurant, you're also the gym leader. Pretty nice," Ash said with his arms behind his back.

"Yeah, I only would work there about twice or three times a week for a little extra money for what I have planned," Brock said.

"Planned?" Serena questioned.

"I can talk more about that later, but for right now I believe we are going to have a gym battle, aren't we?" Brock questioned.

"You bet we are," Ash said excitedly raising his fist, "I'll be getting my first Kanto Badge from you Brock."

"I don't think so, you see we gym leaders are meant to be tougher than an average trainer and if you want to get into the Pokémon League then you have to beat all eight of us," Brock explained crossing his arms, "Now what is your name mister?"

"Ash Ketchum," Ash answered.

"Ash Ketchum," Brock said with a pause, "Are you by any chance related to Red Ketchum?"

Ash was shot down when he heard the name Red Ketchum. That was his father who he hasn't seen in a long time. Ash at times wondered what's dad doing.

"Yeah, Red Ketchum is my father," Ash answered with despair.

"Is something wrong?" Brock asked.

"It's nothing, I just haven't seen him in almost four years and he wouldn't tell me what he's doing," Ash explained.

"I'm sorry I asked that, it's just that I heard Red Ketchum was once the champion of the Kanto Region until he departed for unknown reasons and passed the title on to Blue Oak," Brock explained, "Sorry I brought that up."

"It's okay," Ash said feeling a little better, "You brought that up because my dad was once had the title of Kanto Champion. It is an honor to be the son of a former region champion though."

"Thanks, my father ran the gym before I did, and he battled him for a Boulder Badge. My dad told me that Red was one of the best trainers out there," Brock explained, "And I really hope you can show that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Give me a good battle."

"I will but let me warn you that I am a beginner so don't expect me to be invincible or something," Ash told Brock.

"Understood," Brock replied until he called out to someone, "Hey Forester, are you ready."

Brock then looked around and then Ash and Serena saw a boy who looked almost like him. He had spiky brown and squinty eyes like Brock and wore a green striped polo shirt with blue pants and red shoes. This boy happened to go by the name Forester.

"I'm ready Brock," Forester said.

"Who's that?" Ash asked.

"Oh, my apologies, this is my little brother Forester. He's going to be officiating the battle, and it's also a way I want him to learn how to be a gym leader," Brock explained.

"Be a gym leader? Are you planning on quitting?" Serena asked.

"Oh no, my brother isn't going to be leaving the gym soon. We can talk about that after the battle," Forester told Serena, "Now I believe it's time for your gym battle."

So, Forester who happens to be Brock's brother was going to be officiating the battle, and it appears he was going to be a future gym leader. Did Brock have something planned that has him working both at a restaurant and a Pokémon Gym? Brock would try to explain later, but right now it was time for Ash's first gym battle.

Ash was standing on one side with Pikachu on his side while Brock was on the other side. Serena was behind Ash along with Rotom Dex, and she was ready to cheer him on. It could also be a way to pick up some tips before her Pokémon Contest.

"This is an official gym battle between the challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and the gym leader Brock! This will be a two on two battle and only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon!" Forester announced.

"Alright Pikachu, you're up," Ash said pointing to Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu said jumping in.

"A Pikachu huh, not a good choice Ash. My first Pokémon will be Geodude!" Brock exclaimed as he threw his Pokeball.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a grey boulder with eyes and arms floating in the air. The Pokémon Brock sent out was a Geodude.

"Geodude," Geodude replied.

"I better analyze this Geodude," Rotom Dex said beginning an analysis on Geodude.

 _#074-Geodude: Rock Pokémon_

 _It uses both hands to climb precipitous cliffs. People who see it in action have been known to take up bouldering._

So, with the Mouse Pokémon Pikachu on the battlefield for Ash and the Rock Pokémon Geodude on Brock's side, Ash's first gym battle was under way. Serena and Rotom Dex could only watch, but they would cheer Ash on.

"Alright Pikachu use Thundershock!" Ash called out.

Pikachu gathered electricity and unleashed a Thundershock attack on Geodude. As Geodude was hit by Thundershock, he wasn't being phased on bit. Geodude felt like he was hit by nothing, and Ash couldn't believe it. Did Ash do something wrong or was Geodude that powerful? After all, gym leaders were meant to be tougher.

"What happened? Why didn't Thundershock work?" Ash asked himself.

"You don't get it do you, Thundershock is an electric type attack and Geodude who is a rock-type Pokémon is also a ground-type Pokémon, and electric attacks have no effect on ground Pokémon," Brock explained, "So you made a bad choice in attack selections, and now your Pikachu's electric attacks are useless."

It just made Ash pretty angry with himself, an electric attack was going to do no good on Geodude who also was a ground-type. Pikachu's attack options were now pretty much put in shackles, and Brock made the next move.

"Now Geodude use Tackle!" Brock yelled out.

Geodude charged at Pikachu with a Tackle attack and knocked the Mouse Pokémon to the wall. Pikachu moaned in pain, and Serena and Rotom Dex gasped.

"Pikachu are you alright?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered with a tough tone even though he was in a bit of pain.

"Alright Pikachu, now try and use Agility!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu shook himself off and began to run around the gym at light speed with his agility, and Brock looking towards Pikachu.

"Alright Geodude use your Rock Polish," Brock told Geodude.

"Geodude," Geodude replied as he started to shine.

"And follow it up with Rollout," Brock told Geodude.

The Rock Pokémon started to ball up and roll around the gym until he smacked right into the lightning speed Pikachu. Pikachu was knocked into the air screaming leaving Ash shocked.

"But how did Geodude catch up to Pikachu?" Ash asked himself.

"You don't get it do you, Rock Polish greatly helps increase the speed of a Pokémon and when Geodude used Rock Polish, he was able to become faster than Pikachu when he used Rollout. My Geodude is pretty experienced so there is no way Pikachu can keep up with him," Brock explained.

Ash was gritting his teeth at knowing how bad the situation with Pikachu was, and Serena just clasped her hands and watched with worry on her face. Rotom Dex just had a curious look on its face, but it knew things were bad for Ash.

"Don't give up Pikachu use Quick Attack!" Ash called out to Pikachu.

Pikachu came back at Geodude with a Quick Attack, and then Brock made his move.

"Dodge and use Rock Throw!" Brock yelled out to Geodude.

Geodude got out of way of Pikachu causing the electric mouse to slam himself into the ground. Then Geodude got out a rock and threw it hard at Pikachu while he was trying to get up. The rock slammed onto Pikachu causing him to fall down on his stomach. Pikachu was not getting up as Geodude took out the Mouse Pokémon. Ash couldn't believe that Geodude beat Pikachu.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, the winner is Geodude!" Forester announced.

"Pikachu," Ash said as he ran up to Pikachu.

Ash was holding Pikachu in his arms looking at him knowing what pain he was in. Serena couldn't believe that Ash lost, but they could agree on one thing, Brock was definitely good and that Geodude was pretty skilled as well.

"Are you okay buddy?" Ash asked feeling worried.

"Pika," Pikachu answered.

"Hey, you did great. Now take a good rest," Ash told Pikachu.

Ash took Pikachu back to the sidelines and handed him to Serena. Serena was now holding Pikachu and Ash went back to his spot on the battlefield. Ash only had one Pokémon left while Brock still had two. If Ash was going to get that badge, he was going to need to beat both of his Pokémon with his last Pokémon.

"So, what's your next Pokémon?" Brock questioned.

Ash took out his special blue Pokeball. Serena saw that Pokeball, and she knew who was in that Pokeball. No wonder, it was no surprise Ash was going to bring Froakie into this battle.

"Froakie I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

Froakie came out of the Pokeball and onto the battlefield. Froakie was looking at the Geodude on the other side, and Brock was a bit in shock of what Pokémon Ash sent out.

"Whoa, I never seen that Pokémon before," Brock said in amazement.

"Allow me to introduce you to Froakie. He is my first Pokémon, and he is a water-type Pokémon in case you're wondering," Ash said introducing Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"A water-type Pokémon taking on my Geodude, that's a good strategy. Since Froakie is a water-type Pokémon, he has an advantage on Geodude since Geodude is a rock-type and ground-type Pokémon. Water attacks do super effective damage on rock type and ground type Pokémon, so Froakie should have a huge advantage in type. But remember, just because you have a type advantage doesn't mean you can win. Some Pokémon trainers are able to help toughen their Pokémon through the types they're weak against, and that can go for other gym leaders too," Brock explained.

"Well then, I'm going to have Froakie beat Geodude and whatever other Pokémon you have planned for me," Ash told Brock.

Brock just crossed his arms while Ash looked at Brock with a bit of an angry look showing that he wants to win. Things were not good with Pikachu, so he could only hope things go better with Froakie.

"Come on Ash," Serena quietly said to herself holding Pikachu.

"Alright Froakie use Quick Attack!" Ash yelled out.

"Rollout!" Brock yelled out.

Froakie came at Geodude with a Quick Attack, but Geodude was once again too fast as he slammed into Froakie with Rollout. Froakie was sent flying to the wall, and the only thing Ash could do was go on offense.

"Keep going with Rollout!" Brock called out to Geodude.

"Froakie use Bubble!" Ash hollered.

Froakie unleashed a flurry of bubbles, but Geodude kept plowing through them like they were nothing. This couldn't be real, that Geodude was really strong, and then he smacked Froakie again with Rollout. This wasn't happening, Ash was on the ropes by Brock's Geodude, and this is still his first Pokémon! What was going on!

"Froakie," Ash said with worry, "Come on Froakie, get up!"

Froakie was weak, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon got up. Froakie wanted to keep fighting, but that Geodude was strong. Then something happened to Froakie, he started to have a blue glow around him.

"What's going on with Froakie?" Ash questioned.

"I hate to say this Ash, but this needs to end now. Geodude use Tackle," Brock told Geodude.

Geodude was coming at Froakie with Tackle, and Ash needed to come up with something or else Froakie was finished. Still, what was that blue glow? Ash noticed it too, but he was too focused on trying to beat Geodude.

"Alright Froakie use Water Pulse!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie sent out a powerful Water Pulse attack at Geodude, and the Rock Pokémon was hit hard by the attack. The fact that Geodude was a rock and ground type Pokémon, and that Water Pulse was a water attack made the attack hurt four times more. Geodude was knocked to the ground, and Froakie landed on his feet.

"Geodude is unable to battle, the winner is Froakie," Forester announced.

Ash could relax a little bit, but things were still tense. Froakie just barely beat Geodude, but what did that blue glow have to do with Froakie.

"What happened to Froakie? Where did that blue glow come from?" Serena asked Rotom Dex.

"I know what that is, it's Froakie's special ability Torrent," Rotom Dex answered while they look at Froakie, and Ash was hearing this too, "Torrent is an ability that allows water-type attacks to be more powerful when a Pokémon is near critical health."

"That means Froakie is getting exhausted," Serena gasped.

"I'm afraid so, and Brock still has another Pokémon. That Geodude was powerful, so who knows what his last Pokémon is able to do," said Rotom Dex.

"Geodude return!" Brock called out recalling Geodude, "Good job Geodude. Now you take a good rest, you deserve it."

Brock was looking at Ash and Froakie. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was getting worn out, and Ash was feeling tense. He could tell that he was likely going to get this battle.

"Well Ash, you were lucky to beat Geodude. However, my next Pokémon is going to mark the end of this battle," Brock said pulling out another Pokeball, "Come on out…Onix."

Brock threw his Pokeball out onto the battlefield and coming out was a giant grey snake made of boulders along had a horn on her head. Ash, Froakie, Serena, and Pikachu all gasped at the terrifying creature in front of them, Onix.

"What is that thing?" Serena asked.

"It's an Onix," Rotom Dex answered beginning his analysis.

 _#095-Onix: Rock Snake Pokémon_

 _Onix has a magnet in its brain. It acts as a compass so that this Pokémon does not lose direction while it is tunneling. As it grows older, its body becomes increasingly rounder and smoother._

Onix was standing tall in front of the tiny little blue frog. Froakie was not at full strength to fight this Onix, but one thing Ash did gain from Rotom Dex was that Onix was also a rock and ground type like Geodude. Still, it didn't mean Froakie was guaranteed victory.

"Alright Froakie, lets give it everything we've got. Use Water Pulse again," Ash told Froakie.

Froakie unleashed another watery wave at Onix which was powered up by Torrent, but Onix was phased only a little bit.

"Onix use Rock Tomb!" Brock yelled out to his Onix.

Onix summoned a whole bunch of boulders to seal Froakie in. Froakie tried to get out of the Rock Tomb, but he was too weak to bust through the boulders. Now Froakie was at Onix's mercy.

"Froakie use Water Pulse again!" Ash yelled out.

"I don't think so, Onix use Rock Throw!" Brock retorted.

Froakie used Water Pulse again to break one of the boulders to free himself, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon wasn't able to get away from Onix's Rock Throw in time. Froakie was smashed on the ground by Onix's attack, and Froakie was getting up slowly.

"Froakie hang in there," Ash called out to Froakie.

"Alright Onix use Bind," Brock told Onix.

Froakie was trying to stand up, but Onix grabbed Froakie with her tail. Froakie was getting crushed by Onix's grip, and the Bubble Frog Pokémon couldn't wiggle out of this mess. All Ash's could do was helplessly watch Froakie struggle while Serena stood there in disbelief that Froakie was being crushed.

Froakie tried to get out, but it was no use, Onix was too powerful and Froakie was too weak. Froakie hated to admit it, but there was no way he could get out of this one. He was glad Fennekin wasn't out to watch him suffer.

"Now use Slam to throw Froakie down," Brock told Onix.

Onix slammed Froakie onto the ground, and Froakie laid there unable to move. Froakie couldn't believe it, but he failed Ash. Froakie wanted to do everything to help Ash, but he just can't seem to be strong enough for him.

"Froakie is unable to battle, the winner is Onix. Which means the winner of the Pewter City gym match is Brock," Forester announced.

"Froakie no," Ash said looking at Froakie.

"I can't believe it, Ash lost," Serena said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said weakly.

"They aren't kidding when they say that gym leaders are tougher trainers. Brock has proven to be one tough Pokémon trainer," Rotom Dex said, "But if Ash wants access to the Pokémon League, he'll have to beat him."

Brock called back Onix and told her that she did a terrific job. Ash on the other hand decided to walk up to his Froakie instead of calling him back. He picked up his Froakie and cradled him in his arms. Ash looked like he was going to cry.

"Froakie, are you okay," Ash said tearing up.

"Froakie," Froakie answered weakly.

"You did a great job Froakie. I want you to take a good rest okay," Ash said to his Froakie.

Froakie didn't care that Ash said he did a great job. Froakie was feeling sad that he couldn't win for him. Froakie was thinking of himself as pretty weak right now because he couldn't save him from the Spearow, he couldn't save them from Team Rocket, he wasn't able to do enough in Ash's battle against Paul, and now he just lost Ash's gym battle for him.

There is a saying that every defeat will make you stronger, and Froakie is hoping that those times he failed Ash will make him stronger in future challenges. The one thing Froakie definitely wanted to be strong for was that sadistic Pokémon assassin.

"You did a pretty good job for a beginner," Brock told Ash as he approached him.

"Really? But I lost," Ash said as he wiped his tears.

"Hey, you're a rookie and you're going to take some time to grow," Brock responded, "By the way, if you want I can take your Pokémon to my house."

"Wait, take Froakie to your house?" Serena questioned.

"Not just Froakie, but Pikachu as well," Forester replied.

"Are you, inviting us to your house?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, it's something I'm wanted you to know about me and why I have another job along with being a gym leader," Brock answered, "Come on over and I'll show you."

With that, Ash, Serena, Rotom Dex, Brock, and Forester left the Pewter Gym. It was a shame that Ash had to lose his first gym battle, but that wouldn't stop him in the future. Right now, the two kids from Pallet Town and Rotom Dex were wondering what is Brock up to?

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Brock's House**_

It was an honor to visit Brock in his house. Seriously, when did a challenger ever get invited to visit a gym leader's house? The four immediately took off their shoes and put on the pink slippers right at the door.

Ash was carrying Froakie while Serena carried Pikachu. Both of them could've gotten a good nights sleep at the Pokémon Center, but why did Brock want them to bring their Pokémon here?

"Okay, put Pikachu and Froakie on the table," Brock told Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena set the two Pokémon on the table with Rotom Dex watching in curiosity. Brock took a look at the two Pokémon and started by observing Pikachu.

"So, what is he doing?" Serena asked Forester.

"He's seeing where Pikachu is hurt after his battle with Geodude," Forester answered.

Pikachu was feeling a little weary around Brock, but the electric mouse Pokémon decided to behave for him. Besides, after being a bit rotten to the humans for a while, Pikachu thought it was time to mature when he met Ash and Serena.

"Hmm, you got a couple of bruises so all you need is a Super Potion," Brock said looking at Pikachu.

Brock took out a Super Potion and sprayed it on Pikachu. Pikachu was starting to feel better after being treated with the Super Potion. The electric mouse Pokémon was back on his feet.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded happily.

"Pikachu you're okay," Ash happily said as he jumped into Ash's arms for a hug.

"Wow Brock, you treated Pikachu," Serena said in amazement.

"Yeah, I'm actually practicing to be a Pokémon doctor and I'm using my time at the gym and my part-time job at the restaurant to save up money to attend Pokémon nursing school," Brock explained.

"Wow, so you're going to start being a doctor to sick and injured Pokémon?" Serena happily asked.

"Yes, he is, and after he goes away to school I'm going to take over as the Pewter City Gym Leader. The reason I have to be around for most of his battles is, so I can learn about what it's like to be a gym leader," Forester explained, "Brock wants to do everything to try and help any Pokémon in need of help."

"That's great, and you did a great job with Pikachu," Ash complemented.

"Thanks, but it was nothing. Pikachu just needed a Super Potion for some bruises, but I haven't gotten a chance to get to serious injuries like broken bones or diseases. I might have to go to a Pokémon Center to see how that's handled," Brock explained.

So, it was a great thing to hear that Brock would soon leave the gym to be a Pokémon doctor. However, that didn't mean Ash was not going to wait for him to leave and face Forester for a badge. Come on, Gary possibly beat him for a badge, and Paul might have too, so Ash knew it's only fair that he tries to beat Brock for his Pewter City Gym Badge.

"Now it's Froakie's turn," Brock said turning his attention to Froakie, "This will be a great experience for me since I've never seen this Pokémon before."

Brock took a close look at Froakie, but Froakie nervously backed away. Froakie didn't want any human near him except for Ash, but all Brock wanted to do was help Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie said nervously.

"Froakie listen, Brock just wants to take a look at you. He's not going to hurt you," Ash told Froakie.

"Froakie, Froakie," Froakie angrily said at Ash.

"Froakie, that was our gym battle against Brock. Yes, his Onix put you in this condition along with his Geodude, but it was mostly a fun competition for all of us. Brock never wanted to hurt you, in fact it looks like he's trying to make you feel better," Ash explained to Froakie, "Just let him look at you please."

"Froakie," Froakie said weakly as he continued to back away from Brock.

"What's wrong with Froakie?" Brock asked, "All I wanted to do is help."

There was then a silence in the room. It was a tough thing for Ash to tell him the story of what was in his surroundings when he was an egg. The same went for Fennekin as both of them went through the same scarring moments when they were in their egg stages which has really hurt their trust on humans. Froakie was the only Pokémon Brock actually saw though.

"Okay Brock, listen. Me and Serena are going to tell you and Forester a story about not only my Froakie," Ash told Brock when he paused, and Serena brought out her Fennekin, "But also Serena's Fennekin."

Brock saw the other Pokémon that Serena sent out which was her Fennekin. Brock was amazed by seeing that Pokémon as well, but the focus was on the story that Ash was about to tell him about Siegfried.

* * *

 _ **After the story**_

"It just angers me that people like that are out there in the world!" Brock exclaimed feeling upset and angry, "I'm so glad that Professor Sycamore gave you those Pokémon as your starters."

"Now you know why Froakie is afraid of you, it's because of him," Ash responded.

Brock took the time to calm down, and then he got down to Froakie's level. Brock looked at Froakie in the eyes. Froakie still felt tense, but despite how squinty Brock's eyes were, he had worry in them.

"Froakie listen to me. I'm sorry something like that had to effect your lifestyle and emotions, but I want you to know not all humans are like that. There are good humans out here in the world like your friend Ash and his friend Serena. Froakie, I'm one of the good humans too along with my brother here. You have to find the time to let another human other than Ash lend you a helping hand, and I'm one of them. I just want to take a look and see what could be wrong with you," Brock explained to Froakie.

Froakie turned his face to Ash, and his best buddy agreed. Ash wants Brock to trust him with Froakie, and that he does need to learn how to trust other humans. With that, Froakie leaned towards Brock and the tanned skin boy was now looking at the Bubble Frog Pokémon.

"That's a good Pokémon," Brock said looking at Froakie, "You pretty bruised up after your little encounter with my Onix. Don't worry, this will make you feel better."

Brock pulled out a Hyper Potion which was stronger than a Super Potion. He sprayed it on Froakie, and in just a matter of seconds, Froakie was feeling 100%. Froakie was jumping up and down happily.

"See Froakie, everything is alright," Ash told Froakie.

"Great job Brock, you know what you're doing with Ash's Pokémon," Serena complemented.

"Thanks, but I still think they should spend the night at the Pokémon Center. Hey afterwards I'll be generous to give you guys dinner if you want," Brock suggested.

"That sounds awesome," Ash said.

"I'd love that," Serena replied.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Ketchum Household**_

Late evening has arrived in Pallet Town as Delia spent all day working on Serena's dress. Delia dedicated the whole day making Serena's outfit for when she took the stage in the Pokémon Contests, and Grace and Jade couldn't believe she spent a whole day making something for their daughter who was friends with Delia's son.

The dress was red with pink underneath and had two white shoulder straps with a red bow that would be around her chest area. The dress wasn't all Delia was able to create for Serena, she also made her a pair of fancy red flats with gold circles on them, white gloves with pink bows around the wrist parts, a black choker with a gold circle, and a shiny black ribbon with a pink bow so it could be used to make her hair into a ponytail, but Delia did purchase some black pantyhose.

"Delia, that looks amazing," Jade said clasping her hands, "I think our little Serena will look beautiful in that dress."

"Well I spent all day working on this for someone who happens to be a very good friend of Ash," Delia told Jade, "After all I did spend a whole day making Ash's traveling clothes."

"I can't wait to send this over to Serena," Grace said looking at the dress, "I think we got some tips on how we can design some clothes in the future."

"You really do?" Delia asked happily.

"Yeah, but no were not going to become fashion designers," Grace said jokingly, and seriously they weren't going to be fashion designers.

Grace and Jade weren't going to argue, the dress was beautiful along with the accessories that went with them. Now there was only one thing that needed to be done, and that was to deliver this to Serena.

"Okay, we heard Ash and Serena are in Pewter City and that there will be a Pokémon Contest there in a couple of days. If we act now, the dress should be delivered to Serena by tomorrow," Delia told Serena's moms.

"Okay, we might want to let her know," Jade suggested.

"Good idea let's call her tonight," Grace suggested.

"I agree, and I will box this dress, shoes, and other accessories up to be mailed to the Pewter City Pokémon Center," Delia said, "I know Serena will love this."

So, it was time to deliver the dress to Serena, and thank Arceus they were not sending her a million postcards just like how Ash did that with the Pokémon League to get his hat.

* * *

 **Interesting fact, the outfit Delia made for Serena for her Pokémon Contests in the Kanto Region is the same outfit she wears in her Pokémon Showcases in the anime. Her moms Grace and Jade were taking the time to learn how to make clothes, so they can make Serena another outfit together for when she enters the Kanto Grand Festival.**

 **Well sorry everyone, Ash lost his battle to Brock, but now we got to learn that he is already practicing on being a Pokémon doctor, which explains why he has another job along with being a gym leader. That is so he can pay for Pokémon medical school.**

 **Ash will not have his rematch with Brock until after the Pewter City Pokémon Contest which will be in two chapters, because the next chapter will introduce new rivals for Ash and Serena. Later!**

 **Chapter 10: Three New Rivals**


	10. Three New Rivals

**Alright, so now Ash is going to be getting two new rivals in this chapter while Serena will be getting one new rival. Enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash and Serena have been spending the night at the Pewter City Pokémon Center. They learned that the gym leader Brock was practicing to be a Pokémon doctor and was willing to help out Pikachu and Froakie after Ash lost his battle to Brock.

Pikachu and Froakie were feeling much better, but he still believed that the two Pokémon should get a good nights rest at the Pokémon Center. Pikachu and Froakie spent the night at the Pokémon Center, and now Ash was waiting for the two Pokémon to be given back to him.

On the other hand, Brock even let them stay over for dinner. Ash was the son of the former Kanto Champion Red, and Serena was his friend. Brock had a pretty big family as he had a whole bunch of siblings, and Brock was the oldest of them all. He made dinner for his whole family and Ash and Serena. This has got to be amazing where he can have two jobs to get money for medical school and take care of all of those siblings. Brock was definitely a rock-solid person, pun intended.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **Brock's House-Last Night**_

 _Ash and Serena were at Brock's house for dinner. They couldn't believe all of the siblings Brock had. He was going to make dinner for all of them._

 _As Brock was getting ready for dinner, Serena walked into the kitchen looking at the Pewter City Gym Leader preparing their meals._

" _So how long have you been cooking?" Serena asked._

" _I've been cooking a pretty long time, maybe like when I was eight," Brock answered, "Why do you ask."_

" _Well since me and Ash are traveling through Kanto and we don't have any good cooking experience, I was wondering if I can watch you cook," Serena stated._

" _Watch me cook?" Brock questioned._

" _Yeah, so I can get tips on cooking for me and Ash, so we can prepare good meals and not eat a lot of cheap store brought food," Serena replied._

" _Oh, that sounds like a good idea," Brock replied._

" _Really," Serena replied._

" _Yeah, in fact I can try to give you a few tips in cooking a good meal so you two can work on making more food for not only yourselves, but your Pokémon too," Brock stated._

" _Really, thank you," Serena happily said._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

The dinner Serena had with Ash and Brock's family was amazing, just like what they had at the restaurant yesterday. Serena wanted to meet with Brock sometime to get a few tips on cooking, but for now she wanted her focus on the Pewter City Pokémon Contest.

The ding sound was made, and Ash got Froakie and Pikachu back. Both of the Pokémon were in good spirits after a good night's sleep, and they were feeling 100% again. Ash wanted to get some training in before his rematch with Brock. He planned on challenging the Pewter Gym again after the Pokémon Contest. Right now, he was determined on helping Serena.

"I'm glad your Pokémon are doing better," Serena said.

"Yeah, thanks," Ash responded.

"Well Ash, since you're delaying your time on going to the Pewter City Gym, why don't you help Serena get ready for her contest," Rotom Dex suggested, "It's a good way to not only help you train for Brock again, but also to get Serena ready for her contest."

"That's the plan Rotom Dex," said Ash raising his fist with determination.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Park**_

Ash had out his Froakie while Serena had out her Fennekin. The two were getting prepared for their upcoming matches which included Ash's rematch with Brock, and Serena's upcoming Pokémon Contest. A nice sparring match between the two was just what they needed to get ready.

"Alright Froakie use Water Pulse!" Ash yelled out to Froakie.

"Fennekin use Fire Spin!" Serena yelled out to Fennekin.

Froakie unleashed a wave of powerful water at Fennekin while the Fox Pokémon blasted a fiery vortex at Froakie. The two attacks collided, and it resulted in a steamy explosion. They couldn't tell if the attacks improved or that they weren't strong enough.

"Let's try Quick Attack," Ash told Froakie.

"Alright Fennekin, use Fire Spin again but try to jump in and use Scratch," Serena told Fennekin.

Froakie charged at Fennekin with a Quick Attack while Fennekin unleashed another Fire Spin. Fennekin tried to jump into the fiery vortex, but she wasn't quick enough, but she still charged at Froakie with Scratch. The two Pokémon came together, and their attacks both knocked each other back.

"Okay, I guess I got some work to do with you Fennekin," Serena told Fennekin, "But other than that, great job."

"Fennekin," Fennekin replied.

"Nicely done Froakie, we'll take a break right now," Ash told Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie replied.

Then Froakie and Fennekin went up to each other and looked each other in the eyes. Froakie took out his hand for Fennekin, and Fennekin would realize that Froakie wanted to give a friendly handshake for being such a great sparring partner.

"Froakie," Froakie happily said shaking Fennekin's hand.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily replied.

Froakie couldn't be happy about testing his strengths against Fennekin, and the Fox Pokémon couldn't feel the same way. Froakie wanted to not only impress his trainer Ash, but also his best friend and secret crush Fennekin. Ash and Serena couldn't be more pleased with how those two Pokémon were.

"You know Ash, Froakie really appreciates Fennekin," Serena told Ash.

"I know, after all they've been with Professor Sycamore for three years before meeting with us," Ash responded, "These two are definitely best friends."

Serena looked at how Froakie has been treating her Fennekin. The Bubble Frog Pokémon wasn't just treating Fennekin like a great training partner or friend, but also like someone he dearly cared about. Serena might have noticed that Froakie has a crush on Fennekin.

"I think Froakie considers Fennekin more than a friend," Serena told Ash, "I think Froakie has a crush on Fennekin."

"Really?" Ash said feeling puzzled.

"Yeah," Serena answered.

Fennekin accepted Froakie's gesture as they were indeed friends. Could it be possible that Froakie and Fennekin could become…a thing. Only time would tell on that part.

"Wow, those Pokémon look awesome," a voice out from the distance said.

Ash and Serena heard the voice, and the person of that voice was coming closer. The person wasn't alone as it was a group of three consisting of two boys and a girl.

One of the boys was big and had black hair spiking upwards, and he was wearing a black shirt with a Vanillite in the middle, orange shorts, and white sneakers while wearing a yellow backpack. Another one of the boys had hair that almost looked like Grace's only it was maple red, and he wore a white shirt with a dark green vest, black pants, and green sneakers while wearing a light green backpack. The girl had swirly light brown hair in ponytails, wearing a pink shirt with black bows, blue shorts, and pink shoes while wearing a white proto bag.

"It's really amazing seeing Pokémon here in Kanto that aren't from Kanto," said the maple red haired boy.

"Wow, thanks," Ash complemented as he looked at Froakie and Fennekin and back to the kids.

"We were actually training for Ash's rematch against Brock, and my upcoming Pokémon Contest," Serena told the trio.

The three kids gasped when they heard that they were challenging the Pewter Gym and the Pewter City Pokémon Contest. Why were they so shocked? It was pretty obvious.

"So, you are a Pokémon trainer, and you are a Pokémon Coordinator?" the big boy asked Ash and Serena.

"Yeah, why did you ask?" Ash questioned.

"Because we're going to be challenging the Pewter City Gym and Pewter City Contest too!" the girl answered.

"Wait, you're going to all face Brock and enter the Pokémon Contest?" Serena questioned feeling a little confused.

The three kids looked a little stunned in the face. Were they really going to both face the gym leader and enter the Pokémon Contest? That sounded pretty crazy.

"Oh no, I'm going to be entering the Pokémon Contest, and the boys here are going to be challenging the Pewter City Gym," the girl answered, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Shauna Florry and I'm a Pokémon Coordinator."

"My name is Trevor Zynn and I plan on being a great Pokémon trainer and completing the Pokedex," said the maple red haired boy introducing himself as Trevor.

"And I'm Tierno Jubalie! I'm bringing the best out of my Pokémon by battling and dancing!" said the big boy introducing himself as Tierno spinning around.

"You call that dancing, this is dancing!" Rotom Dex yelled out.

So Rotom Dex changed its face where the eyes now had sunglasses, and the floating Pokedex started to break dance while playing rocking tunes. Then Rotom Dex started to spin around and ended its dance laying on its side with one of its arms on its head.

"Whoa, you have a dancing robot," Tierno said in shock, "We need to have a dance off!"

"Oh, I'm not a dancing robot, I'm Rotom Dex and I serve as my two masters Pokedex and friends," Rotom Dex said introducing itself and Pikachu coming to its side.

"I guess we need to introduce ourselves too, my name is Ash Ketchum and I'm dreaming of being a Pokémon Master," Ash said introducing himself.

"And my name is Serena Gabena and I'm planning to be an amazing Pokémon Coordinator," Serena said introducing herself.

"Nice to meet you two," Trevor replied as he noticed the two Pokémon again where Froakie was giving Fennekin a back rub, "And who are those two Pokémon? You don't find them in Kanto, they look more like they're found in Kalos."

"Oh yeah, these were our starters. That's my starter Froakie," Ash said pointing to Froakie, "And that's Serena's starter Fennekin."

After seeing Froakie and Fennekin, the three were feeling like a bit confused like why they are traveling in Kanto when they got Kalos starters.

"Those are your starters? Did you guys live in Kalos?" Tierno asked.

"Not really, I used to but then we moved to Pallet Town," Serena answered, "Me and Ash have been neighbors in Pallet Town for three years, and he lived there his whole life."

"Wait, you guys started your Pokémon journey in Pallet Town which is located in Kanto, and you got starter Pokémon from the Kalos Region?" Trevor questioned, "How did you get those?"

"Yeah, we hear that the starters in the Kanto Region are a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. How did you managed to get a Froakie and Fennekin?" Shauna asked.

It was a valid argument that Ash and Serena were able to cover. When the two went to Professor Oak's to get their first Pokémon, Leaf got Bulbasaur, Daisy got Charmander, and Gary got Squirtle, but Ash and Serena under special circumstances got Froakie and Fennekin. Ash and Serena knelt down with Froakie in Ash's arms and Fennekin in Serena's arms, and after Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna sat down, Ash and Serena told their story.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

"Wow, I wish that guy fell down a ditch and die," Trevor said.

"I feel sorry for them, but I'm glad you two are taking care of them," Shauna said wiping a tear.

Then Pikachu went over to Ash and Serena. The yellow mouse didn't get the chance to introduce himself yet to the trio. Their minds were all off of Froakie and Fennekin's awful past and on to Pikachu.

"Oh yeah, we were so memorized on the two Kalos Pokémon that we didn't pay attention to your Pikachu," Tierno said, "So who's Pikachu is this?"

"Actually, it's a pretty funny story. It's both of our Pikachu," Serena answered, "Me and Ash are sharing Pikachu."

Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna were pretty amazed to hear that Ash and Serena were both using Pikachu. Even though Pikachu didn't go in a ball, the electric mouse knew that he needed to be with both Ash and Serena and made sure to stay away from any stray Pokeballs. Besides, he hated Pokeballs even if they had a scent of ketchup.

"You guys both get to use Pikachu?" Trevor asked in amazement.

"Yeah, I was the one who originally befriended Pikachu when we found him at the Pokémon Center. But it looks like he knew Serena was my friend that cared about me, and he wanted to repay the favor by being her Pokémon too," Ash explained.

"That's awesome! It would be great if we had Pokémon that the three of us could share. Then the Pokémon would always break out great dance moves!" Tierno said with excitement.

"Hey, maybe that could happen for you guys one day," said Rotom Dex.

"Nah, we rather stick with the Pokémon we have," Shauna told Rotom Dex, "But it would be amazing."

Everyone gave out a good chuckle of what it could be like if Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna all shared a Pokémon.

* * *

 _ **2 hours later**_

After the meeting, Serena agreed to make lunch for everyone. They would usually go to a restaurant to get some food, but Serena thought it would be a good idea to try and cook herself. This was the first meal that Serena tried to make, and she was making the meal for five. After cooking cheap stuff that could be thawed in a microwave, it was time to actually cook.

Ash and Serena brought all of their Pokémon out so that Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna could meet them all. So, in addition to Froakie, Fennekin, and Pikachu, they also got to meet Ash's Pidgey and Butterfree along with Serena's Beedrill. They got to meet Tierno's, Trevor's, and Shauna's Pokémon, and Rotom Dex was able to gather data on all of the Pokémon.

They spent all the time playing until Serena was done cooking. Serena took her chances of making a bit of a complicated dish. Serena ended up making goulash. Serena served some to Ash along to Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna. Serena was pretty nervous as this was her first attempt in cooking something. She hoped for positive results as everyone dug into the food. After everyone got a taste of Serena's goulash, she waited for a comment. Ash was the first one to say something.

"Serena…you did very well," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Really," Serena happily replied.

"Yeah, this goulash is delicious! I just want to get up and dance to how great this tastes," said Tierno as he got up and started line dancing.

"Oh Tierno, it's so funny that you always love dancing," Shauna said giggling a little bit.

"So, this was your first-time cooking?" Trevor asked Serena.

"Well, this is my first time making goulash, but maybe I jumped the gun a little bit," Serena said, "But other than that, I'm happy you guys like it."

"It's actually pretty good," Shauna said.

"Well done Serena," Trevor replied.

Serena was so happy that they actually liked her cooking, but it was Ash that she was happy about the most. She was going to be traveling with him through all of Kanto and possibly the world, so she knew that she had to get her cooking down. It would be better if Ash knew how to get his cooking down too.

After eating their goulash, Ash got up and started stretching. Ash looked over at the three kids, and their Pokémon who were eating their Pokémon food. Well since they just met, and their Pokémon got in some good playing time, along with getting their bellies filled with food, Ash knew what he had in mind.

"Hey guys, I was wondering. Why don't we all have a battle," Ash suggested.

"What?" Trevor said feeling puzzled.

"You want us to have a Pokémon battle?" Tierno asked.

"Yeah," Ash answered until he looked over to Serena, "Serena, are you up for a battle?"

Serena was feeling happy about her cooking, and now she hears from Ash that he wants them to have a battle with the trio. Serena was feeling confident after the good reviews about her cooking.

"You got it Ash," Serena said raising her fist, "But who do we battle?"

"I can settle that," Rotom Dex responded as he floated towards the five Pokémon trainers, "Since Ash, Trevor, and Tierno are entering Pokémon gyms, I will arrange Ash and Trevor to have a match, and then Ash and Tierno to have a match. Since Serena and Shauna will be entering Pokémon contests, I will have them battle each other."

"That sounds like a plan," Ash said.

"Yeah, good idea," Trevor replied.

"Now I can have a chance to see how my Pokémon are doing," Serena said.

"I can dance to that," Tierno replied.

"I'm in," Shauna said with determination.

"Great! Let's start with the two battles for Ash Ketchum!" Rotom Dex announced.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

Serena, Tierno, and Shauna were on the side with Pikachu while Ash and Trevor were facing each other on opposite sides on the grass. Ash was about to test his skills against Trevor. Rotom Dex's face turned into a screen with Ash and Trevor's faces on there with one empty box under each of them.

"This will be a one on one Pokémon battle between Ash Ketchum and Trevor Zynn! Each will only use one Pokémon. Now send out your Pokémon!" Rotom Dex announced.

"Butterfree I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Butterfree.

"Come on out Meowth!" Trevor yelled out sending out Meowth.

This was going to be Ash's first battle with Butterfree. Butterfree did fight off the killer Beedrill in the Viridian Forest, but he didn't battle against Paul or Brock. Trevor was bringing in a Meowth. This wasn't anything like the talking Meowth Ash and Serena dealt with back in Viridian City and the Viridian Forest. This was going to be quite a battle.

"Alright Butterfree use Gust!" Ash yelled out.

"Meowth, run into it and use Fury Swipes!" Trevor called out.

Butterfree unleashed a gust of wind at Meowth to blow her away, but Meowth kept charging through the wind until she started to repeatedly scratch Butterfree.

"Now use Pay Day!" Trevor shouted.

Meowth attacked by shooting coins out of her charm striking Butterfree. Butterfree was being knocked down, and now Ash needed a way to counter attack.

"Butterfree use Confusion!" Ash called out.

Butterfree engulfed Meowth in a blue aura and started to slam Meowth onto the ground. Meowth was taking hits like crazy from that Confusion attack.

"Now use Stun Spore!" Ash called out.

The Butterfly Pokémon began to use Stun Spore right where Meowth was standing. The Scratch Cat Pokémon couldn't move now, and Meowth was in what appeared to be a hopeless situation.

"Butterfree's good Ash, but my Meowth is much tougher than that," Trevor told Ash, "Meowth use Screech!"

Meowth send out a loud screech which startled Butterfree. Butterfree lost all concentration and now felt like he was feeling his ears bleeding. This was a chance for Meowth to fight back.

"Now Meowth, use Slash!" Trevor exclaimed.

Meowth broke free and was able to move again. Butterfree, who was trying to regain his posture after that Screech, couldn't get all the way back as Meowth went all out with a Slash attack. Butterfree was slammed to the ground and would not get up.

"Butterfree is unable to battle, the winner is Meowth. Which means the winner of this Pokémon battle is Trevor Zynn," Rotom Dex announced as his screen now showed Trevor's face with the word "WINNER" underneath him in red letters.

It was a fun little match Ash had with Trevor, even better than the one with Paul, even though that ended in a tie. Mostly because he was already seeing Trevor along with Tierno and Shauna as good friends.

"Butterfree return," Ash said returning Butterfree, "You did great Butterfree, now take a good rest."

"Meowth return," Trevor said as he brought back Meowth, "Nice work Meowth."

"Alright Ash, Trevor had his turn and now I'm going to have mine," Tierno said as he spun around, "Let's dance!"

"I'm ready for round two," Ash told Tierno.

Now Trevor was with Serena and Shauna while Tierno took Trevor's place. Ash put Butterfree's Pokeball away and got out his blue Pokeball which contained Froakie.

"This will be a one on one Pokémon battle between Ash Ketchum and Tierno Jubalie! One Pokémon each!" Rotom Dex announced as the screen now showed Ash and Tierno's faces with one blank box underneath.

"Froakie I choose you!" Ash yelled out bringing out Froakie and having the empty box underneath Ash's face show a Froakie.

"Time to dance Mankey!" Tierno shouted sending out a white hairy pig creature with arms, legs, and a long tail.

Tierno sent out a Mankey and Mankey's picture appeared underneath Tierno. Rotom Dex already scanned Mankey but recalled the data just to be safe.

 _#056-Mankey: Pig Monkey Pokémon_

 _If one gets angry, all the others around it will get angry, so silence is a rare visitor in a troop of Mankey._

Mankey was definitely dancing as Tierno seems to be teaching all of his Pokémon to do. Froakie was ready for another battle after losing to Brock's Onix. He wanted to do everything he could to make Ash happy.

"Are you ready Froakie," Ash told his Froakie.

"Froakie!" Froakie answered giving a thumbs up.

"Alright Mankey, now dance your way towards Froakie!" Tierno yelled out.

Mankey began to dance by sliding his feet and shuffling his way towards the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Mankey began to shake his arms and kick to the beat even though there wasn't any music. Serena was getting pretty confused and so was Pikachu. Was Mankey trying to lure Ash into something or did Tierno really have something up his sleeve.

"I don't know what you're doing, but I'm not falling for it," Ash told Tierno, "Froakie use Bubble!"

Froakie unleashed bubbles from his mouth, but Mankey kept dodging all of them with his dance moves. Mankey was acting like a street performer getting away from all of those bubbles.

"Low Kick!" Tierno retorted.

Mankey then spun around and hit Froakie with a Low Kick like he was listening to a boom box spinning around. Then Mankey danced his way back to Froakie.

"Do the Karate Chop monkee!" Tierno yelled out.

Mankey was doing the monkee on Froakie while using Karate Chop at the same time. Mankey was really pounding Froakie with not just great moves for battle, but for the dance floor too.

"Scratch to the jive!" Tierno told Mankey.

Mankey then scratched Froakie and then did the jive. Boy did Tierno know how to teach his Pokémon to dance. Froakie was in a big pickle.

"Froakie are you alright!" Ash yelled out to Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Hah, come on Ash, you can't grove to the beat," Tierno said as he started dancing as well.

"We'll see about that," Ash said with a smirk, "Froakie use Double Team!"

Froakie began to make copies of himself while Mankey was trying to dance attack Froakie again. It looks like Ash was able to teach Froakie Double Team. This time Mankey kept hitting illusions of Froakie, and then it was time for Ash to strike.

"Froakie learned Double Team," Serena said praising Ash.

"Now Froakie, use Water Pulse!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie sent out a wave of water at Mankey from behind as the Double Team was a distraction to hit Mankey with Water Pulse.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

Froakie then charged at Mankey and hit him with a Quick Attack. Sorry to say this, but Mankey wasn't going to dance his way out of this one. The Pig Monkey Pokémon's dance number has concluded as Mankey went down and Froakie came out on top.

"Mankey is unable to battle, the winner is Froakie. Which means the winner of this Pokémon battle is Ash Ketchum," Rotom Dex announced as his screen now showed Ash's face with the word "WINNER" underneath him in red letters.

"Way to go Froakie!" Ash exclaimed to Froakie.

"Froakie!" Froakie exclaimed.

"Good job Mankey," Tierno said calling back Mankey, "You keep on dancing."

"Wow, Tierno really knew how to get his Mankey to dance," Serena said.

"Yeah, he's a natural in not only trying to create the best fighting team, but also the best Pokémon dancing team," Shauna explained, "And I got to say that Froakie did pretty well."

"He did, Froakie took some hard loses along the way, but it looks like he grew from them, and so did Ash," Serena told Shauna, "Shauna, I can't wait until we have our battle. I want to see what I might expect from you in the Pewter City contest."

"Okay but let me warn you about something. The Pokémon I will be using in our battle will be my preliminary round Pokémon. I have another Pokémon for the contest battles," Shauna explained to Serena.

Serena then looked at her red Pokeball which contained her Fennekin. It was clear why Shauna was using her preliminary round Pokémon in the battle, she didn't want Serena to know her Pokémon's moves if they should meet for a contest battle. If the two trainers knew what their Pokémon were going to do, it could make the outcome of the possible contest battle predictable. So, with that being said, Serena looked at her red Pokeball and knew what she was going to do.

"Alright Shauna, and I will use Fennekin in our battle," Serena told Shauna, "But Fennekin will be my preliminary round Pokémon, so that way if we meet for a contest battle, you get to see a different Pokémon."

"That sounds like a plan," Shauna happily said as the two girls shook hands, "Good luck Serena."

"You too Shauna," Serena replied.

With that being said, Ash and Tierno went to the side with Trevor and Pikachu. Serena was now on one side while Shauna was on the other side. Now they were going to see a mock contest battle between two Pokémon Coordinators. While Rotom Dex adjusted his screen, it was now different. It showed Serena and Shauna's faces, but instead of empty boxes, there were the number 100 underneath each of their faces with a clock in the middle set for 5 minutes.

"This will be a mock contest battle between Serena Gabena and Shauna Florry. There will be 5 minutes on the clock, and the winner will be determined by if you have the most points or if your opponent's points are down to zero or you knock the Pokémon out! BEGIN!" Rotom Dex announced as the timer was now activated.

"Go Fennekin!" Serena yelled out sending out Fennekin.

"Go Vulpix!" Shauna yelled out sending out a red fox with adorable black eyes and six tails.

The Pokémon that Shauna sent out was a Vulpix, and Rotom Dex interrupted the battle quickly to recap the information on Vulpix.

 _#037-Vulpix: Fox Pokémon_

 _Its beautiful tails have made it very popular. However, if it's not brushed diligently, it will be a mass of tangles before you know it._

Rotom Dex then quickly resumed the battle. This was going to be a good test for Serena as she now was going to have a mock contest battle. Even though it wasn't an official contest battle, it was going to be a good test for Serena when she enters contest battles in Pokémon Contests.

"Vulpix use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Shauna yelled out.

Vulpix opened her eyes and showed off the cuteness of her eyes which got Fennekin looking at Vulpix with shock and awe.

"Now use Fire Spin!" Shauna commanded.

Vulpix unleashed a Fire Spin attack at Fennekin. Fennekin was still looking at Vulpix like it was the cutest thing in the world.

"Fennekin, snap out of it, and jump into that Fire Spin with a Flame Charge!" Serena yelled out to Fennekin.

Fennekin got her focus back and jumped into the fiery vortex. Things weren't good during the training session with Froakie but proved to be better as Fennekin got a perfect dive through the middle with Flame Charge. Maybe it was because Fennekin was engulfed in flames a little bit.

Fennekin charged at Vulpix and then slammed into the Fox Pokémon knocking her back and taking points from Shauna.

"Now use Psybeam!" Serena yelled out.

Fennekin unleashed a Psybeam attack at Vulpix which took off more points from Shauna. Shauna had to make a move and quick.

"Vulpix use Payback!" Shauna retorted.

Vulpix delivered a powerful payback blow to Fennekin which hurt Fennekin a lot and took out a lot of points for Serena. It was clear that the two fire Pokémon were well matched up.

"Hang in there Fennekin, use Fire Spin!" Serena yelled out.

Fennekin unleashed a Fire Spin attack at Vulpix, but Shauna caught on to Serena's motive from when Vulpix used Fire Spin. Only thing was that Vulpix didn't know Flame Charge, but she had another idea.

"Vulpix, jump into the flame with Quick Attack!" Shauna told Vulpix.

Vulpix dove into the Fire Spin attack dead on in the middle and struck Fennekin without being burned by Fennekin's flame. Serena couldn't believe it as she lost more points, Vulpix was able to jump into a Fire Spin with Quick Attack, and not be hurt. Then again, Serena was trying to get Fennekin to do that with her own Fire Spin.

"Fennekin use Psybeam again!" Serena exclaimed.

"Vulpix use Flamethrower!" Shauna exclaimed.

Fennekin unleashed a dazzling beautiful Psybeam while Vulpix brought out a beautiful Flamethrower. The two attacks crossed through each other somehow and struck both of the Pokémon. The attacks were beautifully demonstrated and after the smoke cleared from the explosions, both Fennekin and Vulpix were down.

"Fennekin and Vulpix both cannot continue, this battle is a draw!" Rotom Dex announced as both Serena and Shauna's faces had a red X through them.

For Serena it was a pretty good battle. She got a good taste of what its like to be in a contest battle, and also got a good look at Shauna. Even though Serena wasn't going to be facing her Vulpix in a contest battle, she can't help but credit how good both Shauna and Vulpix did.

"You did a great job Fennekin," Serena said patting Fennekin on the back.

"Fennekin," Fennekin replied.

"Nicely done Vulpix," Shauna told Vulpix as she patted Vulpix on the back, "Serena, that was a fun battle."

"I agree with you Shauna, you and Vulpix did pretty well," Serena complemented.

"Why thank you, and I can't help but say the same to you and Fennekin," Shauna replied.

"I have to say that we all showed some strong points in our battling skills and contest skills today," Trevor said.

"Yeah, I agree with you Trevor," Ash replied, "Now I'm looking forward to my rematch at the Pewter Gym, and Serena is looking forward to her upcoming contest."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

It was a great day for all five Pokémon trainers. Ash and Serena have made new friends and greatly improved from when they started their journey and got to test out their abilities against other trainers too.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pokémon Center**_

It was now evening in Pewter City, and everyone decided to call it a day. Ash and Serena along with Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna took their Pokémon to the Pokémon Center to rest up after some nice training and great battles. Ash and Serena can definitely say that they gained some new rivals today in Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna.

The Pokémon Contest was in a few days, and Ash clearly decided to wait until after the contest to challenge the gym. Serena even got a chance to tell her new friends about the goulash she made, and that she learned a bit about cooking from Brock. Everyone was amazed from what they heard from Serena, and the day was only getting better. Well it did for Serena, she ended up getting a gift.

"So, who sent you the gift?" Tierno asked?

"It's from my moms," Serena said looking at the package.

"Your moms," Shauna replied.

"Yeah, Serena has two moms," Ash told Shauna.

"Wow, that's amazing," Shauna said in amazement, "I wonder what your moms sent you?"

"Well lets see," Serena responded as she opened the gift.

Serena opened the package and she saw something that absolutely amazed her. It was a pink dress with a tint of red and had two white shoulder straps with a red bow that would be around her chest area. There also were a pair of fancy red flats with gold circles on them, black pantyhose, white gloves with pink bows around the wrist parts, a black choker with a gold circle, and a shiny black ribbon with a pink bow.

It was the outfit that Serena was going to wear in her Pokémon Contests. She immediately went over to the video phone to give her moms a call.

"You all want to meet my moms?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, I would love to meet your two moms," Trevor answered.

"Me too!" Tierno exclaimed.

"Same here," Shauna replied.

Serena went over to the video phone with Ash, Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, and Rotom Dex. Serena dialed her home phone number and picking up the phone was none other than Grace. Grace saw her face and was happy to see her.

"Serena!" Grace happily exclaimed.

"Hi mom," Serena replied, "I got your package, and the dress looks amazing."

Serena held up the dress in front of Grace and then in a matter of seconds, her second mother Jade appeared in the video.

"I see you got the dress, do you like it?" Jade asked.

"I sure do," Serena said and then smiled.

"Well in case you're wondering, it was Ash's mom who actually made the dress. We took the time to watch her make the dress just in case we want to one day make a dress for you," Grace explained.

"Ash's mom made this?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, she's a great sewer and we hope one day we can make you something," Jade explained.

"That's amazing, tell his mom that I said thank you," Serena told her moms.

"We will," Grace and Jade said in union.

Afterwards, Ash, Rotom Dex, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna all came towards the screen. The Gabena moms could now see all of her daughter's friends. Everyone was so happy to meet Serena's moms.

"Well, we'll, it seems you and Ash are making some friends I see," Jade said giving out a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, we actually just met them today," Serena told Jade as she gestured Shauna to come on over, "Moms, I want you to meet Shauna Florry. She's going to be entering the Pewter City Pokémon Contest."

"It's so awesome to meet you, and let me just say that it's awesome to know someone that has two moms!" Shauna exclaimed.

Serena was very happy that Shauna thought it was awesome that she had a lesbian couple as her parents. Serena sometimes was worried that people think it would be weird, but Ash thought it was cool, and so did Leaf and the Oak twins, and now even Shauna thought it was amazing.

"Well that's great to hear, and who are the other two?" Grace asked.

"Oh right, mom this is Tierno Jubalie and Trevor Zynn. They're going to enter the Pokémon League like Ash," Serena told her moms as the two boys approached the screen.

"Hello Serena's moms," said Tierno, "Not only am I trying to get into the Pokémon League, I'm also teaching my Pokémon to be the best dancers."

"And I'm working on completing the Pokedex," Trevor responded.

"Just like their friend Leaf," Grace whispered to Jade until she turned her attention back to Serena, "Well Serena, I'm glad you're making some friends along your travels. Me and your mom will be watching you on TV. Remember, go for broke!"

"I will, thanks mom, and I love you," Serena told her moms.

"We love you too," Grace and Jade said in union.

The screen turned black and Serena smiled back at her friends. Serena was happy to know that her new friends were pretty fond of her having two moms, and that her moms were happy that she was making new friends too. Ash, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna were all feeling pretty good right now, especially since the two girls were going to be competitors.

"Well Shauna, it looks like we're going to be true rivals tomorrow, and I'm going to beat you," Serena said with determination.

"Not unless I beat you," Shauna replied back.

Serena and Shauna were looking forward to their upcoming contest, but they knew that only one of them was going to come out on top. Ash was really looking forward to watching Serena, and then his rematch with Brock. Serena was a little nervous, but she wasn't going to let anything get in her way.

* * *

 **So we have been introduced to Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna. Tierno and Trevor will be Ash's rivals while Shauna stands out as Serena's rival. The two will finally have their go in the next chapter in the Pokémon Contest.**

 **Stay tuned for Serena's second Pokémon Contest in the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 11: The Pewter City Contest**


	11. The Pewter City Pokemon Contest

**And now here it is, the Pewter City Pokémon Contest. While Serena's first contest was just to have a little fun with Ash, this is the first contest where she will try to be serious. With that, please enjoy, and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pokémon Center**_

It was the morning of the Pewter City Pokémon Contest where Serena truly would begin her career as a Pokémon Coordinator. She was already up and full of energy as she looked at her dress on the bed. That was going to be the dress she wore when she took the stage.

"Do you see that Fennekin, that's going to be the pretty dress I'm going to wear when we enter the Pokémon Contest," Serena told Fennekin who was by her side.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily said.

"It is cute Fennekin," Serena replied.

As Serena looked at her dress on her bed, Rotom Dex floated over towards Serena who saw the dress, and it was amazed.

"Analyzing dress, and it's one-hundred percent beautiful," Rotom Dex complemented.

"Aw, why thank you Rotom Dex," Serena happily responded.

"You're welcome," Rotom Dex replied with a bow, "You will look beautiful on stage, but it doesn't guarantee you a win. You and your Pokémon must earn the win."

"You got that right," Serena said until she turned to Fennekin, "Now remember Fennekin, I'm only going to use you in the opening round and if I advance, I will put the rest up to Beedrill. You understand?"

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily answered.

"Great, together, you, me, and Beedrill should win this contest," Serena joyfully responded.

After Serena put her dress away, she stepped out into the Pokémon Center lobby where she saw Ash and Pikachu. Also, out in the Pokémon lobby where Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna who was going to be an eventual opponent for Serena.

"So, are you ready for your Pokémon Contest?" Ash asked with enthusiasm.

"You bet I am, and I'm going to win," Serena said with a fist pump.

"Not unless I beat you," Shauna told Serena with her hands on her hips.

Serena and Shauna were definitely looking like fierce competitors when they were about to enter the contest. Then Rotom Dex floated over to Serena and Shauna.

"Remember Serena and Shauna, I calculated the chances of winning a Pokémon Contest adding the number of coordinators and you both have a 3.33% chance of claiming a contest ribbon today," Rotom Dex explained, "Also the contest is going to be at noon, and Serena's moms will be watching."

"Thanks for the update Rotom Dex, but that number is a probability, and it won't change how I do," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"So, Ash who are you going to be rooting for," Shauna asked.

"Isn't it obvious, I'm going to root for Serena," Ash told Shauna, "And Tierno and Trevor, I take it you two will be rooting for Shauna."

"Absolutely, she'll tear up the stage like how I get my Pokémon to tear up a dance floor," Tierno said with a thumbs up.

"And I think with the practice she had with her Pokémon and studying what they can do, I believe she has a shot," Trevor said.

"Alright, may the best coordinator win," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

Grace and Jade were getting ready to watch their daughter compete in the Pewter City Pokémon Contest. They got some orderves to snack on, and they also got the TV on.

"Are we on the right channel?" Grace asked.

"It's on channel 196 at noon," Jade replied as she was looking at the TV schedule for when the contest was going to air, "Let me get us to the right channel."

Then the doorbell rang. Grace heard the doorbell and went over to answer it. At the door was Delia Ketchum.

"Delia," Grace responded happily.

"Hello Grace," Delia replied as she looked over to Jade who was working the remote, "And hello Jade."

"Come on in, we're about to get ready to watch Serena's contest," Grace told Delia.

Delia stepped in and Grace closed the door. Delia sat on the couch with Jade who just got the TV on the right channel. Upon this being Grace and Jade's child, sometimes Delia thinks of Serena as her own child knowing how close she has been with Ash over the years.

It really warmed their hearts that their kids are traveling together, and maybe becoming more than just friends. Grace and Jade were really happy that Serena was starting to make some friends outside of Ash, Leaf, Daisy, and Gary like Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna along with her Pokémon, especially Fennekin.

"Serena wanted to say thank you for the dress," said Jade, "She absolutely loves it."

"Oh, why thank you. It's the least I can do for her," Delia replied with her hand over her heart, "I'm really glad she and Ash are good friends."

Grace and Jade both started to give a little smirk to Delia. It was coming to their thoughts that Delia hasn't been seeing how Serena acts around Ash. Heck, there's times Delia doesn't see how Ash acts around Serena.

"Good friends, you don't see the big picture, do you?" Jade asked.

"Big picture?" Delia questioned.

"You know, the way Serena tends to sometimes blush around Ash. Ash doesn't realize that Serena has a crush on her," Grace explained to Delia.

When Delia heard that, it made clear sense. Serena always seems kind and happy anytime she is near Ash. Ash does feel the same way around Serena that did at sometimes catch Delia's attention, but it made clear sense now.

"I think I'm understanding that right now," Delia told the two ladies, "You know my son seems to like Serena as much as Ash does."

"He does?" Grace and Jade questioned.

"Yeah, I don't think I told you this, but my son secretly has a crush on her, or possibly deep feelings of love," Delia confessed.

"Wait, your son secretly loves our daughter?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, but Serena never quite knew that. I think this Pokémon journey might allow them to get closer and maybe…confess their feelings for each other," Delia said.

Delia made a good point. Grace and Jade knew how close Serena was to Ash, and Delia knew the same thing. The lesbian couple started to wonder, did their daughter somehow secretly had feelings for Ash too?

It would make Grace and Jade happy if Ash ended up as her boyfriend. They're already going to take a lap around Kanto together, they will get to raise their Pokémon together, and they will get to watch each other's battles and contests. This journey was definitely a good way for their kids to get closer. After all, the Gabenas did see Ash as a son to them.

"It would be great if our kids hooked up," Jade told Delia, "Nothing would make me happier than Serena having someone to love her."

Delia put a hand on Jade's shoulder, and she gave Jade a reassuring look. Delia wouldn't want it any other way.

"It would make me proud too, but do you know what would make you and Grace even more happy," said Delia.

"What's that?" Jade asked.

"Seeing your daughter win the Pewter City Pokémon Contest!" Delia cheered.

Hearing that caught Jade's attention. Despite talking about their kids possibly having feelings for each other, they remembered that they were in the house to watch Serena's contest on TV.

"Thanks for reminding us about that, we'll cheer Serena on," Grace commented.

And with that, the three women were now seated on the couch with their snacks to watch Serena take part in her first Pokémon Contest. Technically it was the second, but first one they were going to be watching.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

Serena and Shauna finished signing up for the contest, and Serena registered Fennekin as her appeal round Pokémon and Beedrill has her contest battle Pokémon. Shauna was going to be using Vulpix in the opening round, but they didn't know yet who her other Pokémon was going to be for contest battles. Was it going to still be Vulpix, or was it another Pokémon?

"Are you all set you two?" Ash asked.

"Definitely," Serena answered.

"You know yet," Shauna replied.

Then a set of footsteps were approaching the registration desk. Ash, Serena, Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno all turned around to see it was none other than Brock. The Pewter City gym leader was in the contest hall. What was he doing? Was he supposed to be working at the restaurant or running the Pewter Gym.

"Brock," Ash gasped which caught Brock's attention.

"Hey there, I thought I'd come by to watch today's Pokémon Contest," Brock said.

"But what about the Pokémon Gym?" Serena asked.

"I closed it for today, so I can relax. I might be working a lot to get an education in Pokémon medicine, but I still have to have time to myself," Brock explained.

Tierno and Trevor all stood there with their mouths wide opened. They were actually looking at the Pewter City gym leader.

"Pokémon Gym does that mean you're the Pewter City gym leader?" Trevor questioned.

"Yes, I am, the name is Brock by the way," Brock said introducing himself.

"Why hello there Brock, my name is Tierno Jubalie and that boy you were talking to is my good friend Trevor Zynn," Tierno said introducing himself and Trevor, "We were in hopes of challenging your gym sometime, so we could get a badge from you."

"Yeah, what he said," Trevor stated, "But that's for another day. Today me and Tierno are going to be rooting for our friend who's entering this Pokémon contest."

"That's great, and who's your friend?" Brock asked.

"Right here," Shauna answered as she and Serena stepped in.

Brock recognized Serena from the other day as Ash's traveling companion and cheering him on in the Pewter Gym. Shauna, well this was his first time seeing her.

"My name is Shauna Florry, and I'm going to be competing in the Pokémon Contest today," Shauna told Brock.

"Alright Shauna, I wish you the best of luck," Brock told Shauna until he turned to Serena, "And you too Serena. Get out there and put on a show."

"We will!" Serena and Shauna both said in union.

Serena and Shauna both walked off as it was time for them to get ready. That left Ash alone with Brock, Tierno, Trevor, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex. While they were ready to watch the girls compete, they needed to get seats.

"Hey guys, shouldn't we be looking for our seats," Brock assured.

"Brock is right, we need to find a good place to watch Serena," Rotom Dex said, "And Shauna too."

With that the group went to go get snacks and find themselves good seats for the contest. Maybe the three can learn something before their upcoming battle with Brock.

* * *

 _ **Noon**_

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Pewter City Pokémon Contest!" Lillian announced, "Today we got thirty wonderful coordinators going to show off their majestic beauty to all of you people in the audience, and the people watching at home!"

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Residence**_

Delia, Grace, and Jade were all sitting on the couch watching the contest on TV with the Gabena's pet Rhyhorn sleeping outside. Grace and Jade were so excited to see their daughter on TV while Delia was pleased at the most. Maybe she would find her son in the audience.

"Alright everyone, even though we aren't there in person, let's cheer for Serena," Grace told the ladies.

"You know we will Grace," Delia happily replied.

"The winner of today's Pokémon Contest will be going home with this!" Lillian announced on the TV holding a ribbon in her hands, "This is the Pewter City Contest Ribbon, and all Pokémon Coordinators need five to enter the Kanto Grand Festival!"

They could hear the cheering on TV, and then a knock came from the front door. Jade ended up being the one getting up and answering the door. When Jade answered the door, it was none other than Rose Green, the mother of Leaf.

"Hello there Jade, what's happening?" Rose asked.

"Oh, hi Rose. Me, my wife, and Delia were about to watch the Pewter City Pokémon Contest. Serena is going to be in this contest," Jade told Rose, "Want to join?"

"Sure, not a problem," Rose answered.

Rose came in and joined Delia and Grace on the couch. Jade sat back down, and Rose looked like she had a weird looking face. She's happy that they're watching their daughter in the Pokémon Contest, but what are they doing in their free time?

"So, when does Serena come up?" Rose asked.

"We're not sure," Grace answered, "There are thirty coordinators in a Pokémon Contest, and we don't know which entry number she is."

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

Ash, Brock, Tierno, and Trevor were all sitting in their seats. They were near the front row, so they could get a closer look at their friends. Pikachu was on Ash's lap with Rotom Dex just floating in the air.

"So, Brock, what brings you to a Pokémon Contest?" Trevor asked, "I know you're taking time to yourself, but why come to a Pokémon Contest?"

"I want to be able to learn some things from coordinators on how good their Pokémon conditions are, and how they battle so I can use them in my gym battles and pass them on to my brother when he takes over," Brock answered.

"You're studying Pokémon?" Trevor questioned.

"Yeah, you see Brock is planning on being a Pokémon doctor. He actually has two jobs, so he can make money to get into Pokémon Medicine School," Ash explained, "I believe looking at how the Pokémon battle will help him gain knowledge that he can give to his brother. Hell, I could even gain some of that too."

"Two jobs, wow what is your other job?" Tierno asked, "I hope it's dance instructor because I want to learn some dance moves from you."

"No, I'm actually the cook at a restaurant part-time," Brock answered.

"It's true, me and Serena went there the morning of my gym battle that I eventually lost, and the food was amazing," Ash explained, "Serena even wanted to take some pointers on how to cook from him which will come in handy for our journey."

Meanwhile in the waiting room, Serena had on her outfit that Delia made for her and she had to admit she looked rather elegant. Then Serena turned over and saw Shauna who was also dressed. Shauna was wearing a pink dress with a black bow on the neck portion and white sleeves and a black bow around her waist, along with white gloves with black rims and pink boots.

"I have to say Shauna, you look amazing in that outfit," Serena complemented.

"Why thank you, and you look the same," Shauna complemented back.

"Thanks," Serena said with a smile, "Now remember to give it your all."

"You got it," Shauna replied with determination.

Serena was stoked for her contest. She had Ash watching in the stands, and Tierno and Trevor were there to cheer on Shauna. Sure, Shauna may be her new friend, but that doesn't mean they will go easy on each other.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Residence**_

The four ladies were watching various contest appeals one by one. All of them seemed to amaze the ladies, but one person who wasn't completely thrilled was Rose. She was wondering to herself why would they watch all of these appeals when they need to be only watching their daughter.

"This is boring," Rose replied.

"Boring?" Jade questioned, "You think watching this Pokémon Contest on TV where our daughter will be competing in is boring?"

"No, I don't mean to say watching your daughter is boring, but the fact that we have to watch all of these coordinators that isn't your daughter," Rose answered trying to clear the air.

"Listen, if our child takes interest in something, then it's best we try to give her support by watching the whole thing, and not just her. That way it can show we support her, and we can think about the competition Serena could be going up against," Grace explained.

"That's right, do you think it's a good idea that I sit down and only watch Pokémon battles that only Ash will be in?" Delia questioned.

"I'm not trying to talk you ladies down, and I didn't quite understand," Rose explained, "It's just life has been pretty dull since the kids left. I'm sorry if I said anything wrong."

"It's okay to have your own opinions Rose," said Delia, "Just make sure you respect our opinions too."

"I will," Rose said smiling.

Delia, Grace, and Jade all forgave Rose for what she said. Rose was right on one thing though, life was boring since the kids began their Pokémon journey. What were they supposed to do just sit there and clean the house and watch TV?

"Let's keep watching, even though I will be bored," Rose said.

"It's okay if you're bored Rose," Jade said until she heard Lillian on the TV, "Everyone, Serena is up!"

"Okay, now it's interesting," Rose replied.

Delia, Grace, Jade, and Rose all gathered close to the TV where they saw Serena taking the stage. Grace and Jade couldn't have been happier seeing the dress Serena was in. Sure, it was Delia who sowed the dress, but she did it for the Gabena's favorite and only daughter.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

Serena was now taking center stage. She was feeling a little nervous, because the first contest was just to have fun and learn a little about Fennekin. Now Serena was entering what appeared to be her first serious contest. What really started to boost her confidence was seeing Ash in the stands. If there was anyone who was going to support her, it was Ash.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I give you Fennekin!" Serena announced to the crowd as she threw her red Pokeball in the air releasing Fennekin.

Fennekin jumped out and did a couple of front flips before landing on her feet perfectly. It looked like Serena practiced Fennekin's entrance pretty well, but now the thing that was more important was her appeal.

"Fennekin use Fire Spin in the air!" Serena called out.

Fennekin sent out a Fire Spin that created somewhat of a fiery tornado. The Fire Spin was well controlled, and it looked majestic.

"Now use Psybeam on that Fire Spin!" Serena called out.

Fennekin sent out a Psybeam into the Fire Spin which now gave the fire some aurora colors. This amazed the crowd.

"Amazing, Fennekin has created a beautiful aurora fire tornado which is both hot and colorful. What else could Serena have in store for Fennekin!" Lillian announced.

"Now jump up with Flame Charge and spin!" Serena called out.

Fennekin jumped into the fiery aurora tornado with a Flame Charge while spinning. Thanks to the Psybeam making the fire more transparent, everyone was able to see Fennekin gracefully spinning in the fire cyclone.

"And pose!" Serena called out.

Fennekin spread her arms and legs out blasting the fire cyclone into colorful fiery bits. Fennekin landed perfectly on the ground and the fiery bits were fading quickly while giving a dazzle.

"What an amazing performance by Serena's Fennekin, that had to be hot! Let's see what the judges think," Lillian said as the scores revealed an 8.5, and 8.2, and an 8.6 giving Serena a 25.3

"A 25.3! Not a bad performance from Serena and Fennekin!" Lillian announced as she got a big round of applause.

"25.3, that seems alright," Ash sternly said, "But in my book, I say Serena and Fennekin did quite well."

"They did Ash, let's see if it's good enough," said Trevor.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

The two mothers of Serena and Delia were giving a big round of applause from the comfort of their own home after seeing Serena's appeal.

"Way to go Serena!" Jade cheered standing from the couch.

After all of the moms finished cheering, Rose just sat there looking bored again. I mean what were they supposed to do now that Serena was up.

"So now what?" Rose questioned.

"We'll see if she makes the top eight which allows her to advance to the next round," Grace answered.

"So now we have to watch all of these coordinators while your daughter was already up?" Rose asked.

"Um yeah," Grace answered.

"That's boring," Rose replied, "Why watch when your kids were already up."

"Rose, they need to also see what competition Serena is dealing with, and if she will make it to the next round," Delia explained.

"Okay," Rose grunted.

Rose was feeling pretty bored. It kind of feels like the ladies are not out there living life to the fullest. Sitting with nothing to do except keep the house clean, it felt like a waste of time for Rose. She was starting to clear her head and get ideas of what to do.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

Many more coordinators took the stage dazzling the crowd with their Pokémon. The highest score was a coordinator who got a 29.7 which was a near perfect score. Then the last coordinator of the day came up who happened to be none other than Shauna.

"Hey guys, Shauna's up!" Trevor announced to the group.

"Break a leg Shauna!" Tierno yelled out.

Ash and Brock smiled as they were about to see Shauna take the stage. Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all hoped that Shauna didn't outshine Serena as they wanted her to win the whole thing.

Shauna was standing on the stage with a big smile on her face. She looked very confident on how she was going to do.

"Alright Vulpix, spotlight!" Shauna shouted sending out Vulpix.

Vulpix jumped out of her Pokeball landing on her feet gracefully. The crowd was amazed by how beautiful Vulpix was. It was indeed both a cute and beautiful Pokémon.

"Wow, Vulpix looks amazing," said Trevor.

"Yeah, I can see how amazing that Vulpix is," Brock said as he was caught in his own thoughts now, "I wonder where I can get a Vulpix like that?"

"Alright Vulpix, use Will-o-Wisp!" Shauna called out.

Vulpix unleashed a flurry of spooky flames around, and they all remained about five feet from Vulpix. The flames circled around Vulpix until Shauna made the next call.

"Now use Extrasensory on those flames!" Shauna yelled out.

Vulpix began to use Extrasensory to get the flames together and form one big Will-o-Wisp. The flame was now pretty much nearly the size of Shauna, and it began to hover over Vulpix. With one more command, Vulpix was ready to deliver.

"Now Flame Burst!" Shauna exclaimed.

Vulpix blasted out her Flame Burst at the giant Will-o-Wisp and it sent a beautiful yet paranormal wave of fire out, but it wasn't in the way of anything or effective to burn anyone. Vulpix gave a bow and the crowd gave out a round a huge applause. Vulpix wasn't just cute, but the Fox Pokémon knew what she could bring to the stage.

"What a fantastic job by Shauna and Vulpix! Vulpix really fired up the crowd with those spectacular flames!" Lillian announced, "Let's see what the judges think!"

Shauna received a 9.0, an 8.9, and a 9.1 resulting in an amazing 27.0. That was one hell of a good score for Shauna.

"A flat out 27.0! Once again, what a great performance by Shauna and Vulpix!" Lillian announced as the crowd roared with applause.

Serena was amazed at Shauna's performance, and so were Ash and Brock. Tierno and Trevor probably weren't completely surprised because they have seen Shauna practice from time to time.

"Wow, Shauna was amazing," Ash muttered.

"Indeed, seeing how Vulpix combined her Will-o-Wisp with Extrasensory had to have taken a lot of skill," Brock stated.

"I just hope Serena can get into the next round," Ash said.

"Don't worry Ash, I believe she will," Rotom Dex told Ash.

Back in the waiting room, all of the coordinators who participated in the contest were waiting to see who was moving on. Shauna just met with Serena as they were going to talk about their performances.

"You were great Shauna," Serena complemented, "Vulpix was just amazing."

"Thanks, I can't help but say the same for your Fennekin," Shauna replied.

The two were very happy for each other's performance, and then the TV turned back on to show Lillian. They were about to find out who was going to be moving on.

"Alright everyone, that concludes our opening round! Now lets see the eight coordinators who will be advancing to the second round!" Lillian announced.

A giant screen showed up that was going to reveal who was advancing to the second round. The first coordinator on the top left was a man who happened to have the highest score among all coordinators, the second was none other than Shauna who appeared to the right of the first coordinator, then two more pictures appeared showing a girl and a woman who had the 3rd and 4th highest scores. Then starting from the lower left ranking with the fifth highest score was a boy and appearing to the left was a man and a woman with the 6th and 7th highest scores, and the final coordinator who took the number eight slot was…Serena!

"Awesome, Serena made it to the second round!" Ash exclaimed cheering.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"Way to go Shauna, now rock that stage like how I rock a dance floor!" Tierno shouted.

"Go get'em Shauna!" Trevor shouted.

"Well, according to my calculations, Serena's chances of winning the Pewter City Pokémon Contest have gone up from 3.33% to 12.5%." Rotom Dex explained doing calculations, "However the same has gone for Shauna as well."

The group didn't really care about those calculations Rotom Dex made. Right now, the best thing to do was sit back and watch to see how the rest of the contest was going to go.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

"My baby made it to the next round!" Grace said clasping her hands.

"Your little girl has done pretty well," Delia told Grace.

"Now lets see her win this whole thing," Jade said.

The ladies were now getting ready to watch the battle portion of the Pokémon Contest, and Rose just sat there glazing at the TV. She was happy for Serena, but for some reason she wasn't happy for the ladies just sitting there with nothing to do unless a competition with their child in it appeared.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, we will now set up the matchups of who will be competing in round two!" Lillian announced on the TV.

The eight pictures were being shuffled around and all of the battles were now set in the form of a tournament. Meaning the coordinators must win three contest battles to win the Pokémon Contest. Serena's picture appeared for what appears to be the second match of round two, however it was against none other than.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

"Shauna! I'm facing Shauna in my first contest battle!" Serena cried in shock.

Shauna was pretty surprised too. True they probably were going to have to face each other at some point in the contest, but they weren't expecting it to be in the second round. Maybe the finals, but not in round two.

"Well, this is going to be interesting," Shauna said.

Meanwhile in the stands, Ash was shocked that Serena was going to face Shauna in her first official contest battle. Tierno and Trevor were shocked too.

"Well guys, it looks like we'll have to be cheering on different sides," Ash said to Tierno and Trevor.

Tierno and Trevor nodded their heads in agreement. Brock was sitting there looking at the three boys who knew that this was coming up.

"Cheer up you guys, they both did really well," Brock said, "And I'm sure they will give it their all in this contest battle."

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

"We now move on to the contest battles! Two coordinators will battle each other trying to lower each other points with dazzling techniques. They will have five minutes and the coordinator with the most points at the end of the match wins. However, the match will end early if either one of coordinator's points hit zero or their Pokémon is defeated, and that coordinator is out," Lillian explained to the crowd.

After five minutes and watching the first contest battle go in the books, it was time for Serena and Shauna to face each other. Sure, Serena and Shauna battled each other the other day with Fennekin and Vulpix, but those were going to be their appeal Pokémon. Now Serena and Shauna were planning to use different Pokémon in the contest battles. Since Pikachu was in the stands, it was clear that Serena's Pokémon of choice was likely going to be Beedrill. One question remains, who was going to be Shauna's Pokémon.

Serena and Shauna both approached the stage and shook hands wishing each other the best of luck. Now it was time for them to engage in an official contest battle. Not a practice battle, or a mock contest battle, an official Pokémon Contest battle.

"Alright Serena, show us what you got," Ash said looking at Serena.

Serena and Shauna were on opposite sides looking at each other with determination. Serena had a regular Pokeball in her hand which clearly meant she was going to use Beedrill after all. Now the question was, who was going to be Shauna's Pokémon.

"Our next contest battle will be against Serena and Shauna! Each coordinator will have five minutes to bring their points to zero or defeat their Pokémon!" Lillian announced, "Now begin!"

"Alright Beedrill, it's time to shine!" Serena yelled out sending out Beedrill.

Serena threw her Pokeball out and coming out of the Pokeball was none other than her Beedrill. Shauna was prepared to bring her Pokémon out.

"Let's take the stage Seel!" Shauna yelled out bring out a Seel.

When Seel came out, it looked like a white sea lion with a horn on it's head and adorable black eyes.

"So that's a Seel," Ash said to himself.

"Yeah, that's another one of Shauna's Pokémon," Trevor said, "Seel specializes in water and possibly ice too."

"Hey Rotom Dex, can I get an analysis on Seel?" Ash asked Rotom Dex.

"My pleasure Ash Ketchum," Rotom Dex replied as he began to analyze Seel.

 _#086-Seel: Sea Lion Pokémon_

 _Thanks to its thick fat, cold seas don't bother it at all, but it gets tired pretty easily in warm waters._

"I wonder how Beedrill is going to do against Seel?" Ash questioned himself as the clock began counting down.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

Grace and Jade were sitting nervously on their couch with Delia and Rose present.

"Come on Serena," Jade said to herself.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

"Alright Beedrill, let's start things off with a Pin Missile!" Serena yelled out to Beedrill.

"Seel use Water Sport!" Shauna called out.

Beedrill unleashed a Pin Missile attack at Seel, and then Seel countered with a Water Sport. Seel squirted water out to dissolve the pins which had to be one tough Water Sport. Serena was shocked at what just happened.

"Now use Ice Shard!" Shauna yelled out.

While still using Water Sport, Seel sent out an Ice Shard into the Water Sport which was making the water a bit colder and going through striking Beedrill. Beedrill was knocked back, but the Poison Bee Pokémon was still hovering. That cost Serena some points.

"Alright Beedrill try using Twineedle!" Serena yelled out.

"Now Seel, time to use Aqua Jet!" Shauna called out.

Beedrill unleashed a Twineedle attack at Seel, but then the Sea Lion Pokémon charged in engulfed in water with an Aqua Jet attack. Seel dissolved the Twineedles like he did with the Pin Missiles. Seel then rocketed up striking Beedrill from below sending Beedrill flying in the air, and gracefully too. Serena just lost some massive points to that big blow.

"And Seel comes in with a magnificent Aqua Jet that just dazzled Beedrill!" Lillian announced.

"Things are not looking good for Serena," Ash muttered.

"I hate to say it, but that Seel looks well trained. Shauna knew how to have Seel not only cancel out his attacks, but turn it into offense too," Brock explained, "I don't know if Beedrill can take much more."

Serena was looking very worried. With only one minute gone by, Serena lost half of her points while Shauna has lost none, not to mention her Beedrill has taken a bit of a beating. She remembers those words from Ash to never give up until the end. That's what Serena was going to do, keep going until it's over.

"Come on Beedrill, it's time to use Rage!" Serena called out.

Beedrill came at Seel with a Rage attack bashing into the Sea Lion Pokémon. Seel noticed the wet floor from his Aqua Jet and used it in his advantage. Seel dived onto the wet floor to dodge Beedrill's Rage which caused the Poison Bee Pokémon to crash land onto the floor. Seel then jumped up ready to deliver the final blow.

"Now Seel, use Ice Beam followed by Headbutt!" Shauna yelled out.

Serena lost only more points, and when he was getting back up, Seel was firing an Ice Beam attack. Beedrill couldn't move and was frozen right in place, which then allowed the Sea Lion Pokémon to come crashing down with a Headbutt. Seconds after freezing Beedrill, Seel shattered the ice on impact which knocked Beedrill out and created a magnificent ice shower on stage which amazed the crowd.

"Wow, that was amazing," Serena muttered in defeat.

Beedrill was knocked out and the judges gave out red Xs to Serena meaning Beedrill cannot continue to battle. The three minutes and thirty seconds left on the clock didn't mean a thing as Shauna has already won. Serena definitely knew to give Shauna credit as Seel was clearly better than Beedrill.

"Beedrill is unable to battle, which means the points do not matter as Shauna will advance to the semi-finals!" Lillian announced.

The picture changed to show Shauna and Seel's picture which revealed the word "WINNER" underneath Shauna's picture. Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were all feeling down when they saw Serena lost while Tierno and Trevor all cheered Shauna on. Brock was then looking at Beedrill who was knocked out, thinking to himself would he like to try his medicine techniques again like he did with Pikachu and Froakie. Serena took out her Pokeball and called back Beedrill.

"Good job Beedrill, I'm very proud of you," Serena said with a sad smile.

Serena and Shauna went to shake hands for good sportsmanship, and the honey-blonde coordinator made her way back to the waiting area.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

The mothers couldn't believe that Serena lost her contest battle. It was true that she was only beginning her career as a Pokémon Coordinator, but the mothers would've loved to see a win.

"I can't believe my baby girl lost!" Jade cried.

"She did her best Jade," Delia said comforting Jade, "But you do need to understand that Serena isn't going to win every single contest she enters."

"She's just overdramatic," Grace said, "She just loves Serena very much, and would be extremely happy if she succeeded."

While the ladies were watching the end results of Serena's battle, Rose was feeling bored now that Serena was out of the contest. Now she was going to wonder what these ladies were going to do now. Seeing that their kids were out traveling, Rose maybe wondered what they could do.

"So, now that Serena's contest is over, what should we do now?" Rose asked clasping her hands acting a little sarcastic.

"What do you mean, we can watch the rest of the contest," Delia suggested.

"That's it?" Rose grunted, "That's all you want to do."

"Well I guess so," Delia responded.

"Ladies, you're not living life to the fullest. The kids are gone which means we can do whatever the hell we want," Rose ranted, "True I dearly love my Leaf, but that doesn't mean I can't go out and have fun."

Rose made a good point in the Gabena household. All Delia has been doing is cleaning and gardening while Grace and Jade do the same thing along with reading books on Rhyhorn racing. These ladies haven't had a good time since their kids were born. Now come to think about it, their lives have been pretty dull, and their kids are out on an adventure.

"You might be right Rose, I can't remember the last time I went out to tear the town," Delia said going from a concern to an excited tone.

"Well me and Jade haven't done anything since Serena was born," Grace commented.

"Yeah, come to think of it, when was the last time we went crazy?" Jade questioned, "Now we're a bunch of old hags."

"I'm glad you're realizing that. Tell you what, why don't we plan a little getaway for us ladies and we can be the bitches we want to be!" Rose exclaimed.

Delia, Grace, and Jade were all in. Since the kids were gone, it was pretty clear that they would love to go out and enjoy themselves.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Contest Hall**_

Serena was sitting on a bench in the waiting room just looking at her Pokeball that contained Beedrill. She was wondering what she could've done wrong and more importantly, how was her Beedrill doing? Then Shauna came over and sat down with Serena. Her next match was coming up soon.

"Hey Serena, you did your best," Shauna said with a smile.

"Thanks, but I don't know how Beedrill is feeling," Serena replied, "Beedrill took some massive damage with those attacks."

"Hey, you said Brock has been working on specializing in Pokémon medicine, why not let him look at Beedrill after the contest," Shauna suggested, "I mean we can take Beedrill to a Pokémon Center, but if Brock is working on being a Pokémon doctor, let's have him get the chance to look at him."

"That looks like a good idea," said Serena, "He helped Ash with Froakie and Pikachu after all, so why not Beedrill. I just hope Beedrill is okay."

Serena was smiling at the fact that she could let Brock look at Beedrill, and maybe get some more cooking skills from him before she leaves. At the same time though, she does want to worry about the health of her Pokémon. Then a staff member from the Contest Hall came in.

"Shauna, you're up," said the staff member.

"Well, I gotta go. My next contest battle is up," Shauna said standing up.

"Go get'em Shauna, I hope you win this whole thing," Serena said with a smile and determination.

Shauna ran off onto the stage and even though Serena was out of the contest, she really did hope Shauna win as she was a great competitor, and now becoming a great friend. Her defeat was also a sign that she was going to train harder and do better in the next contest.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City Contest-Finals**_

The clock was ticking on the final stage where Shauna and her Seel was facing an unknown coordinator and his Rapidash. Seel was using Brine on Rapidash which caught the Fire Horse Pokémon and a watery explosion was being shown like in the form of a fountain. Rapidash regained her composure and the clock finally hit zero with Shauna holding the most points.

"Times up! And the winner of the Pewter City Pokémon Contest is…Shauna!" Lillian announced as the screen showed Shauna's picture along with Seel's picture and Vulpix's picture.

"Yay! Shauna won!" Tierno cheered as he started dancing around in his seat.

"Despite Serena losing, I'm happy that Shauna won this contest," Ash said applauding.

Serena and the other six coordinators were on stage with Shauna who also had Vulpix and Seel out to watch her receive her contest ribbon. Shauna happily accepted the ribbon and Serena happily applauded for her new friend.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Brock's House**_

After the contest, Brock happily invited Ash and Serena back to his house with his siblings, and he even invited Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna. Serena suggested that he could look at her Beedrill. Beedrill wasn't in terrible shape, she was just wondering if Brock would take care of him since Brock was working to become a Pokémon doctor. Also, Serena would love to get more cooking tips from him.

"Well, looking at your Beedrill I say he's just cold," Brock assured Serena, "I say you just wrap a blanket around him and give him warm fluids, or just a nice night at the Pokémon Center."

"Thanks Brock," Serena replied.

Beedrill just had a warm blanket around him, and the Poison Bee Pokémon was feeling good. As dinner was getting prepared, Serena took the time to watch him cook so she could gain some more cooking tips. Then everyone gathered around for dinner with Brock serving to his siblings and his guests of Ash, Serena, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor. He also made some delicious Pokémon food for all the Pokémon, and even found a taste that all of them could love. Rotom Dex didn't need any food since it was a floating Pokedex. Froakie and Fennekin appreciated the food that Brock gave him as he became one of the few humans they seemed to start trusting. It was going to take a lot of time, but they have come around for Ash and Serena.

"You know how to take care of everyone," Trevor said, "You have to be the greatest person ever."

"Thanks, I had to really step up in the process of working two jobs, taking care of my siblings, and working on being a Pokémon doctor," Brock said, "And I can totally handle it."

"What about your parents, where are they?" Shauna asked.

Then the room went silent where Brock was feeling a cold gust blowing over his shoulder. The siblings all felt that too when Shauna asked about their parents. I guess they didn't know what has happened.

"Our parents…a few years ago our parents went to the Alola Region for a second honeymoon, and my dad was the gym leader at the time," Brock explained.

All the trainers and their Pokémon were listening very well to the story that Brock was telling them. It was said that their parents went on a vacation.

"While on their flight, it was rumored a wormhole may have opened in the middle of the sky and swallowed the plane. No one knew where it came from, or why it was formed. The plane was gone along with all the passengers, and our parents," Brock sadly said.

The siblings were starting to cry and so were Ash, Serena, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor. The Pokémon were crying too especially Froakie and Fennekin who indirectly felt the same trauma. Rotom Dex was starting to show a crying face on its screen since it can't produce actual tears.

"We all became orphans that day, and since then I had to take total control of the gym. Even though I wanted to peruse my dreams, I wasn't going to let my siblings suffer. Someone needed them, so I took the chance not only to look out after them, but to make sure they can look out after themselves when the time comes that I finally go to Pokémon Medicine School," Brock explained, "I'm training Forrester to take over as gym leader when the time comes."

It was clear that Brock became the next father figure for these kids after losing theirs. What's going to happen to the kids when Brock finally goes to Pokémon Medicine School? There must be a solution, they want Brock to be happy and live his life, but he doesn't want anything to happen to his brothers and sisters.

"But if you do go to school to become a Pokémon doctor, who will watch them?" Trevor asked in a down tone, "I mean one of them can become a gym leader, but they can't be by themselves."

"I know what you mean Trevor, which is why I have to stay until Forrester becomes a legal adult to take over the gym and be their guardian. I'm working two jobs to provide and taking early studying. I don't want to face any legal troubles," Brock explained, "It seems complicated, but I need to do what's right. Besides, I'll have a good head start when I get to school."

"Well I'm glad you're doing what's right Brock, it has to be tough on you," Tierno replied.

"It is," Brock responded.

It was a sad scene at the dinner table. They learned that Brock lost both of his parents to a wormhole in the sky, he had to put off his dreams of being a Pokémon doctor to take care of his siblings and run the gym, but they knew he had to do what was right.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Outside of Brock's House**_

After dinner, Ash, Serena, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex were all outside wishing Brock a goodnight before heading off to the Pokémon Center to call it a night.

"So, Ash, are you up for a rematch tomorrow?" Brock asked with confidence.

"After seeing Serena's contest, I'm more than determined for one of us to leave with a win. Of course, I'll be ready for our rematch tomorrow!" Ash declared.

"And Tierno and Trevor, if you want you can come over and watch our match. You can get good tips on how I battle, and you can plan a strategy," Brock suggested.

"We love too!" Trevor exclaimed.

"Yeah, I have to see the battlefield and figure out how my Pokémon can break out their dance moves," Tierno stated.

"Okay, I'll see you all tomorrow," Brock said, "Oh and Ash, I will be using the same two Pokémon from our previous match."

"Okay, I'm going to have Froakie battle again, but this time I'm going to not have Pikachu battle," Ash told Brock.

"Who's your replacement?" Brock questioned.

"You'll see tomorrow," Ash answered.

With that, the group bid goodnight to Brock as they returned to the Pokémon Center. After losing the first match to Brock, Ash was more than determined to win this time. Just like before, he was going to have Froakie join the battle. While Serena did lose her contest, she was looking forward to watching Ash battle tomorrow. Maybe she could learn some things from his battles before her next contest. Right now, Ash needed to get ready for his rematch.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pewter City Museum of Science**_

In Pewter City, there is a museum that tourist go to visit. Inside the museum were skeletons of Pokémon that were extinct, treasures that were found long ago, and all sorts of historical things.

One thing this museum was famous for was their research on fossils. Inside the museum after hours were three men in black. They had red Rs on their uniforms, and they broke into the research lab of the museum. The grunts were looking at files of information that could lead to fossils, and that a scientist on Cinnabar Island is currently working on a device that could revive those Pokémon.

"Well according to these files, scientists believe that there are Pokémon fossils on Mt. Moon. They also say these fossils include Pokémon that have been extinct for millions of years," one of the grunts explained.

"Alright, so our next target is Mt. Moon," another grunt responded.

"Let's go, we can't keep Jessie and James along with that retarded Meowth waiting," the other grunt replied.

"Who the hell gave them permission to lead this mission?" one of the grunts questioned.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

"Who put those retards in charge of the operations on Mt. Moon?" Proton angrily questioned.

There were some grunts and a chief. Some chiefs have been known to give assignments to other members of Team Rocket. Proton took a good look at the group of grunts and the chief and glared at them.

"He did," one of the grunts said pointing to the chief.

Proton then shot the chief in the head which resulting in killing him. Therefore, Proton is known as the cruelest and scariest of the Rocket Executives.

"One less braindead bastard on the planet," said Proton, "EVERYONE KNOWS THOSE TWO FUCKING SCREW UP EVERYTHING! ASK THEM HOW THE VIRIDIAN CITY POKEMON CENTER WENT!"

"We know not to give them any assignments," said the grunt, "We'll let the other chiefs know."

"Good!" Proton screamed shooting the dead chief again five times, "Who the fuck gave them administrator titles!?"

Proton stormed out of the room, and all the grunts look terrified. They know not to mess with Proton, and only Giovanni and Arianna ranked higher than him as the leaders of this Pokémon terrorist organization. The grunts then looked at the dead chief and just started talking.

"Hey, did anybody know what's been going on with Archer lately?" a grunt asked.

"What's going on?" another grunt asked.

"It's a long story," the grunt replied.

* * *

 **Looks like the stage is being set for Mt. Moon, so expect to see Jessie, James, and Meowth again soon. Man, it sounds like Team Rocket hates them.**

 **Yes, Serena did lose her contest, but she can use it as a learning experience when she enters her next contest. Speaking of next contest, Serena will get another rival in the next contest, and I think we all know who that's going to be.**

 **Well, Brock's story was tragic of his parent's death which will give him a reason that he won't be able to travel with Ash like in the anime, but he must be there for his family. Speaking of Brock, Ash's rematch is coming up next.**

 **Well, I'm going to do my first poll of this series and I'll keep it up after Chapter 14. As you know Ash will get Bulbasaur and Charmander, but I might do something different for Squirtle. Squirtle will join the group, but since Ash already has Froakie as a starter water-type, I don't know if it feels right for him to have two water type starters right now. Serena will catch two more Pokémon before Squirtle comes, and I will confirm one of those two Pokémon will be a water-type, and that Pokémon will stick.**

 **So, my poll question is, do you want Ash or Serena to get Squirtle? Let me know and enjoy the rematch in the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 12: Just what the Doctor Ordered**


	12. Just what the Doctor Ordered

**Alright everyone, that was my first time putting up a poll and I didn't realize that it wasn't accessible. Hopefully that got resolved. Just go into my profile page and vote for what you want me to do with Squirtle. I'll have the final verdict when the fourteenth chapter is posted. For right now, here is Ash Ketchum's rematch with Brock.**

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash woke up feeling pumped for his rematch with Brock. Serena was waiting out in the waiting area along with Shauna. Ash, Tierno, and Trevor all shared a room with Pikachu while Serena and Shauna shared a room with Rotom Dex.

Everyone was now eating breakfast in the cafeteria and everyone was figuring out who Ash was going to use in his battle with Brock.

"So, Ash, what Pokémon do you plan to counter Brock with?" Rotom Dex asked, "Froakie is definitely a great option since he is a water type Pokémon."

"And we already learned Pikachu's electric attacks are pretty useless since they're ground types too," Serena told Ash.

"Well, I'm going to use Froakie again, and as for my second Pokémon," Ash said until he paused, "I'll use Pidgey!"

"Pidgey? But Pidgey is a flying type, her attacks aren't going to do much damage," Trevor consulted Ash, "Not to forget flying types are weak against rock types."

"Pikachu's electric attacks do nothing, but Pidgey's attack can actually do something," Ash stated.

"So, it's going to be Pidgey and Froakie?" Shauna asked.

"You bet!" Ash answered giving a thumbs up.

Ash already had his team set for his battle with Brock as he was going to use Pidgey and Froakie. Butterfree didn't get a chance in a Pokémon gym yet, but Ash would make sure he gets the chance.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Pewter Gym**_

Ash arrived at the Pewter Gym with Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Tierno, Trevor and Shauna coming along to root for Ash in his gym battle. Tierno and Trevor could get a chance to observe Brock since they would be battling him, and Ash already knows what Brock's Pokémon are capable of.

"I remember the last time I went into this gym, I didn't have the right mindset. Now I know what I can expect from a gym battle," Ash said to himself, "Serena may not have won a ribbon, but I'll make sure we leave this city with a badge with my name on it."

"The Ash is ready to battle!" Rotom Dex announced with a bit of cheering.

Serena couldn't help but feel happy that Ash is going back in. She always remembers those words never give up until the end, and Ash isn't giving up on Brock. His optimistic attitude is what she loves about him. Knowing that Serena was going to be there watching him would help him a lot, even though he lost last time.

Soon the doors opened, and Ash walked into the gym. It looked the same as last time, and on the other side of the gym was the Pewter City Gym Leader himself. The future Pokémon doctor was standing on the other side with Forester standing on his side.

"Hey there Ash, I see you decided to come back after all," Brock said crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I wasn't going to back down," Ash told Brock as he looked behind to see his friends.

Brock could see Serena, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna coming in with him to watch Ash in his battle. Pikachu and Rotom Dex were with each other. Pikachu wasn't going to be competing in this battle this time as his electric attacks were useless.

"So, this is it, we get to see an actual gym battle," Shauna said.

"Yeah, I wonder if any of Brock's Pokémon can pull off some crazy dance moves," Tierno said.

"Well whatever Ash can do, I hope it's good," Trevor said.

"Not to worry, after Ash's last battle, he has learned his lesson and worked hard to become better and beat the Brock!" Rotom Dex exclaimed raising its stubby arms in the air and making a flight position, "Ash will soar like a Dragonite!"

"Alright Ash, just like before I'm going to have Forester be the referee for our battle," Brock told Ash, "Are you alright with that Forester?"

"Of course, I am Brock," Forester answered, "After all, when I finally become gym leader I got to know how being a gym leader works."

"Well Brock, I'm ready," Ash told Brock.

"Great, and I'll be using the same two Pokémon," Brock told Ash, "Now let's get started."

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

Serena was holding Pikachu with Rotom Dex floating next to her as she took a seat sitting next to Shauna who was sitting next to Tierno who was sitting next to Trevor. Ash and Brock took opposite sides of the gym with Forester in the referee box. It was now time for Ash's rematch.

"This will be an official Pokémon gym battle between the Pewter City Gym leader Brock and the challenger Ash Ketchum! Each trainer will be allowed two Pokémon while only the challenger can make substitutions! There will be no time limit, will the gym leader reveal his first Pokémon!" Forester announced.

"Alright Geodude, let's go!" Brock yelled out sending out Geodude.

Geodude was still in the same well taken shape he was in when Ash first battled him. Ash can admit that Geodude was tough, but Ash needed to prove himself tougher. Now it was his turn to send out his first Pokémon.

"Pidgey I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out his Pidgey.

The Tiny Bird Pokémon made her appearance onto the battlefield. This was Pidgey's first gym battle, and this Pokémon wanted a chance to fully redeem herself after losing to Paul's Spearow. Most of Pidgey's attacks weren't going to be very effective against a rock type Pokémon like Geodude, but Ash was going to think of something to pull out the win against Brock.

"Begin the battle!" Forester announced raising his arms.

"Alright Pidgey use Tackle!" Ash called out.

"Geodude, come at Pidgey with Tackle too!" Brock called out.

Pidgey and Geodude were both coming at each other with a Tackle attack. It looked like the two were about to butt heads together, but then Ash made his move.

"Go up!" Ash yelled.

Pidgey rocketed up and Geodude completely missed Pidgey. Pidgey was now up in the air looking down at Geodude who was now baffled. Ash knew to use a better strategy this time.

"Now Pidgey use Sand-Attack followed by Gust!" Ash yelled out to Pidgey.

Pidgey unleashed a Sand-Attack on the battlefield followed by Gust which caused the sand to move all over the place. Geodude couldn't see where anything was because he was clouded up by sand.

"We got him Pidgey, now use Wing Attack!" Ash called out.

Pidgey came down at Geodude with a Wing Attack, and Geodude was caught off guard as the wing of Pidgey hit Geodude. Pidgey landed after Geodude was knocked back from the blow, but the Rock Pokémon knew it would take a lot more than that to bring him down.

"Nice thinking Ash, but Geodude won't go down so easily," Brock told Ash, "Geodude use Rock Polish and then Rollout!"

Ash and Serena both gasped. They knew what happened the last time Geodude used Rock Polish. Geodude's speed drastically went up leading to a super-fast Rollout that Pikachu couldn't keep up on. Now it looked like that was going to happen again as Geodude shined himself and began to get rolling. To make matters even worse, Rollout was a rock type attack and Pidgey was a flying type which meant Rollout was going to do more damage to Pidgey than it did to Pikachu.

"Pidgey, use Quick Attack to get yourself in the air," Ash told Pidgey.

Pidgey heard the response as Pidgey got into the air just in time. Geodude came out with Rollout and ended up missing Pidgey as the Tiny Bird Pokémon used Quick Attack to dodge the attack.

There was one unfortunate turn of events though, even though Geodude missed Pidgey, he rolled into a rock and used it as a skateboard ramp to come crashing into Pidgey. Brock knew what he was going to do.

"Use Smack Down," Brock told Geodude.

Geodude came at Pidgey and landed a Smack Down attack on the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Pidgey was sent flying to the ground in pain, but the Tiny Bird Pokémon wasn't out yet. Unfortunately, Pidgey couldn't get herself in the air because of the effects from Smack Down.

"Pidgey!" Ash cried.

"This is bad," Trevor said.

"Why is this bad?" Serena asked, "Is it because Pidgey is hurt?"

"No, Smack Down is not only a rock type attack that does major damage to a flying type Pokémon, it keeps the Pokémon on the ground for a good period of time which means Pidgey will not be able to fly out of this one," Trevor explained, "That also means Pidgey can be vulnerable to ground attacks too."

"Oh no," Serena said with worry.

"Well Ash, it doesn't look like Pidgey will be flying anytime soon," Brock told Ash with a smirk, "Which means that Pidgey is now an easy target for Geodude."

Ash gritted his teeth as he let his guard down again. He couldn't afford to lose to Brock a second time as Geodude already was enough of a menace. Now Geodude was ready to strike again.

"Alright Geodude, use Magnitude," Brock told Geodude.

Geodude jumped up and came back down shaking the ground. Magnitude caused Pidgey to stumble on her feet as she was now laying down helplessly.

"Pidgey no!" Ash cried.

"Rollout," Brock responded.

Geodude was now coming at super speed with a Rollout attack and this time Pidgey was getting flattened. Ash couldn't help but wonder how Pidgey was doing, as the Tiny Bird Pokémon couldn't take it.

"Pidgey is unable to…" Forester announced until he saw Pidgey still moving.

Man, that bird was tough, and Geodude's Rollout should've gotten the job done. Ash could give credit to Pidgey to keep going, but she was still weak and in pain.

"Pidgey, can you keep going?" Ash asked.

"Coo," Pidgey responded with a yes.

"Looks like Pidgey is still up, but barely," Brock said, "I'll end this for real, Geodude use Rock Throw."

Geodude picked up a rock and looked down at the weakened Pidgey. The Tiny Bird Pokémon was in rough shape, but she was still trying to fight as she got back up. It wasn't going to be enough though as Geodude prepared to deliver the final blow with a Rock Throw.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna couldn't feel bad for Pidgey. It felt like Ash was still no match for Brock, and it felt like it was going to be a repeat of his first battle. Geodude threw the rock and then something happened.

Pidgey began to glow white.

They were all amazed as Pidgey was starting to change form into something bigger. It looked like Pidgey, but a bit bigger with red feathers on her head, and red and yellow talons. That wasn't a Pidgey anymore, that was a Pidgeotto. Ash was in total shock as Pidgeotto swatted the rock away.

"Pidgey, you evolved," Ash said in shock.

"Ash, Pidgey has just evolved into Pidgeotto," Rotom Dex told Ash, "I'm now going to begin the analysis."

 _#017-Pidgeotto: Bird Pokémon_

 _Pidgeotto claims a large area as its own territory. This Pokémon flies around, patrolling its living space. If its territory is violated, it shows no mercy in thoroughly punishing the foe with its sharp claws._

Ash was amazed that his Pidgey has evolved into Pidgeotto in the little time he knew her. Brock and Geodude were shocked to see Pidgey evolve, and he had a feeling that Ash could turn this battle around.

"Well Ash, it seems your Pidgey evolved, but I'm not going to let that get in the way," Brock told Ash, "Geodude use Rollout!"

Geodude started to go on another super-fast roll, but Pidgeotto was able to find the strength to get back up and back into the air in the nick of time. Geodude was so surprised that he crashed into the wall.

"Geodude use Rock Throw!" Brock yelled out.

"Pidgeotto use Whirlwind!" Ash yelled out.

Geodude got back up and threw a rock at Pidgeotto, but the Bird Pokémon blew the rock away with Whirlwind and sent Geodude back to the wall. Brock knew that things looked bad with Pidgeotto.

"Now use Tackle!" Ash called out.

Pidgeotto came diving at Geodude preparing to use a Tackle attack. Brock couldn't think of anything to do now to stop Pidgeotto. The only thing he could think of is that Pidgeotto is still weak, but now she may be stronger from the evolution.

"Well Ash, it looks like Pidgeotto is going to beat Geodude. I'm afraid I have no choice but to even the score," Brock told Ash, "Geodude…Self-Destruct!"

Geodude started to glow white as Pidgeotto was closing in with Tackle. The Rock Pokémon exploded, and he caught Geodude in the explosion. A big dust cloud was made from the explosion as Ash and Brock covered their eyes along with Forester. Serena, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna covered their eyes too as well as Pikachu, but Rotom Dex didn't need to because it was a screen. As the smoke cleared, it was shown that both Geodude and Pidgeotto were lying flat on the ground meaning both were defeated.

"Both Geodude and Pidgeotto are unable to battle!" Forester announced.

It wasn't much of a surprise that both Pokémon were down. Brock was desperate and had to go to Self-Destruct as a last resort to take out Pidgeotto even though it would take out Geodude. Pidgeotto was still feeling weakened from the damage she took before evolving. Serena was feeling bad that Pidgeotto was down but was happy that Geodude was defeated too. Ash and Brock both called their Pokémon back.

"Good job Geodude, now you go ahead and take a good rest," Brock said to Geodude after being back in his Pokeball.

"I'm proud of you Pidgeotto, now you take a good rest," Ash said to Pidgeotto after putting her back in the Pokeball.

"Brock knew Geodude was going to lose, so he ordered Geodude to use Self-Destruct to bring Pidgeotto down with," Trevor explained.

"Man, Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto, but couldn't grove out of that," Tierno commented.

"Now both Ash and Brock are down to their last Pokémon," Shauna commented.

"But the good thing for Ash is that he will have a fresh Pokémon coming in to fight against Onix," Serena said to everyone.

"You're right Serena, the odds of Ash winning are now even higher," Rotom Dex replied.

Both Brock and Ash were down to their last Pokémon, and Brock got out his Pokeball. Ash on the other hand got his special blue Pokeball out which contained Froakie.

"Well Ash, you definitely have improved from our last meeting because now you get a well-rested Pokémon to come in," Brock explained as he began to throw the Pokeball, "But you're still not going to be a match for Onix!"

Brock sent out the Rock Snake Pokémon yet again. Onix was back on the battlefield as this was the Pokémon that took out Froakie to seal the win back in Ash's first match. Ash was now more determined to win after getting some training in, and inspiration of wanting to get a win after Serena lost her contest.

"Alright Froakie, let's go!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

The Bubble Frog Pokémon jumped out of his Pokeball and into a battle stance. Onix was towering over Froakie as if he remembers that this was the Pokémon who finished him off with a crushing Bind.

"Come on Froakie," Serena whispered clasping her hands

As the two Pokémon were about ready to go at it, Serena's red Pokeball started to wiggle and coming out was her Fennekin. Serena was surprised that Fennekin came out.

"Fennekin," Fennekin replied.

"Fennekin, what are you doing here?" Serena asked.

Fennekin was pointing to Froakie, and Froakie got his attention caught on the sidelines seeing that Fennekin was there. Probably was thinking why she wasn't there last time, but then again, he was being crushed. Froakie who looked determined to fight Onix now felt a lot more confidence now that Fennekin was out cheering him on.

"You want to watch Froakie fight?" Serena asked.

"Fennekin," Fennekin replied nodding a yes.

Well this might benefit Froakie well. Fennekin came out of her Pokeball on her own to cheer Froakie on. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was feeling good now as Froakie was ready to face Onix.

"Resume the match!" Forester announced raising his arms.

"Froakie use Bubble!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie shot out a flurry of bubbles at Onix, but Onix didn't seem to be phased one bit. Onix seems to be a pretty strong Pokémon.

"Onix use Rock Throw!"

Onix hurled a bunch of rocks in the air unlike Geodude which caused Froakie to get away from multiple rocks. Froakie was able to get away from all the rocks, but that might have worn the little frog out a bit.

"Maybe we need to get up close," Ash said to himself, "Froakie use Quick Attack!"

"Onix use Screech!" Brock retorted.

Froakie came roaring at Onix with a Quick Attack, but Onix delivered a massive loud screech which stopped Froakie in his tracks. Everyone had their ears covered, and Rotom Dex wasn't feeling any sort of hearing pain. Then again, its screen didn't crack either. Man, that was one tough Pokedex.

Ash couldn't seem to get close as Onix was going to probably use another Screech attack, so the next best thing was to attack from long range.

"Alright Froakie, just use Water Pulse," Ash told Froakie.

Froakie began to unleash a watery wave at Onix, but it looks like the Rock Snake Pokémon wasn't feeling much, as if the only way was to get close.

"It's not going to work Ash," Brock responded, "Use Rock Tomb and then Rock Throw."

Onix summoned a bunch of rocks and placed them around Froakie. Froakie didn't get hit, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon was now trapped within the rocks and Onix's rock from Rock Throw fully trapped Froakie inside.

"Froakie!" Ash cried.

"Oh no, Froakie's trapped!" Serena cried.

"Fennekin," Fennekin cried.

"Froakie! Froakie!" Froakie cried as he tried to get out of the rocks.

"Well Ash, I'm afraid that this is what I like to call the calm before the storm," Brock said crossing his arms, "Onix…Bind."

Oh no, not this again. Froakie wasn't going to see what was coming, but Onix was coming in on Froakie as the Rock Snake Pokémon crushed the rock to squeeze Froakie. The rocks getting into Froakie made it even more painful than the last Bind he was in.

"Froakie! FROAKIE!" Ash cried.

Froakie began to struggle as Onix was beginning to squeeze him like a toy. Ash couldn't believe it, he was going to lose to Brock again. Froakie couldn't help but feel sorrow or pity. Anytime he wanted to help Ash, he was never strong enough. Not with the Spearow, not with the battle with Team Rocket, not even in his first match with Brock. And now it was déjà vu for Froakie.

Froakie just kept letting Ash down no matter what, and Froakie wanted to do everything for Ash as he was the only human he could fully trust. He wanted to trust humans, and Ash was the first one he intended to be fond with. But fate has been cruel, Froakie never seems to get enough out to succeed for once. Froakie just wanted to do something, anything.

"Use Slam," Brock told Geodude.

And so, it was about to end, Onix started to hurl Froakie to the ground with Slam. Ash couldn't believe it, and neither could Serena, or Pikachu, or Rotom Dex. It happened again as Froakie was slammed to the ground, but it looked like Froakie was trying to make arm movements before hitting the ground.

Froakie was lying on the ground as it were defeated. Ash got to his knees in defeat and Serena's heart just broke. Fennekin was even feeling bad for Froakie. Trevor and Tierno just got a taste of how strong Brock was.

"Froakie is unable to ba…" Forester announced until Froakie started moving.

"Froakie," Ash said choking up in shock.

Froakie got back up on his feet catching everyone in surprise. Probably the one most surprised more than anyone in the gym combined was Ash. Just when it looked like Froakie was defeated, the Bubble Frog Pokémon got back up. How did Froakie withstand that? One thing was for certain, Froakie just wanted to keep going as Ash always told Serena, never give up until the end.

"What the, but how?" Brock questioned in shock.

"I can't believe it, how did Froakie withstand that?" Shauna asked.

"I got it on video," Rotom Dex answered where Rotom Dex showed Onix's Slam.

Onix was slamming Froakie to the ground, but at the last second, he used Water Pulse to soften his landing which would explain his arm movements while falling.

"When Froakie was being sent to the ground, he softened his landing with a Water Pulse attack. While Froakie did take some damage, he was able to minimize it. Otherwise it would've been game over," Rotom Dex explained.

Froakie was back on his feet, and though he looked tired, the Bubble Frog Pokémon looked like he was still willing to fight.

"I don't know how Froakie managed to take on that Slam, but it doesn't look like Froakie might want to continue," Brock explained.

"FROAKIE!" Froakie cried.

"Huh," Ash replied, "You want to keep going Froakie?"

"Froakie," Froakie responded with a yes.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin cheered.

"All right Froakie, get out there and groove to the beat!" Tierno exclaimed.

"You can do it Froakie!" Trevor cheered.

"Come on Froakie!" Shauna cheered.

"Let's do this Froakie," Ash responded.

"Looks like Froakie wants to keep going," Brock said crossing his arms, "The fact your Pokémon wants to keep fighting has already proven you're a good trainer, but you still have to beat Onix. Onix use Rock Throw!"

"Dodge it!" Ash called out.

Froakie got out of the way of the rocks. There were so many rocks, but Ash needed to figure out how to get on the offense.

"Now Onix use Tackle!" Brock yelled out.

Onix came at Froakie with Tackle, but Froakie got out of the way.

"Froakie use Quick Attack!" Ash called out.

Froakie came after Onix with a Quick Attack, but the Rock Snake Pokémon swiftly got out of the way. Froakie carefully landed on his feet.

"How can I get Froakie to come in close with an attack on Onix?" Ash asked himself.

Ash was thinking to himself how he could Froakie to attack up close on Onix. Then he looked back at the training he and his Pokémon did, while Froakie did learn Double-Team, there was another attack that he learned. Ash decided to give this other move a chance.

"Alright Froakie, it's time to use Smokescreen," Ash told his Froakie.

Froakie heard what Ash said and unleashed a Smokescreen onto the battlefield. Brock and Onix couldn't see where Froakie was, and little did Brock know, Froakie used Double Team inside the smoke. As the smoke cleared, Brock could see multiple Froakies standing on the battlefield. The Bubble Frog Pokémon knew what he was doing.

"Let me take care of that, Onix use your tail to grab the real Froakie, and then use Bind," Brock told his Onix.

All the Froakies stood there as Onix's tail swooped the battlefield hitting all the Froakies. The only problem was that every Froakie turned out to be an illusion, and that left Onix puzzled. Where did Froakie go, but judging by Ash's smirk on his face, he was the only one that knew.

"Where's Froakie?" Serena questioned.

Then out of nowhere, Froakie jumped onto Onix's head and that's when Ash could have Froakie deliver the big blows.

"Good job Froakie, now use Water Pulse!" Ash shouted pumping his fist.

Froakie unleashed a Water Pulse on Onix which had to hurt since it was now close range. Froakie then jumped off Onix and prepared to finish the job.

"Now use Bubble!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie unleashed a flurry of Bubbles at Onix's face and Onix couldn't take it. After taking so many bubbles, Ash ordered Froakie to use Pound to knock the Rock Snake Pokémon to the ground. Onix was lying down, unable to get up, and as Ash and Froakie could see, it was over. Froakie landed on his feet and gave out a victory chant.

"Onix is unable to battle, Froakie is the winner. Which means the winner of this official Pokémon Gym Battle is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Forester announced.

"YEAH!" Ash cheered as he ran up to the battlefield to hug Froakie.

"Froakie!" Froakie cheered as he accepted the hug.

Froakie was happy that he finally won for Ash. The fact that Fennekin was watching made the moment even better for Froakie. Ash couldn't help to see that Serena was smiling and possibly wiping a tear from her eye seeing that Ash had won. That had to put a bigger smile on Ash's face. Pikachu was cheering Ash on after he won his battle, and the trio of Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna were impressed.

"I can't believe Ash won," Trevor said.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward now to facing Brock," Tierno replied.

"Return Onix," Brock said as he called back Onix, "Great job Onix, take a nice long rest."

As Ash and Froakie were embraced in the hug, Brock walked over to Ash and reached out his hand. It looked like he was going to give a congratulatory handshake. Ash reached his arm out and shook Brock's hand.

"Well Ash, I have to say that you and Froakie were definitely willing to win. What he heard about your father Red is true, and it seems he may have passed his skills down to you," Brock explained as he pulled something out of his pocket, "Ash, take this Boulder Badge as proof that you have conquered the Pewter City Gym."

Ash took a good look at the badge that was given to him. It was grey and square with rounded corners. Then Ash began to do a victory pose.

"Alright, I got a Boulder Badge!" Ash exclaimed as he held up the badge with Froakie jumping in happily.

"Froakie," Froakie happily exclaimed.

"So, there you have it, Ash has gotten his first gym badge," Rotom Dex said, "My circuits are really buzzing from this accomplishment."

"Well hearing from Ash, there are eight gyms and now that he has one badge, he needs to visit and win in the other seven gyms to enter the Pokémon League," Serena explained.

"And I will do what I can to help him get into the Pokémon League!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"Fennekin," Fennekin chanted.

"Of course, you can help too Fennekin," Serena said, "And Froakie can help us get into the Grand Festival."

Ash pinned the Boulder Badge in his jacket, and Ash looked around to see Serena smiling along with Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna looking pumped. Then looking at Froakie, Ash remembered that he told them about Brock training to be a Pokémon doctor, and how he took care of his Pokémon for him after losing the first battle.

"Hey Brock, do you think you could give my Pokémon a little hand again?" Ash asked, "I just want our new friends to see what you can do."

"Heh, not a problem Ash," Brock answered, "Come on Forester."

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Brock's House**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna all returned to Brock's house to see the doctor abilities he has been working on. Ash brought out his Pidgeotto and Froakie who had an intense battle in the Pewter Gym. Brock looked at both of his Pokémon and it was clear that the only thing they needed was some Potions. The two Pokémon were good as new, but still would need to make a visit at the Pokémon Center to make sure they were good to go.

With that, it was time for dinner and Brock and his siblings were ready for some of his cooking. Brock was generous enough to let the group stay over for dinner again, but sadly their time in Pewter City was going to come to an end soon. Ash and Serena were going to be heading for the next city while Trevor and Tierno along with Shauna were staying in Pewter City so that the boys could have their battle against Brock. Dinner time came, and everyone was eating.

"Well I know this will be our last night together since we already know Ash and Serena are leaving tomorrow," Brock said.

"Yeah, we found out the next Pokémon Contest and the closest Pokémon Gym is in Cerulean City," Ash told everyone, "That's where I hope to get my second badge."

"And I will be entering the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest where I hope to win my first ribbon," said Serena.

"Well me and Tierno will be battling Brock in two days," Trevor said, "We could battle tomorrow, but I'd figure me and Tierno could use an extra day of training after seeing what Brock can do."

"Yeah, it never hurts to do more training," Rotom Dex replied, "And I hope Ash and Serena get more training in soon, because it only gets harder down the road."

"Well, I wish you two the best of luck on the road. Sorry I can't come and see you as I have to keep an eye on the gym and my siblings, but once Forester is old enough to run the gym, I can finally go to Pokémon Medical School," Brock told Ash and Serena.

The two kids from Pallet Town happily accepted Brock's gesture as they continued to eat their dinner. Serena was happy to get some good cooking tips from Brock which would help Ash and Serena down the road, and Ash knew that the gyms were likely only going to get tougher.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Pewter City-Outside the Pokémon Center**_

Morning came to Pewter City, and now it was time to close the book on their stay in Pewter City. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were outside the Pokémon Center preparing to say goodbye to Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna.

Ash and Serena gained some good friends here in Pewter City and rivals too. Who knows who they could meet in their travels, but whatever comes their way, they want to make their mothers proud.

"Well guys, I guess this is where we say goodbye," Ash said taking a good look at the trio.

"Sorry we can't join you, but we got to get ourselves ready if we want to face Brock," Trevor said.

"Yeah, I want to give my Pokémon some pretty good dancing moves to throw Geodude and Onix off their feet," Tierno said.

"Geodude and Onix technically don't have feet," Rotom Dex said showing images of Geodude and Onix.

"It was an expression Rotom Dex," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

"Well Serena, I'm looking forward to seeing you again in another contest," Shauna told Serena, "I think you have what it takes to be a great coordinator."

"Thanks Shauna, and next time I'm going to beat you!" Serena declared with confidence.

"We'll see about that, but you keep on going," Shauna replied.

And then it was time, Ash and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex made their way down the road. Ash and Serena waived goodbye and so did Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna. There was one thing they could all agree on, that somewhere down the line, these kids were going to meet again.

* * *

 _ **Pewter City-Outside the Museum**_

As Ash and Serena were walking down the road to leave Pewter City, they come across the Pewter City Museum where there were some officers and a museum curator. Judging by what the scene was, it looked like the museum was robbed. The two were curious to see what happened, so Ash and Serena went on over.

"What happened?" Serena asked.

"Apparently the Pewter City Museum was robbed two days ago, and were doing an investigation," the officer answered.

"Really, what happened?" Ash asked looking curious.

"Well it turned out whoever broke into the museum took some files that involved a fossil expedition that their scientists were going to be going on at Mt. Moon," the officer answered.

"Mt. Moon, that's where we have to go to on our way to Cerulean City," Ash replied.

"Do you know who did this?" Serena asked.

"I don't know, but rumor has it that it's that criminal organization Team Rocket because the people who broke into the museum did have red Rs on their outfits," the officer answered.

Ash and Serena could only muster anger as they heard Team Rocket had to break into the museum. They remember them from the Viridian City Pokemon Center and the Viridian Forest, and who knows if they have started a fossil expedition on Mt. Moon.

"If you're going to Mt. Moon, just be careful," the officer told Ash and Serena.

"We will," Ash responded.

With that, Ash and Serena walked past the museum knowing that Team Rocket could be up to no good yet again. They still remember the other times they were attacked.

* * *

 _ **Mt. Moon**_

Meanwhile Jessie, James, and Meowth were driving a jeep with a group of grunts to Mt. Moon to begin searching for fossils. They arrived at the cave entrance parking the jeep in a hidden location so that no hikers will come across it. The grunts also came prepared with some lighting to help them through the caves darkness.

"So were going to use these lights to light the way in the cave," one of the grunts asked.

"You got it, it will help us find our way out and not have us use any Arceus damn flashlights," Meowth told the grunts.

"Now set up the lights and search the tunnels for any fossils," Jessie told the grunts.

"What about the Pokemon? Would this mess their life cycles up?" another grunt asked.

"I don't want any Pokemon to be hurt, but it has to be done for the good of Team Rocket," James answered.

"Yeah, fuck the Pokemon we just want our money," another grunt replied getting ready to set the lights up.

"Can't believe we have to take orders from retards," a grunt muttered.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere on the road**_

Petrel was driving a jeep towards Mt. Moon as he heard the news that Jessie, James, and Meowth were handed the assignments. Proton ordered Petrel to go in and immediately strip them of the assignment and take over himself before Jessie and James screw up. Then Petrel's radio came on.

"Come in Petrel, come in Petrel!" Proton roared on the other side of the radio.

"This is Petrel, I'm on my way to Mt. Moon," Petrel told Proton.

"No Petrel, you are not going to be on your way to Mt. Moon!" Proton screamed, "You are to be fucking there at Mt. Moon and get those fucking retards out of there before they screw up this fucking mission!"

"I'm going fast as I can, I know they will fail," Petrel responded.

"Get there now so you can lead the mission in retrieving the fossils, reviving the Pokemon, and then we can sell them in our casino in Celadon City," Proton replied, "I got Cassidy and Bitch there because they know how to not fuck things up."

"Hey, after I get them out of Mt. Moon before failing, can I bring them to the casino and make them do low work that they can't screw up on?" Petrel asked.

"Ugh, fine but they stay away from the Pokemon and the main operations," Proton answered, "I'll have them like be janitors, waiters, or blackjack dealers. They aren't going anywhere near the Pokemon. They will fuck it up."

"Roger that, Petrel out," Petrel said as he signed off the radio.

While Petrel doesn't want Jessie, James, or Meowth near any major missions like the rest of the high ranked Rockets, mostly Proton, Petrel also doesn't want those two kids getting in the way again. True to their words that the trio screws up, something about those two kids seemed to get to Giovanni and Ariana.

* * *

 **And that marks the end of the Pewter City Arc with Ash getting his first badge and Pidgey evolving into Pidgeotto. I mean it was only fitting for Ash to get Pidgeotto.**

 **This won't be the last we will see of Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna as they will appear again later. As for Serena, she will get a third rival along with Calem and Shauna when Ash and Serena arrive in Cerulean City.**

 **Two things will happen in the next chapter, one Ash and Serena will meet a familiar face (You'll know who it is in the chapter title), and two Serena will get a new Pokemon.**

 **Remember to try and visit my profile page to vote on who will get Squirtle. That poll will close once I post chapter 14. Sorry, even though comments are nice, I only will accept votes. If you need help voting in the poll, I'll try to guide you the best I can. Until then, see you next time.**

 **Chapter 13: Serena VS Leaf**


	13. Serena VS Leaf

**Alright here it is, Ash and Serena are on their way towards Mt. Moon, and they will stumble across a familiar face. Also, Serena will be getting a new Pokémon. Pay close attention as I slipped a little something nostalgic from the Pokémon anime into this chapter. Also, I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Somewhere on the road**_

Petrel was driving on the road to get to Mt. Moon as quickly as possible after hearing that Jessie and James were running the mission. Arceus knows how long it could be before they screw up.

"Can this jeep go any faster!" Petrel yelled.

The Team Rocket Executive was stepping on the gas to make it to Mt. Moon, but he was driving recklessly. As Petrel paid no attention to his surroundings, he's been running over Pokémon all over the road, killing them in the process. Sandshrews were being squashed and knocked away, Rattatas were being trampled, but Petrel was part of Team Rocket, so he didn't care.

"Petrel get your ass over to Mt. Moon!" Proton roared.

"I'm trying!" Petrel screamed.

As Petrel was running over Pokémon, there was one Pokémon he ran over that caused major damage. It was a male Nidoran as he drove over it and killing it in the process. There was a nasty aftermath though as Nidoran's horn punctured a hole in one of the jeeps tires causing the vehicle to spin out of control.

"You got to be kidding me," Petrel said to himself.

"What's going on Petrel!" Proton yelled, "Did you find those losers and they already screwed up?"

"No," Petrel said as he just kept driving until he crashed into something.

Petrel crashed into a tree that he knocked over. However, the tree fell onto a building which caused major structural damage. That building happened to be a bar, and the booth was busted, chairs were scattered all over the place, but the good news was that no one got hurt as it was an empty spot at the time.

The next Petrel knew as he got out of the jeep, it burst into flames and exploded. Petrel was out of the way, but now he had no communication with anyone. Why the hell did he leave his fucking phone in the jeep? Then coming at Petrel was an angry barkeeper. Some of the patrons were coming out as well, but Petrel couldn't have them know he was part of the Pokémon terrorist organization Team Rocket. Petrel immediately threw his shirt off into the bushes before anyone could see.

"Are you the Arceus damn bastard who drove through my bar!" the bartender angrily asked, "I paid good money for this shit, and you wrecked it!"

"Technically I hit a tree when my jeep went out of control, and the tree fell onto the bar," Petrel explained, "Now please give me a ride to Mt. Moon, I got to stop someone from…having mountain sex with my girlfriend."

"Well too bad, this bar you screwed up is more important than your whore! You're not going anywhere until you pay me the damage!" the bartender screamed.

"But I have to stop my girlfriend from cheating on me," Petrel muttered.

"Find a new whore then! I want my fifty thousand Pokedollars to fix this bar, or you will be working your ass off here like a slave until I get my money!" the bartender screamed.

"Yeah, this is what you get for texting and driving!" a patron yelled.

"I wasn't texting and driving, and I'm surprised no one here has driven home drunk," Petrel muttered, "I ran over a Pokémon while getting to Mt. Moon to stop my girlfriend from being a whore."

The bartended punched Petrel in the face and then looked down at him seeing that he has no shirt on.

"Sorry, we have no ladies here, so they won't get to see your fat belly," the bartender said.

"I'm not fat," Petrel told the bartender, "And I may please use your phone."

"Hell no, we don't have a phone anymore because of your dumbass," said the bartender.

"Does anyone else have a phone?" Petrel asked.

The patrons were all looking at Petrel angrily. No one knew that he was part of Team Rocket since he ditched his black shirt with the red R, but he knew Proton would be pissed that he cut the call on him. Proton is angry that Jessie and James are operating a mission. There was one other person he could call.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

Ariana was filing her nails at the desk. Giovanni was not at headquarters now as he needed to check in on the casino operations his men had going in Celadon City. She got a phone call from an unknown number.

"Petrel! Where the hell are you Petrel!" Proton screamed in another room, "I demand to know where you are."

Ariana heard Proton's screaming and figured just to ignore it. She picked up the phone and answered the call. She didn't know who it was, but who knows it could be someone with valuable information.

"Miss Ariana, this is Petrel," Petrel said on the other line.

"Petrel, I don't recall you having this number," Ariana replied.

"Forgive me madame boss, but I was on my way to Mt. Moon because someone decided to give Jessie and James an assignment to look for fossils," Petrel explained, "I was talking to Proton, but my jeep crashed and burst into flames and I lost all communication devices in the jeep."

"Oh, I see," Arianna said in a stern tone, "Where are you?"

"I'm somewhere in the woods and I knocked a tree over damaging a bar, and the dick won't let me leave until I give him the money," Petrel explained, "Please let Proton know about this."

"And where the hell is this bar you're talking about?" Arianna questioned.

"It's like a mile south of Pewter City," Petrel answered, "I have to get to Mt. Moon because some dumbasses gave Jessie and James missions to search for the fossils."

"Why do we even have them in our group?" Ariana questioned, "I'll let Proton know and he can come get you. How much money do you need?"

"Let's go with seventy-five thousand Pokedollars," Petrel answered.

* * *

 _ **On the road to Mt. Moon**_

It has been two days since Ash and Serena left Pewter City. They were heading for Cerulean City where Ash hoped to get his second badge and Serena would enter the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest in hopes of finally getting her first ribbon. Ash and Serena battled a few trainers along the way to help their Pokémon grow.

The two decided to rest and have a picnic. Ash and Serena had some nice gourmet food that Serena was able to cook up. Her cooking skills have improved since she learned from Brock, so now Serena was going to be cooking the meals occasionally. Of course, it wouldn't hurt for Ash to try and cook every now and then.

All the Pokémon were outside their balls doing their thing. Butterfree and Beedrill have been flying around together, Pidgeotto was standing on a tree branch watching over the Pokémon, and Pikachu and Rotom Dex were enjoying each other's company. Rotom Dex showed Pikachu videos of dancing Pikachus as it did turn out to be one of Rotom Dex's features.

Meanwhile Froakie noticed Fennekin was alone sniffing flowers near the trees. Fennekin loved the smell of flowers, and Froakie wanted a chance to be with her. Froakie was hoping he gained some points with Fennekin after she saw him beat Onix back in Pewter City.

"Froakie," Froakie happily responded saying hello.

"Fennekin Fennekin," Fennekin happily responded back.

Froakie and Fennekin seemed to be talking about how their journey has been going. The two Pokémon did feel that at first, they haven't been pulling their weight off for Ash and Serena, but things have been improving, especially since Froakie won his battle.

Froakie couldn't help to wonder what makes Fennekin so cute. It's true he has known her for the four years they spent in Professor Sycamore's lab back in Kalos, but ever since going on this journey with Ash and Serena, they feel like that they could be getting closer. It might be coming to the fact that they want to do everything to help these humans, and that being friends with them would make them stronger. The two Kalos Pokémon were drained of happiness for most of their lives but reuniting with Ash and Serena since they hatched was the best thing they could've asked for.

Froakie couldn't help but blush near the Fox Pokémon, but little did Froakie know, Fennekin blushed back. Could it be possible that these two could be getting close.

"Alright everyone, it's time to get going," Serena announced as they finished eating.

All the Pokémon finished their meals, and the two trainers brought all their Pokémon back in their Pokeballs. Ash and Serena began to put their shoes back on as they had them off during the picnic. As the two trainers got their shoes back on, Ash was looking at Serena and kind of thought of a gesture that seemed silly, but at the same time, a little romantic.

"Hey Serena, I was kind of thinking of something," Ash responded.

"Yeah, what's that," Serena said as she was about to start tying her shoe.

Ash was looking at his untied sneakers while he saw Serena began to tie her sneaker. It seemed silly was Ash was suggesting.

"Why don't tie our right shoes, and then we can tie each other's left shoes," Ash said nervously, "If that's alright with you."

Serena was rolling her eyes wondering what made Ash think that. Then again, Serena did blush at the fact that Ash, the boy she had a crush on, would come over and tie one of her shoes.

"That sounds really weird Ash," Serena commented, "But I would love that."

So, with that, Ash tied his right shoe while Serena finished tying her right shoe. Then, the two looked at each other's shoelaces knowing what to do next.

Serena blushed as Ash came up and grabbed her left shoelaces. He started to under, over, and loop de loop, and even pulled off a double-knot. Serena giggled to the fact that Ash was tying her shoe like she was ready to go out on an adventure.

Then Serena returned the gesture by beginning to tie Ash's shoe. Serena did pretty much the exact same thing as Ash did securing the shoe in a double-knot. Serena thought it was silly and romantic that they each had their left shoe tied by the other. Rotom Dex was recording the whole thing, and Pikachu snickered at the romantic gesture by his trainers.

"Pikachu," Ash responded to Pikachu's snickering.

"Pikachu finds that romantic, and he can watch it anytime he wants since I've recorded it on video," Rotom Dex said, "It's officially weird."

"Well I like that Ash did that," Serena said twirling around, "Now I got a shoe tied by myself, and a shoe tied by Ash."

"Yeah, same here," Ash said rubbing his head.

"People probably have strange ways to show their love," Rotom Dex told Pikachu.

* * *

 _ **2 hours later**_

It has been two hours since Ash and Serena had their picnic. Mt. Moon was only a few hours away by foot. There was a Pokémon Center along the way that the two could stop in and get some rest before entering Mt. Moon.

"Ash, Serena, do you want me to analyze the area for Pokémon?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Sure, not a problem," Serena praised, "I would love to make a new friend soon."

"Alright, begin to scan area for Pokémon, friendly or dangerous!" Rotom Dex said eagerly as he began to act like a lookout.

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were walking while Rotom Dex was scanning the area. Then Rotom Dex spotted something down the road. He did an analysis on the figure.

"I may have spotted a Pokémon!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"Um, Rotom Dex, that's not a Poke," Ash said until Rotom Dex interrupted him.

"Not now, analyzing the Pokémon. I can't put my scanner on the species, but it has chestnut hair with white on it's head, blue on its body, a red open lower upper half body, and it's feet is blue and white," Rotom Dex explained.

Ash and Serena heard what Rotom Dex said, but it clearly wasn't a Pokémon. It was a human girl, and by judging what Rotom Dex said during the analysis, it wasn't just any girl, it was someone the two knew very well. The girl turned around and ended up noticing Ash and Serena, and she just gave out a beaming smile to the two.

"Leaf!" Ash and Serena exclaimed in union.

"Leaf, what a weird name for a Pokémon," Rotom Dex scratching the back of its circuit board.

"Ash, Serena," Leaf said with a big smile on her face.

"No Rotom Dex, Leaf isn't a Pokémon, Leaf is a human, and she's our friend," Serena explained to Rotom Dex.

It was Leaf Green. Leaf ran up and immediately hugged the two tight like they were here Teddiursas. Leaf have been Ash's friend for his whole life while Serena has been friends with Leaf for the entire time she lived in Pallet Town.

"Hi there guys! Oh boy am I happy to see you," Leaf said until she saw Rotom Dex, "And what in Arceus's name is that?"

"Oh yeah Leaf, remember that giant Pokedex me and Serena got that we're going to use together," Ash mentioned to Leaf as Rotom Dex came up to Leaf.

"Sorry Leaf, I was too busy searching for Pokémon that I may have overdone it and thought you were a Pokémon," Rotom Dex explained as it began shaking Leaf's hand, "I am Rotom Dex, powered by the Plasma Pokémon Rotom. I will be assisting Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena on their quest around the world."

"Rotom Dex?" Leaf questioned.

"Yeah, Rotom Dex is powered by a Rotom which is inside, and with the technology built inside, we won't just get data on Pokémon, but we can have an actually conversation," Ash explained.

"Wow, a talking Pokedex, that's so cool!" Leaf exclaimed in excitement.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said questioning the hyper girl.

"Is that a…Pikachu?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah, Pikachu is traveling with us as both of our Pokémon," Ash told Leaf.

"Whoa, you two are both using Pikachu?" Leaf questioned in amazement.

"Yeah," Serena answered.

"That's also cool," Leaf said giggling, "It won't be a matter of time before you two become a happily ever after."

Ash and Serena were both blushing and feeling embarrassed by what Leaf said. Sure, the two really like each other, and they are hiding the feelings that they might love each other, but they don't want that to be taken note of.

* * *

 _ **A couple of minutes later**_

Ash and Serena talked with Leaf about everything that has happened since they left Pallet Town, from how they met Pikachu to the circumstances of how they both were given the responsibility of being both of their trainers. They even talked about how Serena was going to take the road of being a top coordinator when she met Calem, the contests she competed in, and how Ash was able to win his first gym badge. However, Ash and Serena along with Rotom Dex agreed not to talked about Team Rocket and how they nearly killed them.

The three trainers showed all their Pokémon as Leaf got to show them her Pokémon as well. Leaf had a good collection of Pokémon that Rotom Dex took the time to analyze so she could see its analyzing skills. Ash also talked about how he got Pidgeotto and Butterfree while Serena mentioned about her Beedrill. They even took the time to talk a little more on their relationship with Froakie and Fennekin. Leaf was impressed with how Ash and Serena faired.

"You guys are doing a super job," Leaf said feeling ecstatic.

"I wouldn't say that, I mean it feel like we aren't performing at a good enough rate," Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Leaf questioned, "You two are still beginners like me, and the both of you will get the hang of it."

"Yeah, it's true because we have gotten a little better since our experience in Pewter City," Ash told Serena, "And we still have a lot to learn."

"You could be right, and I like to get a look at myself right now," Serena said sincerely to Ash until the honey blonde turned to Leaf, "Leaf, how would you like to have a Pokémon battle with me."

"A Pokémon battle?" Leaf questioned.

"Yeah, I mean you have been having Pokémon battles, right?" Ash asked.

"Um yeah, I mean even though I want to complete the pokedex, I have to still take part in Pokémon battles to make sure that my Pokémon are not only strong enough to protect me, but to also see if I'm taking care of them well enough," Leaf explained.

Ash wasn't sure if Leaf was having Pokémon battles during her travels, but it turns out she was to make sure that her Pokémon were doing well and testing the bond she has formed with them. As for Leaf herself, she was ecstatic that she got to have a friendly Pokémon battle with Serena.

"Serena, I accept your challenge," Leaf responded grabbing her hands which made Serena somewhat smile, "It will be two on two!"

"Sounds great," Serena said.

"And I take it prince charming over there will be our referee," Leaf whispered.

"Leaf!" Serena grunted, "And I have an even better idea for our referee."

Rotom Dex appeared besides Serena and Leaf and changed its screen to show Serena's picture on the left and Leaf's picture on the right as they each had two empty boxes underneath their pictures.

"I can be your referee! I have the setup right here on my screen!" Rotom Dex said showing the battle setup on its screen.

"Yeah, Rotom Dex has been notable of some great features, and one of them includes officiating a Pokémon battle," Serena explained.

"That sounds awesome, I would love to see how your Rotom Dex does as a referee," Leaf said feeling pumped.

Serena was feeling excited that even though it wasn't a contest battle, it was still a chance to see how she grew as a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. Now a battle between the two girls of Pallet Town was about to get underway.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

Serena and Leaf were each standing on opposite sides as they were about to have a battle. Ash was sitting on the sidelines with Pikachu on his side.

"This will be a two on two Pokémon battle with the two lovely ladies who began their quest in Pallet Town, Serena Gabena and Leaf Green!" Rotom Dex announced as the two girls giggled a bit, "The last one standing will be the winner! You go first Leaf!"

"Alright, I choose Venonat!" Leaf yelled out bringing out a Venonat.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a purple hairy bug with big buggy red eyes, feelers, and orange feet. It turns out this Pokémon happened to be a Venonat, and Rotom Dex took the time to do another analysis.

 _#048-Venonat: Insect Pokémon_

 _Venonat is said to have evolved with a coat of thin, stiff hair that covers its entire body for protection. It possesses large eyes that never fail to spot even minuscule prey._

"Alright Beedrill, it's your time to shine!" Serena yelled out bringing out her Beedrill.

It was going to be a battle between two bug Pokémon as Venonat's picture appeared underneath Leaf's picture, and Beedrill's picture appeared underneath Serena's picture. Beedrill was coming off a tough loss to Shauna's Seel in the Pewter City Contest, but now Serena was more determined that Beedrill could win this time. Besides, she tended to have more battle experience than Leaf since she competed in official contest battles.

"Let's get ready to rumble!" Rotom Dex announced holding a microphone.

"Alright Beedrill, lets start things off with Pin Missile!" Serena yelled out.

Beedrill hovered over Venonat and unleashed a Pin Missile attack, and all Venonat did was stand there.

"Venonat use Confusion!" Leaf called out.

Venonat started to use Confusion and used his powers to knock away the Pin Missiles. That didn't work so Serena needed to come up with something else.

"Alright Beedrill, lets use Twineedle!" Serena called out.

Beedrill was closing in on Venonat now with a Twineedle, and just like before Venonat just stood there doing nothing. Was it like Leaf had something up her sleeve.

"Venonat use Sleep Powder!" Leaf yelled out.

Venonat started to bring out a blue aroma which turned out to be Venonat's Sleep Powder attack. The toxins hit Beedrill sending the Poison Bee Pokémon to a deep sleep.

"Beedrill!" Serena cried.

"Oh Serena, I might have not been a terrific battler, but I do take the time to study Pokémon and what moves a Pokémon use, and how the Pokémon can use them to their advantage. You should've never let Beedrill come close, because that's how I was able to have Venonat deliver Sleep Powder," Leaf explained as she looked at Beedrill, "It doesn't look like Beedrill is going to do anything soon."

Serena gritted her teeth and pulled out her Pokeball to call Beedrill back, but then something came to her head. Ash's motto of never give up until the end. If she were to call back Beedrill, then it meant she wasn't tough enough. Serena did what she thought was best, and left Beedrill in hoping he would wake up. Besides, Rotom Dex didn't make the call because it knew Beedrill was asleep.

"Come on Beedrill, wake up!" Serena yelled out.

"Beedrill isn't getting up, and I'll make sure of it. Venonat use Tackle until Rotom Dex declares it unable to battle!" Leaf told Venonat.

Venonat started to tackle the sleeping Beedrill around. After a couple of tackles though, it was time to deliver the finishing blow. Serena did everything she could to keep calling out Beedrill, and then it happened. The Poison Bee Pokémon opened his eyes and flew out of the way.

"You're awake Beedrill," said Serena until she looked at Venonat with confidence, "Use Rage!"

Beedrill came crashing into the Insect Pokémon with a Rage attack. Venonat was sent flying down and Leaf was shocked that Beedrill woke up in a quick amount of time. Rage was more powerful because of the beating Beedrill took, and Venonat was looking like he was ready to be squashed.

"Venonat come back," Leaf said as she got out her Pokeball to call back Venonat.

"Pursuit!" Serena retorted.

Leaf was about to call back Venonat, but Beedrill came in on time with Pursuit. Venonat was knocked all the way over to a tree where the Insect Pokémon fell and was now in a daze.

"Venonat is unable to battle, the winner is Beedrill!" Rotom Dex announced turning Venonat's picture grey.

Serena smiled after seeing her Beedrill coming through. It looked like Beedrill did get tougher from his loss as Pewter City. Leaf pulled out her Pokeball and called back Venonat.

"Return Venonat," Leaf said calling back Venonat, "Great job Venonat."

Serena could see that Beedrill was a bit tired from that fun little battle with Venonat, so she took out Beedrill's Pokeball and called him back.

"Alright Beedrill, you did a good job. Now return," Serena said bringing back Beedrill.

Rotom Dex turned the background on Beedrill grey indicating that Beedrill has been withdrawn and can continue battling if needed. Not anything like Venonat's picture which means Venonat can't battle anymore.

"So, you're going to change Pokémon?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah, I want to give Beedrill a break," Serena answered as she pulled out Fennekin's Pokeball.

"Alright," Leaf said taking out another Pokeball, "Now I want you to take on my precious Bulbasaur."

"And I'll bring out Fennekin," Serena said sending out Fennekin.

The two Pokémon came out with Leaf bringing out Bulbasaur and Serena sending out Fennekin. Rotom Dex showed the Pokémon's pictures underneath their respective trainers and then did a data check on Bulbasaur. Even though Ash and Serena heard Bulbasaur's data, they didn't record it on Rotom Dex.

 _#001-Bulbasaur: Seed Pokémon_

 _Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger._

Serena clearly had the type advantage as Fennekin was a fire type and Bulbasaur was a grass type, but she had to remember that type advantages do not always mean that she will win. After all, Froakie had a type advantage against Geodude and Onix in his first battle against Onix, and Froakie couldn't prevail that time. Speaking of the Bubble Frog Pokémon.

"What the?" Ash replied as he saw Froakie's Pokeball opened revealing the Bubble Frog Pokémon, "You want to watch Fennekin battle, don't you?"

"Froakie," Froakie happily responded.

"Alright Bulbasaur, lets start things off with Vine Whip!" Leaf yelled out.

Bulbasaur sent out two vines coming right at Fennekin. The Fox Pokémon got trapped in the vines and tried to wiggle out.

"Come on Fennekin!" Serena called out.

"Now slam Fennekin up and down," Leaf told Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur started to slam Fennekin on the ground repeatedly. Man, even though Leaf wasn't much of a battler, she still made sure to bring in some battling techniques, mainly due to any danger that she could encounter. Froakie didn't like seeing Fennekin getting slammed repeatedly.

If Serena wanted to be a great Pokémon trainer and great Pokémon coordinator, then Serena needed to figure out how to get out of this. Afterwards Bulbasaur finally stopped slamming Fennekin and waited for Leaf to make the next call.

"Now keep Fennekin tied up and use Poison Powder," Leaf told Bulbasaur.

"Fennekin use Fire Spin on Bulbasaur!" Serena retorted.

Fennekin came at Bulbasaur with a Fire Spin attack that fried the Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur couldn't get Poison Powder in on time, and now Fennekin was still up for more.

"Quick Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf," Leaf yelled out.

"Come at Bulbasaur with Flame Charge," Serena told Fennekin.

Bulbasaur fired off leaves at Fennekin, but the Fox Pokémon came charging in with a Flame Charge attack. Fennekin knocked Bulbasaur all the way back, and the Seed Pokémon was feeling the burns.

"It's not over yet, Bulbasaur use Leech Seed!" Leaf yelled out.

A seed came out of Bulbasaur's back, and Bulbasaur fired the seed at Fennekin. Fennekin was hit by the seed, and it was starting to sap energy from Fennekin.

"Fennekin no," Serena said.

"That's Leech Seed, it drains energy from the opposing Pokémon and it goes over to the Pokémon that used the attack," Rotom Dex explained, "This means Bulbasaur is starting to gain more energy while Fennekin starts to lose energy."

"Froakie! Froakie!" Froakie cried.

Fennekin was starting to lose more energy. It seemed hopeless, but Fennekin refused to quit. The only thing Fennekin could think about was if she can't overcome this, then how will she overcome everything else that comes her way. She could only hope Serena could think of something. Serena was trying her best to think of how to handle the effects of Leech Seed, but nothing came in.

"Sorry to say this Serena, but Leech Seed is pretty much making Fennekin pretty weak," Leaf told Serena, "Now let's end this, Bulbasaur use Take Down!"

Serena could see Bulbasaur coming at Fennekin with Take Down. While Fennekin was weak, Serena needed to remember that Fennekin could still move and attack. Then she remembered back at the Pewter Gym when Froakie finally got up close to finish off Onix. It looks like Leaf was making that same mistake and Serena was going to take advantage of it once Bulbasaur was about to make contact.

"Fennekin use Psybeam!" Serena retorted.

Fennekin surprised Bulbasaur with a Psybeam that blasted Bulbasaur all the way back and knocking him down on his back. Bulbasaur didn't move and the effects of Leech Seed stopped meaning that Bulbasaur could not continue.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle, the winner is Fennekin! Serena Gabena has won the match!" Rotom Dex announced happily turning Bulbasaur's picture grey and replacing the whole screen with Serena's picture with WINNER underneath.

"Good job Fennekin," Serena said giving Fennekin a hug.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded.

"Froakie!" Froakie said cheering and clapping his hands.

"Bulbasaur return," Leaf said calling back Bulbasaur, "You did a pretty good job Bulbasaur, now take a nice break."

Leaf went up to Serena and gave her the biggest hug she ever could get. The only thing Leaf could feel was complete happiness for Serena. Yeah, she lost to her, but she is happy that she's doing so well.

"Serena, I got to say you're definitely doing a heck of a job," Leaf told Serena, "I know you haven't won a contest yet, but you're definitely been doing really well."

"Thanks Leaf, Fennekin here just wanted to win for me," Serena said looking at Fennekin, "The same has been going for Ash's Froakie."

"Yeah, I know Froakie and Fennekin could only trust us for some reason as they can't seem to be comfortable around most humans, but I think we're seeing some progress," Ash explained.

"Well if anyone can get these Kalos Pokémon to feel love around humans, it's you two," Leaf said giving a thumbs up, "I mean these two Pokémon are awesome."

Leaf smiled looking at Froakie and Fennekin, and wanting to make Ash and Serena happy, they decided to go up to Leaf and try to rub on her leg to try and show their affection.

"Aww," Leaf said until she knelt down to the Pokémon's level, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I love every single Pokémon that's out there, including you."

Leaf then patted Froakie and Fennekin on the head. Froakie and Fennekin were nervous, but the two happily accepted the gesture. This warmed Ash and Serena's heart that Froakie and Fennekin were getting along

"It looks like Froakie and Fennekin have warmed up to Leaf," Ash said.

"I know, I'm so happy for Fennekin," Serena said.

Then Pikachu ran up and decided to rub his cheek on Leaf to show he trusts her too. Leaf patted Pikachu on the head too showing that she loved the little mouse Pokémon. Then Ash and Serena were coming up towards Leaf, Pikachu, Froakie, and Fennekin to see the amazing scene. While Leaf was still on her knees, she noticed something about Ash and Serena.

"You got great Pokémon you two, and I think you're going to get along with these guys just fine," Leaf told Ash and Serena until she decided to change the subject and smirked at the two, "By the way you two, why do each of you have your shoes tied somewhat differently?"

Ash and Serena were now just embarrassed, but the Pokémon got a good laugh out of that.

* * *

 _ **Somewhere out near the damaged bar**_

A jeep was coming towards the damaged bar, and Petrel was being forced to work with no rest until the barkeeper got his money. That jeep was black and had a red R on it, and inside was Proton.

"Excuse me, I'm here to give you the money for the bar," Proton told the bartender.

"Good, I want it repaired now!" the bartender screamed.

"I can't use the money to instantly repair the bar with a snap of a finger," Proton told the bartender.

"Then you and that friend of yours can work until it's fixed!" the bartender screamed.

Proton was getting angry with this guy, but then it turned into an evil smirk. The Rocket Executive pulled out a Pokeball.

"Allow me to help you remodel your bar," Proton said sending out a Pokémon.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a grey creature with red eye pupil, a yellow stomach, and a yellow horn on his face. It was the Drill Pokémon Rhydon.

"Rhydon use Horn Drill," Proton told Rhydon.

"Wait a minute…are you Team," the bartender said until it happened.

Rhydon drilled the bartender in the gut and then crashed into the bar destroying it beyond repair. The bartender was then crushed into a tree by the charging Rhydon. The patrons who were inside were also in great pain as they had broken bones and were bleeding. The bartender himself was dead, and Proton just glared at him.

"That's what happens when you deal with the men in the red R" Proton said smirking at the dead bartender.

Petrel then came out and put his shirt back on. Looks like Proton took care of Petrel's situation without having to pay a penny. When Petrel got into the jeep, Proton took out a match, called back Rhydon, and threw the match at the destroyed bar burning anything else to the ground, and guaranteeing those patrons were dead. Proton and Petrel then took off.

"Petrel, why didn't you kill those bastards?" Proton asked.

"I didn't want them to know that I was part of Team Rocket," Petrel answered, "Someone would've said something and called the police."

"Petrel, you have Pokémon, use them to murder those sick pieces of shit like how I did that with Rhydon," Proton told Petrel.

"I will understand that in the near future," Petrel responded.

"Good, now let's get to Mt. Moon and stop those bastards from running that operation before they screw it up like they did with everything else," Proton said growling, "I hate those failures."

"Hey if they fail, you can have Rhydon torture them," Petrel suggested.

"That's a good idea," Proton replied, "I am the cruelest of the rockets after all."

As Petrel and Proton were on the road for Mt. Moon, the bar continues to burn up. Thankfully there was a rain coming in that would put the fire out before it began to spread.

"We might want to take shelter," Petrel suggested to Proton.

"No way, we stop those fools now!" Proton growled until the jeep stopped.

Proton looked at the gas gauge and saw that the gas gauge was empty. This was the last thing the executives needed was another delay from getting to the trio. Proton immediately called Archer.

"I told those bastards to fill up on gas!" Proton screamed on the radio to Archer, "Break their legs now!"

* * *

 _ **On the road to Mt. Moon**_

Ash and Serena continued their way towards Mt. Moon, and Leaf decided to join them until they get through Mt. Moon. She wanted to see the Pokémon that lived inside of the caves of Mt. Moon. The three were in good spirits and were having a blast. Rotom Dex even used a feature to play music. There even was singing between the group and Pikachu was grooving to the music. Rotom Dex began singing.

"I want to be the best, there ever was. To beat all the rest, yeah that's my cause," Rotom Dex sung.

"Electrode Diglett Nidoran Mankey Venasaur Rattata Fearow Pidgey Seaking Jolteon Dragonite, Gastly Ponyta Vaporeon Poliwrath Butterfree!" Ash, Serena, and Leaf all sung.

The sky turned grey, and the three Pokémon trainers stopped singing as they noticed the Pokémon Center right in front of them. The three could see that it was about to rain.

"Guys, it looks like it's going to rain," Serena said looking at the sky, "I say we call it a day."

"Good idea, we'll go to Mt. Moon tomorrow," Ash said as they made their way to the Pokémon Center.

The three got in, and just as expected it started to rain. It wasn't an intense storm, but it was something that could just pass over, but still the group agreed to spend the night and get their Pokémon rested up after Serena and Leaf had a pretty good battle today.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

It was sunny and clear as Ash, Serena, and Leaf all began to walk out of the Pokémon Center.

"Are you guys ready to conquer Mt. Moon?" Ash asked the girls.

"You bet I am, I'm ready to see what amazing Pokémon there are in Mt. Moon," Leaf said ecstatically.

"Me too," Serena replied.

"And I can add more data to my spectacular data," Rotom Dex said dancing.

"Or you can have a spectacular Pokémon right now," said a voice from behind.

It was a man with black hair with a white headband. He was wearing a white shirt, green pants, and brown shoes. The person looked like a salesman.

"Excuse me?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, I got a special deal for you kids," the salesman said pulling out a Pokeball, "Inside this Pokeball is a magnificent rare Pokémon. They say this Pokémon can cost a fortune."

"A rare Pokémon?" Serena questioned.

"Yes, it's so rare I can't even say the name of it because people would come for it like crazy," the salesman explained, "How would you like to take this special rare Pokémon for I say a great amount of 2000 Pokedollars?"

"Wow, what Pokémon is it?" Ash asked.

"I can't say, as I said just saying the name could cause people to go crazy and come after it," the salesman explained.

Serena then started to dig in her pockets and pulled out 2000 Pokedollars. Leaf was giving Serena a glazed look in the eyes.

"Serena, I wouldn't spend your money on what this guy is selling," Leaf warned.

"But he says it's a rare Pokémon, and besides I could use another Pokémon of my own so that way me and Ash can both have three," Serena explained as she gave him the money, "Here you go sir, 2000 Pokedollars."

"Thank you, young lady, I must say you won't be disappointed," the salesman said as he ran off, "Oh I don't do refunds."

Leaf didn't like what this guy was saying, and she looked mad at Serena. Leaf glared at the honey-blonde girl, and Ash had a bad feeling that she may have done something wrong.

"Serena let's see what's inside that Pokeball," Leaf sternly said.

"Okay," Serena replied as she opened the Pokeball.

Serena opened the Pokeball and coming out was a red dopey fish with dopey eyes, a yellow fin on top, and yellow whiskers. My Arceus, she just wasted 2000 Pokedollars on a Magikarp.

"What is this?" Serena asked.

"You didn't analyze this guy Serena?" Leaf questioned, "YOU WERE CLEARLY SCAMMED! THAT'S A MAGIKARP!"

"Magikarp?" Serena questioned.

"Let me analyze this Pokémon," Rotom Dex said sternly.

 _#129-Magikarp: Fish Pokémon_

 _In the distant past, they were fairly strong, but they have become gradually weaker over time._

Ash was not very happy when he saw that Serena got herself a Magikarp. It wasn't the fact she got a Pokémon, but more of the fact she spent most of their money on something when they didn't even know what it was.

"Serena, Magikarps are very common in the water. They're not rare, they could be found in any body of water in the world," Leaf explained to Serena.

"So, this Pokémon could be found in any body of water," Serena asked.

"Yeah Serena, and I'm not happy with you about this," Ash said feeling angry, "Serena, Leaf made a point, you had no idea what the Pokémon could've been, and neither did I, and you just squandered most of our money away. We need that money for supplies."

"Ash," Serena trailed.

"Serena, you heard what Paul said, that only the strong and smart trainers make it through," Ash angrily said as he now felt even more anger mentioning his name, "I don't even want to mention him. Anyway, you weren't smart and just fell for a scam! We aren't going to ever get that money back!"

After hearing those words from Ash, Serena was right. They weren't ever going to get that money back, and they needed their money for food and supplies to help them get through along the way. Leaf was not happy with Serena as well.

"I'm sorry Ash," Serena said tearing up, "I didn't mean to do this to us."

"Thank you, and we can take that as a learning experience," Ash told Serena, "Now here's what you're going to do, you're going to keep that Magikarp as a reminder not to fall for those scams again."

"Okay, I will keep Magikarp," Serena said looking at the red fish with tears in her eyes, "I will do everything in my power to make sure Magikarp can serve a purpose for us and be our friend."

"Magikarps are pretty weak Serena. They only know Splash, Tackle, and Flail," Leaf explained.

"Leaf is right Serena, I don't think Magikarp will fare in any Pokémon Contest," Rotom Dex told Serena.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

Serena was now even more hurt not only learning about Magikarp being common, and being scammed out of her money, but also, they're weak and probably belong in the water.

"Hey Serena, just because they say Magikarp are weak doesn't mean you can't find a way to be friends with Magikarp. Remember how I always say never give up until the end, well you can find a way to make things work out with Magikarp," Ash explained with encouragement.

After hearing those words from Ash, Serena was starting to feel better mostly because Ash didn't seem angry anymore but encouraged her to do her best to raise Magikarp.

"Ash is right, the best Pokémon trainers have to handle it with any Pokémon," Leaf told Serena.

"You're right, not only will I keep Magikarp as a reminder to be more aware of certain people, but I will also make become the best friend this Pokémon has ever had!" Serena declared.

* * *

 **Well it was a painful lesson for Serena to learn not to always trust everyone you see. Heck, Ash might have fallen for that scam too. At least Serena can learn from that, and it could pay off big in the future. I don't know how, but does anyone know what a Magikarp evolves into?**

 **Leaf will be with Ash and Serena for the next chapter which will be at Mt. Moon, and be warned, Ash and Serena will be dealing with Team Rocket in the next chapter.**

 **What will happen at Mt. Moon? Will Ash, Serena, or Leaf catch any Pokémon? Will Petrel and Proton arrive before the trio screws up? Find out in the next chapter, and the poll on Squirtle will close once the next chapter is up. Be sure to vote before I post the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 14: Fossil Hunters**


	14. Fossil Hunters

**Okay everyone, I will reveal the winner of who gets Squirtle at the end of this chapter. Right now, just enjoy the group's next encounter with the dastardly Team Rocket.**

* * *

 _ **Somewhere on the road**_

Proton, Petrel, and Proton's Rhydon were pushing the jeep while waiting for Archer to come on over and give their jeep a refill on gas. The jeep was heavy, and it even tired Rhydon out a bit. The executives were pissed off that their men forgot to fill up the gas in Proton's jeep.

"How much longer?" Petrel asked.

"I don't know Petrel, let me ask Archer," Proton said as he went to the radio letting Petrel and Proton's Rhydon take a breather, "Archer come in, Archer come in!"

"This is Archer," Archer responded on the other end.

"Where are you!?" Proton angrily asked.

"I'm trying to find you," Archer answered, "You didn't give me an exact location."

"Alright, I'll stay on the radio to give you fucking directions!" Proton yelled, "I'm very angry that now we have to wait longer!"

Proton's patience has run completely thin as they needed to wait for Archer to give them gas. They couldn't greatly guide him, so it was going to be tough to navigate.

* * *

 _ **Mt. Moon**_

About an hour after Serena got scammed for a Magikarp, the group of Ash, Serena, and Leaf all arrived at Mt. Moon. They knew that they were going to have to go through the tunnels of Mt. Moon to get to Cerulean City for Ash's second gym battle and Serena's next contest.

"So, this is Mt. Moon," Ash said looking at the entrance to the cave.

"It looks like it," Leaf said taking a look, "I bet we can find some cool Pokémon in there."

"Hey Rotom Dex, do you by any chance have night vision?" Serena asked.

"I'm a Pokedex, not goggles," Rotom Dex said crossing his arms, "But I can be your flashlight."

As the group got closer to the cave, Leaf stopped everyone. Ash and Serena were a bit alarmed with what Leaf was doing.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"What is it Leaf?" Ash asked.

"You guys have to think things through," Leaf said picking up a rock, "And I want to make sure we're comfortable getting in."

Leaf threw the rock into the cave entrance. An echoing sound was made and coming out were a bunch of blue bats with no eyes, and purple on the inside of their wings. Rotom Dex started to analyze the Pokémon.

 _#041-Zubat: Bat Pokémon_

 _It has no eyeballs, so it can't see. It checks its surroundings via the ultrasonic waves it emits from its mouth._

There had to be about one hundred Zubats in that cave that just flew out. After about a minute, there were no more Zubats flying out of the cave. Ash and Serena had to be surprised with what Leaf just did.

"Leaf, how did you know there were Zubats in there?" Serena asked in amazement.

"I didn't, I wanted to throw a rock in there to draw any Pokémon's attention to let them know someone is here, and that way we don't have to fall for a Pokémon ambush," Leaf explained, "I mean did you two want a bunch of Zubats flying all over you?"

"No, not at all," Ash answered waiving his hands.

"Good, now let's go inside I'm sure there are some pretty awesome Pokémon in these caves," Leaf said.

"Flashlight activate," Rotom Dex said brightening his screen.

And so, Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Pikachu all went into the cave with Rotom Dex guiding the way with its flashlight screen.

* * *

 _ **Inside Mt. Moon**_

"Gonna dig up a hole," a grunt sung.

"Gonna dig up a hole," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

"Gonna find me booty," a grunt sung.

"Gonna find me booty," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

"Gonna dig up a hole," a grunt sung.

"Gonna dig up a hole," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

"Gonna get me some money," a grunt sung.

"Gonna get me some money," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

The rocket grunts were digging up holes inside the caves of Mt. Moon. There were lighting systems wired up all over the cave to make sure they could see. This was bringing some effects to the Pokémon's behavior.

Meanwhile Jessie, James, and Meowth were all standing and leaning on the wall watching the grunts dig up for fossils.

"Good job Jessie, maybe our bosses, and our superiors, including Proton, can see we can run a mission quite well," Meowth told Jessie.

"Yeah, at this rate all of the fossils on Mt. Moon will be ours, and we can make a living with these prehistoric Pokémon fossils," James happily said.

"No, the prehistoric Pokémon once they're revived," Jessie said scolding them, "Then we're going to deliver them to the casino in Celadon City where Team Rocket can make a huge profit!"

"Nothing will stand in our way!" James declared raising his fist.

"Not even those twerps we saw in Viridian City!" Meowth yelled out.

"Don't jinx it Meowth!" Jessie yelled, "I don't want Proton to beat the shit out of us again!"

Somewhere out in the distance, a pink round creature with brown ears, and adorable eyes was watching the scene with the rockets who were singing and digging, and this creature had a feeling that these people were not friendly.

"Clefairy," the creature known as Clefairy responded.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere inside Mt. Moon**_

Ash, Serena, and Leaf were all walking through the caves of Mt. Moon, only to discover the lighting that is set up inside the caves. Rotom Dex had his flashlight mode turned off due to those lights, but there was one question. Why were these lights set up? I mean it wouldn't make the cave dark, but it also could bring some negative effects to the Pokémon that live in Mt. Moon. The three Pokémon trainers didn't seem fond of those lights being there.

"Who put these lights up?" Ash asked, "It doesn't seem to be doing good for the Pokémon."

"You're right Ash, look at these Pokémon," Leaf said observing the Pokémon.

There were some Paras who were planting mushrooms inside the cave, and the lights in the cave were drying up some Sandshrew. Who in the right mind would want the Pokémon to endure this type of pain?

"This is truly effecting the nature of the Pokémon," Leaf retaliated, "I can understand if you're studying these, or setting it up to help people get through, but these lights shouldn't be around."

"Do you think we're going to find the people responsible for those lights?" Serena asked.

"If we do, I like to have a word with them," Ash spoke up.

As the group continued through the cave, they could see more Pokémon in bad shape, but there was another Pokémon who heard the group of three Pokémon trainers, and that Pokémon happened to be Clefairy.

While the three continued through the cave, they started to hear some singing along with some digging. It sounded like men who were digging for something, so the three wanted to check out what it was. Maybe it was the people who put those lights up.

"Gonna dig up a hole," a grunt sung.

"Gonna dig up a hole," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

"Gonna find me booty," a grunt sung.

"Gonna find me booty," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

"Gonna dig up a hole," a grunt sung.

"Gonna dig up a hole," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

"Gonna get me some money," a grunt sung.

"Gonna get me some money," all the grunts sung in a chorus.

Ash, Serena, and Leaf all looked over to see that it was none other than Team Rocket. The two really hated these criminals as they tried to kill them three times on occasion. Once in the Viridian City Pokémon Center, and twice in the Viridian Forest.

"Team Rocket," Ash muttered.

Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth noticed the eyes from up above. The group was on a higher part of the cave while Team Rocket was on the lower part.

"The twerps," Jessie muttered, "Keep digging boys, we'll be right back."

Jessie, James, and Meowth all walked off while the grunts continued to dig for fossils. The trio even brought shovels with them.

"Who are those guys?" Leaf asked.

"Team Rocket, we actually met them before," Serena said.

"They're a group of criminals who kill anyone who gets in their way," Ash explained, "The only question is what do they plan to truly do?"

"You never told me you've ran into these guys," Leaf quietly said, "Why didn't you ever say that to me?"

"Well, we didn't want to scare you, or possibly have our moms be frightened as well," Serena answered, "I mean they already were worried about us after being chased by a flock of Spearows, so I don't want them knowing that we were fighting a criminal organization."

"What makes you guys think that dealing with these guys is a good idea?" Leaf asked.

"We don't choose to fight them, we run into them by accident," Ash answered.

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

"Right, it was Pikachu who saved us from Team Rocket the first time, and then Caterpie and Weedle before they became Butterfree and Beedrill," Ash explained, "And I guess we got lucky the third time."

"I see," Leaf replied.

The group continued to look down at the rockets, and the lights that were affecting the Pokémon. The three knew they had to be careful.

"So, what are we going to do?" Serena asked.

"Easy, take a nap!" Meowth yelled from behind.

Ash, Serena, and Leaf turned around and gasped as they saw Jessie, James, and Meowth hit them on the head with shovels, thus knocking them out. Pikachu was about to jump in and fight them, but Meowth was quick with the shovel and knocked him out too. Jessie and James meanwhile grabbed Rotom Dex.

"Not you guys again," Rotom Dex muttered.

* * *

 _ **About an hour later**_

Ash began to open his eyes as he regained conscious only to find out he was tied up. Jessie, James, and Meowth were all smirking at him with the rocket grunts around them smirking as well.

Serena and Leaf were still knocked out while Pikachu was trapped inside of an electric proof cage along with Rotom Dex. Ash also noticed that behind the rockets were their backpacks and their Pokeballs, and Pikachu did wake up only to be unable to break out of the cage. The group was now defenseless.

"Looks like the twerp is awake," Meowth said.

"Team Rocket," Ash growled.

"Hmph, so you remember us," Jessie said as she snapped her fingers.

The trio began to recite their motto.

"Prepare for trouble," Jessie said.

"Make it double," James said.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie recited.

"To unite all people with in our nation," James recited.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love," Jessie recited.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," James recited.

"Jessie," Jessie recited.

"James," James recited.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," Jessie recited.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight," James recited.

"Meowth that's right," Meowth recited as he jumped in.

After they finished the motto, Serena and Leaf were starting to gain conscious and immediately noticed that they were tied up and Team Rocket was right in front of them with their Pokeballs.

"So, you must be the Team Rocket guys I just heard about now," Leaf growled.

"That's right, and no Pokémon is here to save you now," Jessie said.

"Yeah, we did something right and now our superiors won't call us fucking retards," James declared.

"You do realize were children," Leaf muttered.

"And we're terrorists, got a problem with that!" Meowth ranted.

Leaf didn't bother to say a word, and Ash was just angry, and Serena was feeling really scared. They were once again in the grasps of being killed by this toxic vile group.

"What are you doing here?" Ash questioned, "And were you the ones who put those lights up!?"

"None of your business twerp, we were happily assigned to search for fossils that have been reported to be hidden up here on Mt. Moon," Jessie explained.

"So, I take it you were the crooks who broke into the museum the other day?" Serena questioned.

"Technically it was our grunts," James replied.

"Now stand aside, we're going to make our bosses happy by eliminating you twerps once and for all! And this time no one is going to save you!" Meowth announced, "Alright boys, lets finish them!"

Jessie sent out Ekans while James sent out Koffing. The grunts sent out Raticate, Grimer, Sandshrew, Machop, and Zubat. Rotom Dex was able to get some analysis on the Pokémon.

 _#020-Raticate: Rat Pokémon_

 _Its whiskers are essential for maintaining its balance. No matter how friendly you are, it will get angry and bite you if you touch its whiskers._

 _#066-Machop: Superpower Pokémon_

 _It likes food that's highly nutritious because its instincts drive it to build muscle efficiently._

 _#088-Grimer: Sludge Pokémon_

 _It was born from sludge on the ocean floor. In a sterile environment, the germs within its body can't multiply, and it dies._

So, this was it, they were going to die. All the Pokémon were coming in on the group and they were completely helpless. Their Pokeballs were on the other side, the three couldn't move their arms, and Pikachu struggled to break free of the cage. If they could move their arms, Ash and Serena would hug each other right now. Now it was time for last words.

"Serena, before we die, I want you to know that…" Ash said until something came in and interrupted him.

Coming out of nowhere was a Disarming Voice attack that knocked down the rockets and all their Pokémon. Jessie, James, and Meowth were caught off guard by that attack.

"Where did that come from?" Jessie questioned angrily.

"I don't know, but now's our chance to fight back!" Ash yelled out.

Coming out of nowhere was a Clefairy who jumps in and unties the group. Did they know that Clefairy was here? That Clefairy really got into Team Rocket's way. Ash went up to the cage with Pikachu in it and grabbed it while Serena and Leaf were able to recover their Pokeballs along with Ash's. The rockets and their Pokémon were now getting back up, but now the group could fight them.

"Alright listen up you guys, you kill the twerps while we scram with the fossils," Meowth said as Jessie, James, and Meowth grabbed the fossils and returned their Pokémon.

"Oh no you don't!" Serena shouted as she was stopped by a grunt.

"You heard them little girl, we're going to kill you," the grunt replied.

"Go Beedrill!" Serena yelled.

"Go Butterfree!" Ash yelled.

"Go Bellsprout!" Leaf yelled.

Ash sent out his Butterfree after he freed Rotom Dex and Pikachu, Serena sent out her Beedrill, and Leaf sent out a Pokémon with a thin brown body with a yellow trap head with baby eyes and green leaves on the sides. That Pokémon happened to be Bellsprout, and Rotom Dex did an analysis on Bellsprout just to be safe.

 _#069-Bellsprout: Flower Pokémon_

 _Bellsprout's thin and flexible body lets it bend and sway to avoid any attack, however strong it may be. From its mouth, this Pokémon spits a corrosive fluid that melts even iron._

"Attack!" all the grunts yelled to their Pokémon.

"Butterfree use Confusion!" Ash yelled out.

"Beedrill use Pin Missile!" Serena yelled out.

"Bellsprout use Stun Spore!" Leaf yelled out.

Butterfree attacked all the Pokémon engulfing them in a Confusion while Beedrill struck them all with a Pin Missile attack, and then for the finale Bellsprout unleashed a brown powder which happened to be a Stun Spore putting the Pokémon in their place. Raticate, Grimer, Machop, Sandshrew, and Zubat were all down, and now the rocket grunts were just even more angry. As they were about to draw more Pokeballs.

"Fine, we'll just send more Pokémon out to beat the shit out of you," one of the grunts said, "At least those two will get out with the fossils."

"You should watch your language since we do have children in here," Rotom Dex angrily told the grunts.

"We can say whatever the fuck we want you fucking piece of shit!" another grunt screamed.

Clefairy looked at the trainers and their Pokémon who were fighting the rocket grunts. The next thing the Fairy Pokémon did was wave her fingers back and forth.

"Speaking of which," another grunt said as he turned to Ash, Serena, and Leaf, "SHITTY BITCHES FUCKING PENIS BASTARD BITCHES CRAPPY VAGINAS FUCK!"

Then afterwards, Clefairy's fingers glowed and she jumped onto the scene which stopped the rocket grunts excessive cursing.

"Clefairy?" Leaf questioned as she noticed Clefairy intensely glowing white, "Everyone call back your Pokémon and run for it!"

Ash, Serena, and Leaf called their Pokémon back and ran off to a set of rocks where the three of them, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex took shelter when Clefairy exploded. The Fairy Pokémon created an explosion that took engulfed the rockets and their Pokémon with, and it also destroyed the lighting system. After the smoke cleared, the three Pokémon trainers, the Pokémon, and Rotom Dex took time to inspect.

"What did Clefairy do?" Serena asked.

"Clefairy used Explosion," Leaf answered, "They can't learn that attack which meant the only possible way for Clefairy to use that was Metronome."

"Metronome?" Ash questioned.

"When Clefairy uses Metronome, a random attack appears," Leaf explained, "And judging by what Clefairy just did, that happened to be Explosion."

"I see," Ash replied.

As the three approached the rockets, they were clearly stepping in blood and possible guts. The five rocket grunts were dead as their body parts were all over the place, and what made matters even worse was that the Pokémon were dead too. Their hearts just broke, those Pokémon didn't deserve to die.

"I can't believe Clefairy killed them," Serena said in shock.

"I just want you all to know that this wasn't murder, it was to protect us," Leaf said tearing up looking at the dead grunts and Pokémon, "I'm sure Clefairy never meant for any of this."

"Clefairy," Clefairy said as she nodded weakly.

The group heard that Pokémon. Clefairy wasn't dead, but the Fairy Pokémon was just weakened from the force of the explosion she created. While continuing to step on the blood and guts, which completely disgusted them, Leaf was the first to come up to Clefairy.

"Clefairy, are you alright?" Leaf asked getting down to Clefairy's level.

"Clefairy," Clefairy answered weakly until she saw what happened.

"Clefairy listen, you might feel horrible about what just happened but remember, you saved us because they were going to kill us," Leaf explained.

Ash saw the dead Pokémon and his face grinned into despair. These Pokémon didn't deserve this fate, and he clearly know Clefairy didn't mean any of this.

"I can't believe these Pokémon are dead," Ash said with regret, "And they all paid the price by siding with Team Rocket. I hate those criminals."

"I hate them too Ash," Serena said putting her hand on Ash's shoulder, "They were going to suffer either way, it was prison or death."

While the scene did seem grim, the group just remembered that the trio were running off with the fossils. They were getting away and couldn't let that happen.

"We'll think about this later, right now we have to chase down Jessie and James and Meowth," Rotom Dex reminded to everyone.

"You're right, we can't let them take those fossils," Ash declared, "Pikachu can you pick up a scent."

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

Pikachu started using his nose and picked up Meowth's scent. They were going down into a deeper part of the cave which would lead to the other side. Talk about good luck because that was the path they needed to take to get out.

"I think Pikachu got their scent," Ash told everyone, "Let's go!"

Ash and Serena dashed off, but Leaf stayed behind to tend to the Clefairy. She looked at the weakened Clefairy and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I'll get you help and you can become my friend," Leaf said taking out a Pokeball and catching Clefairy.

Clefairy was sucked into the Pokeball, and she didn't even make much of a resistance. The ball dinged immediately and Leaf clipped Clefairy's new Pokeball onto her belt. Leaf then ran off to follow Ash and Serena.

* * *

 _ **Back on the road somewhere**_

Proton and Petrel were waiting in their jeep as Archer finally arrived giving their jeep gas. After filling their jeep, the two executives gave Archer a bow.

"Thank you, Archer," Proton responded.

"You're very welcome," Archer replied, "Now hurry up before those two screw up, and I already have those rockets being tortured."

"Good," Proton responded.

Archer drove off and Petrel stepped on the gas towards Mt. Moon with Proton. They knew it wouldn't be long before the trio messed up.

* * *

 _ **About 15 minutes later back on Mt. Moon**_

Jessie, James, and Meowth were running through the cave with the bag of fossils with them. They lost the group and were hoping that the grunts killed them.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" James asked.

"Yeah, I don't think this is taking us back to the jeep," Meowth said.

"Who cares, just as long as we get away from those dreadful twerps, that's what matters," Jessie replied.

"I hope they don't find us because the last thing I want for us is to be getting a beating from Proton," Meowth said with fear in his voice.

"Then keep running!" Jessie yelled.

The trio ran as fast as they could, but Jessie tripped dropping the bag. She got up quickly and grabbed the bag without noticing that a few fossils fell out of the bag.

Meanwhile Ash and Serena were running down the tunnel following Pikachu since he had the scent of Meowth.

"They can't get away," Ash said.

The two eventually stopped as Ash noticed something on the ground. It happened to be some of the fossils that Team Rocket took for themselves.

"Ash are those," Serena questioned looking at the fossils.

This pause allowed Leaf to catch up. Ash and Serena noticed Leaf coming by as she noticed the fossils too.

"If I can look at those correctly, those have to be some of the fossils Team Rocket stole," Leaf stated.

"Yeah, lets grab them and keep following Team Rocket," Ash said.

"Right," Leaf responded.

The three each grabbed a fossil, and each fossil was different. There wasn't any time to observe the fossils as they needed to catch up with the trio to stop them from escaping.

"So, Leaf, how's Clefairy?" Serena asked as she kept running.

"Clefairy's fine," Leaf answered pulling out Clefairy's new Pokeball.

"You caught Clefairy?" Ash asked in amazement.

"Yeah, after we get out of here, I'm going to get Clefairy to a Pokémon Center and she can be my new friend," Leaf explained, "But right now we got to stop Team Rocket!"

"You got that right," Ash responded.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

The Team Rocket trio was then taken to a giant room inside the cave. What they saw in front of them looked like a giant meteorite.

"Whoa, that thing is huge," Meowth said in amazement.

"Do you think we could bring this back with us as well?" James asked.

"We can't James, we have to bring these fossils back to headquarters," Jessie retorted, "Then again, which way are we going to go?"

The trio noticed that there were a lot of passages. Which way were they going to go? Which one would be the best way out and back to their jeep? Most importantly, which path is the best one to get away from those twerps? They spent too much time thinking because.

"Hold it!" Ash yelled out.

"The twerps!" Jessie, James, and Meowth yelled in union.

Ash, Serena, Leaf, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all arrived on the scene. They were wondering how those twerps got past their men.

* * *

 _ **Outside of Mt. Moon**_

The jeep arrived at Mt. Moon parked right next to the jeep Jessie, James, Meowth, and the grunts were in. Proton stepped out of the vehicle with a menacing grin on his face. He was ready to kill someone, most likely the trio.

"Well the jeep is still here so I guess that's a good thing," Proton growled.

"Let's get in and shut down their operation before they mess up," Petrel said.

The two walked out and stormed into the caves of Mt. Moon. The lights that were set up were not working unaware that a Clefairy created an explosion that destroyed the wiring. Petrel and Proton were praying to Arceus that these two didn't screw up yet.

* * *

 _ **Back inside Mt. Moon**_

"Alright bad minions of Team Rocket surrender those fossils or else!" Rotom Dex said putting its arms up like fists.

"We don't take words from a floating computer!" Meowth yelled.

"I'm a floating Pokedex," Rotom Dex sternly replied.

"Give us those fossils!" Serena yelled out.

"You're kids, we're adults, kids listen to the adults, and us adults are going to tell you to go to hell!" Jessie yelled out, "Now what did you do to our men!?"

"Remember that Clefairy that jumped in to tackle you all, well it came in again and used Metronome to use Explosion sending your men to a place worse than prison," Leaf explained, "We didn't want that, neither did Clefairy, but that Clefairy saved us, and I'm going to get out of here saving Clefairy too."

"You killed our men," James said in shock.

"Don't say a word, now give us those fossils back," Ash told in a demanding voice.

"Not a chance in hell! We're going to make you suffer for killing our men!" Jessie screamed as she got out a Pokeball, "Ekans kill them!"

"You too Koffing!" James yelled out bringing out Koffing.

While Ekans and Koffing came out to attack the group along with Meowth, Ash, Serena, and Leaf all got out a Pokeball while Pikachu jumped in ready to attack.

"Froakie I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

"Go Fennekin!" Serena yelled out sending out Fennekin.

"Bulbasaur, go!" Leaf yelled out sending out Bulbasaur.

Team Rocket had Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth, while the group had Froakie, Fennekin, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur. Both sides sure did hate each other, but this was for the fate of the fossils.

"Ekans use Wrap!" Jessie yelled out.

Ekans slithered over and wrapped Froakie, Fennekin, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu in a bind. All four Pokémon were completely stuck and couldn't move.

"Now Koffing use Sludge!" James called out.

Koffing unleashed gunk from his body that was coming for the Pokémon. Pikachu however slipped out of the wrap because the fact that if of the four Pokémon got out, it would create a loosening for the Pokémon allowing the other Pokémon to escape which they did. Koffing's Sludge attack ended up hitting Ekans.

"But how!" Jessie screamed.

"Good job Pikachu now use Thundershock!" Ash called out.

Pikachu unleashed electricity from his cheeks zapping the Snake Pokémon. Ekans was not out, but he was sure in pain.

"This isn't over yet," Jessie growled.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere in another part of Mt. Moon**_

Proton and Petrel were walking through the caves, and it was there where they saw the dead bodies of their men. Proton growled with anger knowing that Jessie and James had to mess up again.

"They sure know how to fuck things up," Proton muttered, "You men didn't deserve this."

"I say we look for Jessie and James and Meowth fast, they must be hiding from their failures," Petrel said.

"Then I'm going to break their necks," Proton said smacking his fist into his hand.

The two continued down the cave where Petrel lead the way. Then again, something went off in Petrel's head. If Jessie and James did fail, wouldn't they be reporting it to headquarters. Yes, they fuck everything up, but at least they say something which is showing honesty to their team members.

* * *

 _ **Back in the big room**_

"Froakie use Bubble!" Ash yelled out.

"Fennekin use Ember!" Serena shouted.

"Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf!" Leaf called out.

Froakie unleashed a flurry of bubbles, Fennekin fired off a flurry of embers, and Bulbasaur unleashed a bunch of leaves. Koffing, Ekans, and Meowth were sure putting up a fight. These must be tough Pokémon. Pikachu unleashed another Thundershock on Meowth before he was knocked out.

"Darn it, Meowth is done," Meowth said in a sad tone.

Koffing and Ekans were left starring at Froakie, Fennekin, and Bulbasaur. It was then Bulbasaur who walked up towards the two poison-type Pokémon. Ekans and Koffing glared at the Seed Pokémon, and then without hesitation, Bulbasaur started to glow white.

"What the," Ash said in amazement.

"Yay, Bulbasaur is evolving!" Leaf said with excitement.

Bulbasaur started to change form and when the glowing stopped, Bulbasaur was replaced by a bigger blue creature with leaves on his back and a big pink bud. Bulbasaur has now evolved into Ivysaur.

"What is that?" Serena asked in amazement.

"Rotom Dex will cover this!" Rotom Dex called out starting the analysis.

 _#002-Ivysaur: Seed Pokémon_

 _There is a bud on this Pokémon's back. To support its weight, Ivysaur's legs and trunk grow thick and strong. If it starts spending more time lying in the sunlight, it's a sign that the bud will bloom into a large flower soon._

"Ivysaur," Leaf said in excitement, "Alright Ivysaur use Petal Dance!"

Ivysaur jumped up and fired off pink petals at Ekans and Koffing. Despite Petal Dance being a grass type attack and Ekans and Koffing both being poison type Pokémon, it was still powerful as it was enough to take both Pokémon out.

"Way to go!" Leaf said pumping her fist.

Froakie, Fennekin, and Pikachu all cheered Ivysaur on. Jessie and James stood in disgust as they called back their Pokémon. Boy were those two angry.

"I can't believe those twerps beat us again!" Jessie angrily scowled.

"Fear not Jessie, we still have the fossils," James said holding the bag in his hand.

"Not for long!" Ash hollered, "Froakie, grab the fossils!"

"Froakie!" Froakie exclaimed as he made his way towards Jessie and James.

With their Pokémon defeated, and Meowth in a daze, Jessie and James were now standing in terror as those dreadful twerps got in their way again, and it all had to start with that Clefairy jumping into the scene. As Froakie was coming closer, a gunshot was fired stopping Froakie in his tracks.

"What the!" Ash said in shock.

Ash, Serena, Leaf, Jessie, James, and all the Pokémon were all frightened by the gunshot coming into the room. Froakie and Fennekin had to be terrified the most since they can somehow remember gunshots from the past, in fact the two Pokémon were completely petrified.

"You're lucky I missed brats," a voice called out.

Jessie and James remember that voice as it brought shivers to their spine. Coming out of one the passageways was a teal haired man wearing a black hat who was the one holding the gun.

"Proton," Jessie and James said in fear, "And Petrel."

It was Proton who was following Petrel into the room. Proton put his gun away and the trainers and Pokémon didn't even move, and neither did Rotom Dex. Proton glared at the two rockets.

"We're too late, these two just got their asses kicked by a bunch of kids," Proton said, "You really are fucking garbage since we couldn't stop you from failing the mission in time!"

"But Proton," James said.

"Go fuck yourself!" Proton screamed as he kicked James in the face and glared at Ash, Serena, and Leaf, "And don't think I forgot about you fucking kids!"

"Proton," Jessie said as she was trying to point to the bag.

"Listen here, your excuses are pathetic! Don't try to defend yourselves, you only did this because of our retarded chiefs, and don't worry I killed them for that!" Proton exclaimed.

"Now what's in the bag?" Petrel questioned.

James handed Petrel the bag without any hesitation. They were already getting a scare for their lives from Proton, but when Petrel opened the bag, he could see many Pokémon fossils inside.

"Proton, you won't believe what's in this bag," Petrel told Proton.

"I don't want to know, and I don't fucking care," Proton scolded at Petrel.

"It's the Pokémon fossils which means, they've succeeded," Petrel said showing Proton the fossils.

"They only succeeded because we stopped them before they failed," Proton said, "At least something good came out of this. Now let's get out of here, but first."

Proton glared at Ash, Serena, and Leaf. Ivysaur, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all glared at the angry man, but Froakie and Fennekin seemed too scared to move because of the gunshot that was fired by Proton. At least they know these men were bad news. Petrel was the first to speak.

"Any chance your names happen to be Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena?" Petrel questioned looking at Ash and Serena.

"Yeah, how did you know our names?" Ash asked.

"Computer boy gave away your identities to these failures who somehow succeeded in getting the fossils for us," Petrel answered until he looked at Leaf, "And I don't think I've ever seen you before. Who are you little girl?"

"Leaf Green," Leaf answered with fear in her voice as she didn't want to possibly get shot or anything else.

"Give us those fossils back!" Ash hollered.

"We're not letting you get away with those," Serena yelled as she ran up towards Petrel.

As Serena was coming close towards the executives, Proton pulled his gun out again on Serena and she stopped in her tracks.

"I don't think so little girl, or you get a bullet in your head," Proton told Serena as she backed down, "Good, now allow me to introduce ourselves, I am Proton, and this is Petrel. We are executives of Team Rocket."

"Indeed, we've heard that you brats have bested Jessie and James twice and now a third time, but that's only because they're failures who somehow got admin rankings," Petrel explained, "And I've heard that maybe you kids, I don't know, killed some of our men?"

"Killed your men?" Leaf questioned, "I admit we may have accidently killed your grunts when Clefairy used Explosion from Metronome."

"We didn't mean too, it was more to protect ourselves," Serena explained.

"After all, they were trying to kill us," Ash told the executives.

"And you also admit to the men you killed in Viridian Forest too, don't you Mr. Ketchum," Petrel asked with a glare in his eyes.

Ash and Serena remembered that moment. There were those two rocket grunts hunting down Pokémon in Viridian Forest but weren't accompanied by Jessie or James. They tackled them and took their Pokémon and locked up Pikachu and drove off in their jeep, and then they startled a group of Beedrill to attack the two Pokémon trainers. Ash and Serena were able to use their heads to fend off the Beedrill and when they finally found those two grunts, they were lying on the ground dying like someone attacked them. Their last words to them were beware of the Beedrill, and then a swarm of Beedrill came where Ash and Serena fended off with the help of Ash's Butterfree, and Serena's own Beedrill.

"We didn't kill those men, a group of Beedrill possibly did that," Ash confessed.

"A group of Beedrill, meaning one of you two had a Beedrill that killed him," Petrel spoke, "Do any of you two have a Beedrill?"

"I do, but it was a Kakuna back at the time those two were killed. We found those men dying when we recovered our Pokémon which they took from us," Serena explained.

"Nice job with the lies," Proton said.

"Alright listen up, I am evil but I'm also a nice guy. Jessie and James along with the grunts are low lives of Team Rocket, now you are looking at two high ranked executives," Petrel explained, "Me and Proton will show you our power, and what to expect if you cross our paths again."

Proton smirked at the Pokémon trainers and Petrel was looking at Jessie and James with Meowth alongside.

"Jessie, James, Meowth, come over here. Proton bring out the kraken!" Petrel called out.

"Alright," Proton replied as he glared at the kids, "You're going to fucking die now!"

"We're not going to kill them, we're just going to show off our strengths," Petrel told Proton, "But don't worry, next time we'll kill them."

Proton was furious at Petrel right now. He didn't want to kill any of his teammates except for Jessie, James, and Meowth, but he had to keep his composure. Now he glared at Ash, Serena, Leaf, Froakie, Fennekin, Ivysaur, and Pikachu with an angry look on his face.

"Just be warned, our leaders are more powerful than me and Petrel combined so you will fear us in the future," Proton said pulling out his Pokeball, "Rhydon, crush them with Horn Drill!"

Proton brought out his Rhydon. Coming off trashing a bar and killing a bunch of people, Rhydon was now going to get himself a second helping.

"Analyzing Pokémon," Rotom Dex said doing an analysis.

 _#112-Rhydon: Drill Pokémon_

 _Rhydon has a horn that serves as a drill. It is used for destroying rocks and boulders. This Pokémon occasionally rams into streams of magma, but the armor-like hide prevents it from feeling the heat._

Serena can recall that her mothers have a pet Rhyhorn that they never tend to evolve, and if they did, this is what Rhyhorn would become. The Drill Pokémon was very scary, and Proton was angry that he Petrel told him not to kill anyone. Rhydon was now coming at everyone with Horn Drill.

"Froakie Water Pulse!" Ash hollered, "Pikachu, Thundershock!"

"Fennekin use Fire Spin!" Serena shouted.

"Ivysaur use Vine Whip!" Leaf yelled out.

Froakie and Fennekin got out of their trances and tried to attack. Froakie unleashed a Water Pulse, Fennekin opened her mouth to unleash a Fire Spin, Ivysaur tried attacking with Vine Whip, and Pikachu fired off a Thundershock attack. Rhydon was charging and none of the attacks did anything, even Water Pulse and Vine Whip which should have done extra damage. No surprise Thundershock didn't work because Rhydon was a ground type Pokémon.

Rhydon started to barrel each Pokémon down one by one, and all of them were being slammed into a wall except for Ivysaur who got slammed into the meteorite. The worst part though was that Rhydon was coming towards the three kids and Rhydon immediately barreled each of them down and slammed them to the wall. All three Pokémon trainers and their Pokémon were knocked out. No one suffered any broken bones since Rhydon got the message that they couldn't kill anyone.

"End of demo," Proton said looking at Petrel and the trio while calling back Rhydon, "Now let's retreat!"

"Wait for me, Rotom Dex will come to the rescue!" Rotom Dex yelled out flying towards the rockets.

"Weezing use Smokescreen!" Petrel yelled out sending out his Pokémon.

Petrel sent out a Pokémon that looked like two Koffing that were stuck together which happened to be Weezing. Rotom Dex didn't have time to do an analysis as it was coming at the rockets. Weezing unleashed a Smokescreen that clouded the whole area. Rotom Dex's eyes weren't affected, then again it was a screen, but the smoke still blocked out his sight. After the smoke cleared, Rotom Dex saw that the rockets were nowhere to be found. They got away with the fossils.

"We failed to stop them," Rotom Dex said in disappointment.

Rotom Dex looked around and saw Ash, Serena, Leaf, Pikachu, Froakie, Fennekin, and Ivysaur all slumped and knocked out in defeat. Rotom Dex was lucky not to get hurt as it stayed to keep them company.

* * *

 _ **Back outside Mt. Moon**_

Petrel, Proton, Jessie, James, and Meowth were all back outside where the jeeps were. They didn't even bother going back for the corpses of their dead men, they were just going to leave them there to rot. They didn't even care that other travelers were going to come across those dead bodies.

"That'll teach them not to mess with Team Rocket," Petrel said, "Giovanni and Ariana will be pleased that we beat those meddling kids."

"See, we're not failures, we got the fossils!" Jessie said as they were heading into their jeeps.

"You only succeeded because you ran out of time to screw up," Proton responded, "Once we can get these fossils revitalized, then we can sell them in the casino."

"So now that we succeeded, does this mean we can help in the casino in Celadon City?" James asked.

"Yeah, I would love to be part of that operation," Meowth happily said, "Then maybe our bosses can be happy."

"Tell you what, you can have a small job in the casino operation, no major assignments because we want successes like Cassidy and Bitch taking care of those along with us executives," Petrel explained.

"This isn't fair, Cassidy and Biff get to work in the casino and we don't!" Jessie hollered.

"I said a small job," Petrel said as he got into the jeep, "We will go back to headquarters and then decide what you can do."

With that, Jessie, James, Meowth, Proton, and Petrel all drove off back to Team Rocket Headquarters. They prayed to Arceus that those kids do not get in the way of their operations ever again. Proton could only hope Rhydon taught them a lesson.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

Wow! That attack had the entire group knocked out for the entire night. Ash, Serena, and Leaf were all starting to regain conscious following the events of what happened in the giant room. The group was in pain, but mostly bruises. No broken bones though.

"What happened?" Ash asked in a daze.

"You guys were knocked out all by that man's Rhydon. None of you stood a chance," Rotom Dex answered solemnly.

"What about the fossils?" Serena asked.

"They got away with them, I'm sorry," Rotom Dex replied.

Ash and Serena looked down on the ground in defeat. Team Rocket successfully got away with the fossils. Their Pokémon were no match for Proton's Rhydon, and they weren't awake to even see Petrel's Weezing who only used a Smokescreen to escape. Leaf then turned to Ash and Serena who were glum right now.

"I know you guys, we all wanted to stop them, but we weren't strong enough," Leaf said, "But at least we're alive."

After those words were said, all the Pokémon who were knocked out started to wake up. Froakie and Fennekin were feeling alright, Pikachu was groaning in pain a little, but he was fine, and Ivysaur was laying on the ground after hitting the meteorite. Upon impact, a few pieces of the meteorite broke off, but it still stood strong.

"I wonder how Clefairy is doing," Leaf said remembering she still had Clefairy from before who helped them out in the first place.

Leaf sent out the Fairy Pokémon who saw the entire group. They weren't in the best of mood after what they dealt with from Team Rocket. Clefairy then saw Ivysaur who was slumped on the ground and went on over to him. It looks like Clefairy is doing just fine now, but still would need to visit a Pokémon Center.

"Looks like Clefairy is doing alright," Ash happily said.

"Yeah, Clefairy just needed a good night's rest," Serena kindly said.

It made the group feel a little better about Team Rocket, but as Clefairy approached Ivysaur, the Fairy Pokémon wasn't aware of the chunks of the meteorite. Clefairy made contact with one of the pieces, and Clefairy absorbed it and the Fairy Pokémon suddenly starting to glow white.

"What the, is Clefairy evolving?" Leaf asked herself.

"I think so," Rotom Dex answered.

Clefairy started to evolve and after changing form, Clefairy was replaced with what appears to be a bigger Clefairy but with longer ears, and a big curly tail. Clefairy was now a Clefable.

"Clefairy has now evolved into Clefable!" Rotom Dex happily said as it spun around while doing an analysis.

 _#036-Clefable: Fairy Pokémon_

 _It can't help but hear a pin drop from over half a mile away, so it lives deep in the mountains where there aren't many people or Pokémon._

"A Clefable," Leaf said in amazement.

"Wow Leaf, in less than 24 hours you have two Pokémon evolutions," Ash happily said.

"Thanks Ash," Leaf said.

After Clefairy evolved, he helped Ivysaur up and the rest of the Pokémon gathered around Clefable. Clefable also grabbed pieces of the meteorite and passed it onto Ash, Serena, and Leaf. Leaf took a close look at the meteor chunk and realized what it was.

"I know what this meteorite is," Leaf said, "It's a Moon Stone."

"A Moon Stone," Serena questioned.

"Yeah, a Moon Stone is an evolutionary stone that is needed to make certain Pokémon evolve, and Clefairys are one of those Pokémon who needs a Moon Stone to evolve," Leaf explained.

"So, you're saying that this is a Moon Stone," Ash said looking at the giant meteorite.

"It has to be, what else could've made Clefairy evolve?" Leaf asked as she looked at her Moon Stone, "And now we all have a piece of the Moon Stone, so we can have one of our Pokémon evolve if needed."

"That's great," Ash said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily responded.

* * *

 _ **Outside of Mt. Moon**_

After all the terrifying events taking place in Mt. Moon, the group finally made it out of the cave and onto the other side. Ash, Serena, and Leaf all stepped out with their Pokémon back in their Pokeballs except for Pikachu. Rotom Dex was with them as well.

"Well guys, despite not being able to save the fossils from Team Rocket, we did manage to get a few of them," Ash said as he pulled out his fossil.

Serena and Leaf also pulled out their fossils. Despite Team Rocket getting away with the fossils and defeating the group, Ash, Serena, and Leaf were able to hold on to the three fossils that Jessie, James, and Meowth dropped while they were running away. Ash had a gold fossil which happened to be an Old Amber, Serena got a brown fossil with a tail like shape which happened to be a Helix Fossil, and Leaf got a brown fossil with a shell-like shape which happened to be a Dome Fossil.

"I guess three fossils is better than none," Rotom Dex happily said.

"Yeah, I even learned about those fossils from Daisy who took the time to learn from Professor Oak. The Dome Fossil which I have will resurrect a Kabuto, the Helix Fossil which you have Serena will resurrect an Omanyte, and Ash that Old Amber will bring to life," Leaf explained until she paused and gulped, "An Aerodactyl."

"Aerodactyl, are those Pokémon supposed to be scary?" Serena questioned with concern.

"All of those Pokémon lived in prehistoric times, and Aerodactyl tended to be a dangerous predator," Leaf explained, "Ash if you ever get that Aerodactyl, I suggest you be very careful with it."

"Okay," Ash answered.

"So how do we resurrect these Pokémon?" Serena asked.

"On Cinnibar Island, there is a Pokémon Lab that has a machine which resurrects fossil Pokémon. It's very far away so don't expect to have those fossils resurrected anytime soon," Leaf explained.

"I see," Serena said looking at her Helix Fossil, "I wonder what it would be like to have an Omanyte?"

Serena could try to imagine what she could do with Omanyte in Pokémon Contests, but she has no idea what an Omanyte looks like.

"Hey Rotom Dex, can you give us information on these fossil Pokémon," Serena asked.

"Sorry Serena, no can do. I can only give an analysis on a Pokémon once I see it," Rotom Dex explained, "Speaking of which, there was another Pokémon one of those executives used while you were knocked out."

 _#110-Weezing: Poison Gas Pokémon_

 _Weezing alternately shrinks and inflates its twin bodies to mix together toxic gases inside. The more the gases are mixed, the more powerful the toxins become. The Pokémon also becomes more putrid._

"It was used by that Petrel guy," Rotom Dex mentioned.

"I see," Serena replied.

"Speaking of Team Rocket do you guys think it would be a good idea if could try not to fight them anymore?" Leaf questioned Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena were in a lost of words. They mentioned that they don't go looking for Team Rocket, they just keep running into them. The truth was both Ash and Serena deeply hated criminals, especially the waste of oxygen known as Siegfried who murdered Froakie's and Fennekin's families back in Kalos, even though they haven't met him.

"We'll try, but we're not making any promises," Ash told Leaf.

"If we have no choice, then we will fight them," Serena sternly said, "And Leaf, do you think it's a good idea that we don't tell our moms about Team Rocket."

"I promise I won't say anything to them about Team Rocket," Leaf gestured, "Unless it starts to get very serious."

Ash and Serena know that their moms worry enough when they're out traveling, and the last thing they want on their minds is that a terrorist organization almost killed them and Leaf. What Leaf meant by if it starts to get very serious is if a life threating situation should take place.

* * *

 _ **Back on the trail**_

Ash, Serena, and Leaf were back on the road. Cerulean City was about a day away for our traveling group. There was another Pokémon Center on the other side of the mountain which they used to get their Pokémon back in good shape. After that fight with Team Rocket, they could use all the rest they can get.

There was a fork in the road though as a sign came up giving them directions. One path was pointing towards Cerulean City while the other was pointing towards Cerulean Cape. Ash and Serena knew their next destination was Cerulean City.

"It says that this path leads to Cerulean City," Serena said reading the sign.

"I take it that's where you guys will be going next?" Leaf asked.

"Yep, I'll get my second badge and Serena will get her first ribbon!" Ash declared.

"That's great for you guys, but I'm going to pass. I'll be following the road to Cerulean Cape where I get to meet the Pokemanic Bill. Professor Oak told me about him. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon," Leaf happily said.

As Ash and Serena were about to say their goodbyes to Leaf, Ash noticed something on the sign. It looks like someone wrote something on that sign. Ash took a glimpse at the sign and saw what the message said.

 _Gary was here, Ash is a loser_

"Loser!" Ash shouted, "I'll show him!"

Ash then sprinted down the road to catch up to his rival Gary. Man did Gary have an ego writing on the sign Ash is a loser. Serena, Rotom Dex, and Pikachu all waived goodbye to Leaf as they started to sprint down the road to catch up to Ash. A Pokémon Contest and a gym battle were going to be taking place in Cerulean City, but Ash might want his sights on getting to Gary. Chances are he cleared the Cerulean Gym.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Green Household**_

Rose was looking through possible places for the ladies to visit. She wanted Delia, Grace, and Jade to get out and live a little bit since their kids are out traveling. Rose was looking at places around Kanto like maybe a vacation to Cinnibar Island, or Saffron City. What she really wanted the ladies to do was to get out and have a good time.

"Okay, there has to be a place we could go out and have some fun," Rose said to herself.

"What about Celadon City?" Daniel her husband asked.

"Celadon City?" Rose questioned, "That's where I grew up. Do you think they'll remember me for scamming all those people back in the days?"

"Rose sweetie, you were a rebellious teenager back then, everyone knows that people will grow up, and besides Celadon City is the second biggest and second most populated city in Kanto behind only Saffron City," Daniel explained.

"But why did you bring up Celadon City?" Rose asked.

"You want the women to have the time of their lives, well I heard there's this casino hotel that's been around Celadon City for a long time," Daniel explained, "Maybe you girls could go out gambling, win big, and get your asses drunk as hell. Just be careful not to have sex with any guys, we are married after all. Also, the same for our neighbors as well."

"Daniel, Delia is too much a loyal person to turn on Red even though he left Pallet Town a couple of years ago, and Grace and Jade are lesbians who are married, we'll watch out for men, but we can still feel horny around them," Rose told her husband.

"I wasn't concerned about Grace and Jade, I was more concerned about you and Delia," Daniel explained, "But go out and win big, and I also heard that they're giving away Pokémon for those who win big."

"Why would a casino want to sell off Pokémon?" Rose asked.

"I have no idea," Daniel answered, "So are you going to suggest this to the ladies?"

"Hell yeah, we'll have a good time and get our asses drunk if we want to, but we won't have any men get us laid," Rose replied.

"That's my girl," Daniel said before giving her a kiss.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Ketchum Household**_

Rose walked up to the door of the Ketchum residence and knocked. Rose was excited about planning a trip for the girls to Celadon City. As the door opened, she could see that Delia opened the door.

"Hey there Delia," Rose said with a happy smirk.

"Rose, come on in, we're just watching General Pokémon Center," Delia said.

Rose walked into the house ready to break the news about where she is planning for all the women to go. Rose could see Grace and Jade were on the couch watching the soap opera, but there was another woman in the living room with Grace and Jade. Rose knows this woman and so does Delia along with Grace and Jade.

The woman had blonde hair with a long ponytail wearing an orange poncho with long black sleeves, a brown belt, blue pants, and purple boots. She also had a Pikachu with a pink flower on her head. This Pikachu was a female.

"Hi there Yellow, hello Chu Chu," Rose happily said.

"Um hi there," Yellow said acting a little shy.

"Delia, I didn't know your baby sister was here," Rose said.

"Yeah, she came from her cottage in Viridian City to come visit us," Delia said, "We could probably spend more time together now that the kids are gone."

Delia was always so happy when Yellow came over. She was a very protective girl who always adored her Pikachu. There have been moments in Yellow's life where she felt hurt, but her sister Delia and Chu Chu have always been there for her. In fact, it was Red who found this little Pikachu for her, and they have been best friends ever since.

"So, what have you been up to?" Rose asked.

"Nothing much," Yellow answered with a smile, "How's Daniel?"

"He's doing fine," Rose answered.

Yellow was after all family to Delia and Red, and even though she was hoping to bring Delia, Grace, and Jade, Rose opened her heart to the shy loving Pikachu girl.

"Hey Yellow, how would you like to come with us?" Rose asked.

"To where?" Yellow asked.

"Well, I wanted my lady friends to all get out and have a good time and since you're such a wonderful baby sister to Delia, I'd figure you could come along too," Rose suggested, "We'll have a blast."

"Where are we going?" Yellow asked.

"Yeah Rose, where do you plan to take us?" Grace asked.

"Come on Rose don't be sneaky," Jade replied.

"Where do you want us to spend our time together?" Delia questioned in curiosity.

"I was thinking…Celadon City!" Rose announced.

* * *

 **This can't be good, there is a Team Rocket operation going on in Celadon City involving a casino and now it looks like the moms and Delia's sister Yellow who was introduced in this chapter are all going to possibly be caught in that mess. After the chaos Ash and Serena along with Leaf now caused Team Rocket, let's hope the rockets didn't fully do their homework on Ash and Serena.**

 **Leaf leaves the group, but she gets a Clefairy that evolves into a Clefable, and her Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur. While Ash, Serena, and Leaf got Moon Stones, Ash got himself an Old Amber which means he will soon get an Aerodactyl, Serena got herself a Helix Fossil which means she will get Omanyte, and Leaf got a Dome Fossil which will land her Kabuto. Ash and Serena will meet Leaf two more times in their travels and one of them will be on Cinnibar Island when they get their fossils resurrected.**

 **Okay, the poll is closed and there was a bit of an issue that I might have not been expecting. The poll for Squirtle ended in a tie, and I needed to be prepared for that. Try not to get mad, but my best option is that I will have to play the role of potential tiebreaker so now I have to decide how this will go.**

 **I've decided that I'm going to go down a new path and give Squirtle to Serena. Don't worry, I got some plans for Squirtle and Serena, even if it went to Ash.**

 **As for the Kanto Starter trainers, Bulbasaur will be let go by a trainer who only made one appearance in the anime, Charmander will obviously be Damien's ex-Pokémon, and I got some plans for him, and I got a little surprise about the former trainer of Squirtle.**

 **Now the next chapter is going to be an Interlude as we will pay a visit to Gary Oak and his sister Daisy. He will be playing the role of Ash as I portray one of the episodes in the anime, and someone else will make an appearance in this chapter.**

 **Interlude I: AJ's Gym**


	15. Interlude I-AJ's Gym

**So here it is, the first Interlude of the story and it will follow Gary Oak. Daisy isn't there yet, but she will join him soon enough. Anyway, please enjoy the chapter and I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Somewhere in Northeast Kanto**_

There is a boy from Pallet Town, an arrogant boy. He has brown spiky hair and is a member of the famous Oak family. His name is Gary Oak and he is on the road to become a Pokémon Master. His father Blue became the champion of Kanto after Red, the father of Ash left Kanto Region. The Oak family has been famous throughout the Kanto Region with his father being the champion and his grandfather being a Pokémon professor.

One day Gary was battling a boy who happened to be a Pokémon trainer. The trainer had a Rattata while Gary used a purple rabbit like creature with a horn on his forehead. This happened to be a male Nidoran. He had cheerleaders that followed him all over the place in a red convertible. The two were having a pretty good battle, but Gary was going to prove he was the better one.

"Now Nidoran, finish it with Horn Attack!" Gary called out.

The Poison Pin Pokémon came at Nidoran with a Horn Attack striking Rattata in the gut, and then the Mouse Pokémon eventually fell in defeat.

"Rattata," the boy trainer muttered.

"And I win, and that is victory number twenty for the great Gary Oak!" Gary announced.

"Gary Gary he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can! Gary Gary he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!" the cheerleaders cheered.

After the battle, Gary shook hands with the boy after a great battle. Gary may be arrogant, but he still tends to show good sportsmanship.

"That was a great battle," said the boy, "You're a really great Pokémon trainer."

"You got that right, I'm the best trainer there ever will be," said Gary as he pulled out his badge case.

Inside of his badge case was the Boulder Badge of Pewter City and another badge which resembles a blue drop of water. Turns out Gary has already earned two gym badges.

"Wow, you got badges!" the boy said in amazement.

"Yes, boy I do, and two more than my loser rival who I can predict has zero. I'm on my way to become Pokémon Master and make my way to the Pokémon League," Gary declared.

"Well good luck to you," the boy replied.

"Thanks, I'll need it when I get my trophy," Gary said as he hopped into his convertible.

"Gary Gary he's the best, he will beat out all the rest," the cheerleaders cheered as they drove off.

"What a showoff," the boy said snickering.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

As Gary was lounging in his convertible to go to this next gym, a girl appeared walking down the road. The girl had auburn hair wearing a white polo shirt with a blue skirt along with white shocks and black tennis shoes. The girl could hear the cheerleaders chanting Gary's name, and all the girl could do was give out a gazed look in her eyes at the person in the convertible.

"Well look who arrived at the scene, my showoff brother," the girl said looking at Gary.

The girl was none other than Daisy Oak, Gary's twin sister. Gary noticed the girl who happened to be his sister and ordered the cheerleader to stop the car. Gary hopped out meeting with his sister.

"Hey sis, it's very nice to see you here," Gary said waving at his sister, "So how's it going?"

"Hey Gary, it's been going good until you brought your circus with you," Daisy said with a glazed look in the eye.

Daisy finds Gary's showoff behavior to be annoying and stupid. Daisy could put the pieces together that this was just a way to show off against Ash making him look like a pathetic beginner for life.

After the annoying greetings, the two Oak siblings started talking and everything turned out fine. Gary's jaw dropped as low as it could after hearing about the starter Pokémon that Ash and Serena received all the way from the Kalos Region. Too bad Gary was busy showboating around Kanto because he would've been given the chance to see the same Froakie and Fennekin from their grandpa's summer camp.

Daisy then killed the mood when she told Gary the story about Froakie's and Fennekin's past where their parents, brothers, and sisters we're all killed by Siegfried while they were still in their egg stages. They changed the topic after that, and the two have mentioned that they caught a good amount of Pokémon in their time and introduced them to the ones they had right now. Gary also mentioned the fact that he has two Kanto Badges, and two Kanto Badges more than Ash. Daisy scolded him for mocking Ash like he always does and should try to find out exactly how many badges he has. The two even mentioned that they've battled a few trainers along the way, and Gary was now at twenty career victories.

"So, you've won twenty battles," said Daisy giving her brother a smirk, "How would you like a little bit of a challenge?"

"You mean the two of us have a Pokémon battle where the great Gary Oak wins?" Gary asked his twin sister.

"No. There is a gym that is not sanctioned by the Pokémon League called AJ's Gym. He never lost a match ever and I just recently became victim number 98," Daisy told Gary.

There was Gary's sister talking about AJ's Gym. This man she talked about never lost a match, and she decided to take on the challenge. Daisy ultimately lost and gave him his 98th win in a row without a single loss. Gary already had two badges, and he loved a challenge. After hearing about this gym, Gary decides to give it a try.

"So, 98 wins and zero losses," Gary said, "Well soon it will be 98 wins and 1 loss because no one can beat the great Gary Oak!"

"Gary Gary he's the best, he will beat out all the rest!" the cheerleaders cheered.

"Oh, dear Arceus, Gary I would love for you to go to this gym and challenge AJ right now," Daisy sternly told him and then her thoughts ran through, _"Maybe that will get him to stop showing off around others."_

Gary was going to challenge AJ's gym, and Daisy choose to come with him. Daisy was uncomfortable in Gary's convertible because it was so Arceus damn crammed with all those damn cheerleaders.

* * *

 _ **AJ's Gym**_

The red convertible arrived at what looked like a giant circus tent fenced around giant logs. Daisy chuckled seeing Gary and his cheerleaders in there since they were a circus. The sign read AJ's Gym, Undefeated, 98 Wins, 0 Losses, Note: This gym is not sanctioned by the Pokémon League.

"98 wins and 0 losses, well not for long," said Gary.

"Gary, this person has won almost 5 times as many battles as you in the form of a winning streak. Do you really think you can actually beat this guy?" Daisy questioned.

"Of course, I will, I'm the great Gary Oak!" Gary declared.

"Are you my next victim?" a man questioned.

A man approached Gary and Daisy who happened to have wild green spiky hair wearing a red and orange polo shirt with blue shorts and red boots. He gave a smirk at the Pallet Town native.

"Oh boy, it's a wild Pokémon trainer," Gary said mockingly.

"Humph, that's my job, but beating chumps like you is my hobby," said the man looking at Gary with a smirk, "The name's AJ, ready to lose?"

"Nope," Gary answered, "I just want to fix that sign for you by having a battle."

"We'll see about that," said AJ looking at Daisy, "And what do you know, my latest victim has returned."

"Oh, I just came to see 98 turn to 99," Daisy said and then looked at her brother.

Daisy was hoping watching Gary lose will satisfy her, and maybe shut those cheerleaders up. The doors opened to the battlefield, and Gary, Daisy, and the cheerleaders walked in. There was a battlefield out in front along with a white building that looked like a circus tent. With that, AJ turned to Gary.

"So which Pokémon are you going to choose for my 99th win?" AJ asked.

"Ninety-ninth?" Gary questioned as he got onto the battlefield.

"Gary Gary he's our man, if he can't do it no one can!" the cheerleaders cheered.

"Like I said, I'm here to fix your sign and you will soon be formally be undefeated." Gary told AJ.

Then AJ pulled out a whip to intimidate Gary, which didn't bother him at all.

"You may think you're hot stuff kid, but you're not playing in the Pokémon little league anymore," AJ said to Gary as he used his whip on the ground, "After I win hundred matches in a row, I'll start competing for badges."

"98 wins in a row and you don't have a single badge, we'll I'm the great Gary Oak who has 20 wins and two badges!" Gary said crossing his arms, "You can't defeat me."

Daisy couldn't believe his brother. He has cheerleaders cheering him on everywhere, he carries a cocky attitude, and this trainer just recalled winning 98 battles in a row. It didn't matter to her that Gary had two badges, the 98 wins in a row has more meaning and more to show that AJ has proven himself as a good trainer.

"I don't know if I want Gary to win or lose," Daisy said facepalming herself.

"This will be two on two," AJ announced pulling out a Pokeball, "Sandshrew go!"

AJ threw his Pokeball and coming out was a Sandshrew. Gary pulled out his Pokeball and gave it a kiss.

"Nidoran go!" Gary yelled out sending out Nidoran.

So here was a battle between Sandshrew and Nidoran as AJ was aiming for his 99th win in a row. Gary just had an arrogant smirk on his face and his cheerleaders were watching while Daisy watched in embarrassment. Honestly, she was hoping he loses.

"Alright Sandshrew use Rollout!" AJ yelled out using his whip.

Sandshrew started coming at Nidoran rolling on the battlefield. Nidoran stood his ground and Gary let his Pokémon make a move.

"Nidoran use Double Kick," Gary said feeling cocky.

Nidoran jumped up and began to kick Sandshrew, but the Rollout was so powerful that Nidoran was knocked back himself instead of Sandshrew being knocked back. Nidoran tumbled backwards and then stood back up. Gary was shocked that his Sandshrew was strong, but that wasn't going to drag his confidence down.

"Nidoran use Fury Attack!" Gary cried out.

Nidoran started to come back at Sandshrew with Fury Attack, but Sandshrew's Rollout still proved to be too powerful as Nidoran only took more damage. Gary had to give credit to AJ's Sandshrew, because it has been a worthy opponent so far.

"Now Sandshrew use Magnitude," AJ yelled out using his whip once more.

Sandshrew stopped with Rollout and started to jump on the ground as hard as he could. The ground started to shake and Nidoran began to stumble and fell. Daisy couldn't help but smile to Gary being beaten by this Pokémon trainer with wild green hair. Sure, he was her brother, but sometimes she wished that her brother stopped having his ego moments.

"Finish it off with Fury Swipes!" AJ called out.

Sandshrew came at Nidoran with Fury Swipes and started to repeatedly scratch the weakened Nidoran. After a couple of scratches, Nidoran was down and unable to battle. Gary grunted and brought out his Pokeball.

"Nidoran return," Gary called out calling back Nidoran, "Well done Nidoran."

Gary clipped Nidoran's Pokeball back on his belt. That Sandshrew sure was something, but Gary regained his arrogant smile as he pulled out his second Pokémon.

"Heh, Nidoran was just a warm-up AJ, now I will truly fix your sign," said Gary kissing his Pokeball, "Come on out Wartortle!"

Gary threw his Pokeball and coming out was a blue turtle creature that resembled a Squirtle, but it was bigger with blue ears, small claws, small fangs, and a big wavy tail. This clearly was a Wartortle, the evolved form of the Squirtle Gary got from his grandpa. Daisy looked up Wartortle on her Pokedex.

 _#008-Wartortle: Turtle Pokémon_

 _Its tail is large and covered with a rich, thick fur. The tail becomes increasingly deeper in color as Wartortle ages. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokémon's toughness as a battler._

"I see Gary evolved his Squirtle from grandpa," Daisy muttered to herself.

"I was nice enough to give your Sandshrew an advantage with a poison type Pokémon since Sandshrew was a ground type, but now you're dealing with an evolved water type Pokémon," Gary told AJ, "This is where you will lose now!"

"Gary Gary can't be beat, AJ is going to feel the heat!" the cheerleaders cheered.

"Oh boy, you probably don't realize that I make sure my Pokémon are trained to withstand all forms of weaknesses," AJ declared, "So now I'm going to make that Wartortle into Wartortle soup. Sandshrew use Dig."

Sandshrew dug a hole to hide and Wartortle had no idea where Sandshrew is hiding. Gary just smirked and thought that maybe Sandshrew was a coward and is trying to hide.

"Oh, your little Sandshrew is a coward," Gary mocked, "Let me help him be brave. Wartortle use Water Gun in the hole!"

Wartortle fired a Water Gun in the hole that Sandshrew dug. AJ just stood there with a confident smile as he watched Wartortle fill the hole with water. As Wartortle continued to fire his Water Gun, the hole became flooded. There was no way Sandshrew can withstand that much water in a hole, can it? Wartortle was standing with a grin on his face knowing that he must have taken care of that Sandshrew.

"I don't see Sandshrew coming out anytime soon," Gary said, "I win so change that sign now."

"One, this is a two on two battle, and two didn't you remember anything I just told you," AJ retorted.

Sandshrew jumped out from underneath Wartortle and knocked the Turtle Pokémon on his back. Sandshrew was drenched from the flooded hole, but it toughened out Wartortle's little washout trick.

"I trained my Pokémon to withstand all weaknesses," AJ told Gary.

Gary couldn't believe it; his most powerful Pokémon Wartortle was laying on his back unable to get up. He thought he was going to win because he had two badges and this guy had none, but he was wrong. AJ's 98 match winning streak wasn't just for show.

"Now Sandshrew use Poison Sting!" AJ called out.

Sandshrew unleashed a flurry of poison pins at Wartortle. The only thing Gary could do was watch Wartortle take all the blows from Sandshrew's Poison Pin. Wartortle wasn't moving, and he along with Gary we're defeated. The cheerleaders were in shock, Gary was in shock, and Daisy couldn't help but chuckle a little. And outside, the sign changed from 98 wins to 99 wins, but there was a boy looking at that sign. He was a cold boy, and it looked like this boy wanted to challenge this gym.

"And that's victory number 99!" AJ announced.

"Wow, just wow," Gary said in utter shock.

"Oh no! Gary lost!" the cheerleaders cried as they all started to cry.

"Oh no, Gary lost, it's the end of the world," Daisy said in a sarcastic tone, "Welcome to reality ladies, Gary can't win every battle."

"Return Wartortle," Gary said calling back Wartortle, "Great job Wartortle. How can I lose? I have two badges for crying out loud!"

"It's the world of Pokémon kid, there's always going to be someone better than you," AJ told Gary, "And today, I happened to be that someone."

"Well I won't let a loss like that drag me to the ground," Gary declared, "I'll just keep on training to become stronger, nothing will bring down the mighty Oak tree!"

"Gary Gary he's the best, we will beat out all the rest!" the cheerleaders cheered.

"I thought maybe that loss would bring Gary into reality," Daisy muttered.

"Well you put up a good show, now will you excuse me, I need to await my 100th win so I can start getting badges," AJ told Gary, Daisy, and the cheerleaders.

"Or your little winning streak can stop at 99," a voice said.

Gary, Daisy, and AJ looked at the person with the voice. It was a boy with purple hair who had a cold expression on his face. He walked into the gym and approached the battlefield that Gary and AJ were on. AJ could tell that this boy was serious.

"So, you came to help me seal my 100th win in a row so I can finally start gathering the badges of Kanto?" AJ questioned.

"That's right, the name's Paul," Paul said introducing himself.

It was Paul Aggrot, the cold boy with purple hair who caught the lead Spearow of the flock to drive the Spearow away and save Ash and Serena, but seemed mostly interested in the Spearow, and then had a three on three battle with Ash which resulted in a tie. One thing all these people didn't know about Paul was his treatment to his Pokémon.

"Wait a minute, I meant to say you're winning streak is going to end," Paul declared, "I challenge you to a battle!"

"Well well, looks like the chump has come to battle me," AJ said, "Challenge accepted."

Paul then smirked at AJ. Gary walked off the battlefield and rejoined his sister. She lost her little sarcastic attitude from earlier when Gary had his ego moment, and Gary was now going to be serious watching Paul's battle.

AJ still was standing where he was, and he still had his Sandshrew out. Looks like AJ was going to stick with the ground type Pokémon. Paul had a smog look on his face when he was looking at AJ, and he had the same look.

"You guys want to stay and watch?" AJ asked Gary, Daisy, and the cheerleaders.

"Sure, why not," Gary answered, "After all, if you do win, we might meet again in the future in the Pokémon League."

"I guess I'll do the same," Daisy replied.

With the Oak twins standing together ready to watch AJ aim for his 100th win in a row. Paul got a Pokeball out as he was prepared to have a battle with the red-hot AJ.

"Once I beat you, I can finally get out of here and start gunning for badges," AJ told Paul.

"Wow, 99 wins in a row and you haven't gotten a single badge. Badges don't matter, it's the quality of the wins that matter, and those 99 wins in a row has gotten me to consider you a worthy challenger," Paul explained.

"I'm glad to hear that," AJ responded.

"Thanks, better than that other pathetic trainer trying to get into the Pokémon League and his girlfriend. I take the time to help my Pokémon find their inner strength and full potential, and all they want to do is play around and be friends with them. That's what makes them weak," Paul said in disgust.

Gary and Daisy were not very fond of what Paul said about this Pokémon trainer and his girlfriend. Little did they know, that Pokémon trainer Paul was talking about was Gary's rival Ash Ketchum and the girlfriend he mentions was Serena Gabena. AJ was a little puzzled with what Paul just said, but then he mentions his methods.

"Well I make sure my Pokémon are in the best shape possible with proper nutrition, a nice firm exercise routine, and a little bit of playtime on weekends to let loose," AJ explained, "And Sandshrew here has proven to be one of my best companions so far."

"Great, I like to challenge that Sandshrew," Paul declared.

"Accepted, this will be two on two. Prepare to bring me into triple digits," AJ retorted, "Let's go Sandshrew."

"Magby, standby for battle!" Paul yelled out throwing his Pokeball.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a small red spitfire creature with a puffy head, a small yellow mouth, black around the neck, and a yellow belly. Gary and Daisy each pulled out their Pokedex as they discovered that this Pokémon was Magby.

 _#240-Magby: Live Coal Pokémon_

 _Its body temperature is always around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. If Magby falls into a small- enough pond, the whole thing will dry up._

"You do realize that Magby is a fire type and Sandshrew is a ground type," AJ mentioned to Paul.

"I know, I want my Pokémon to have a challenge which is why I want Magby to face a Pokémon that is strong against fire type which happens to be a ground type," Paul explained.

"You know when you want to push your Pokémon to the limits, I like that," AJ told Paul.

So far, AJ has seen Paul as a worthy opponent, and Paul has done the same. However, the two haven't battled yet, and Paul wants to see if this winning streak was the real deal, or just some hype he built around this area.

"Alright Sandshrew use Poison Sting!" AJ yelled out whipping.

"Magby use Smokescreen!" Paul yelled out.

Sandshrew fired off a bunch of poisonous needles while Magby engulfed himself in a deep smoke. Magby was able to get out of the way before the needles hit, but Sandshrew couldn't see where Magby was.

"Well then Sandshrew, jump into that smoke and use Rapid Spin," AJ told Sandshrew.

Sandshrew hopped into the smoke and began to use Rapid Spin to dust the smoke away. AJ was hoping where he could find Magby, and there he was being exposed.

"Magby use Flamethrower!" Paul shouted.

"Block with Rollout!" AJ retorted.

Magby unleashed a flame out of his mouth and Sandshrew started rolling in place. Sandshrew was blocking Magby's Flamethrower by rolling in place. Gary had to be impressed with how AJ trained his Sandshrew, and Paul had a bit of respect for him as well. He showed him why he got those 99 wins.

"Now attack!" AJ told Sandshrew.

Sandshrew then charged into Magby with his Rollout attack and knocked Magby back hard. It was a smart tactic for AJ turning defense into offense. Magby was tough to continue standing, but it was AJ who got the final move in.

"Now use Slash!" AJ yelled out using his whip.

Sandshrew slashed Magby, and the Live Coal Pokémon fell in defeat. Paul had to be impressed seeing that AJ's Sandshrew just took out his Magby, granted Sandshrew did have a type advantage. Paul couldn't help but smirk and show a shred of respect to AJ. He pulled out Magby's Pokeball and called him back without saying a word. This was something that seemed to bug Gary and Daisy. Why wasn't he telling his Pokémon he did a good job?

"Not bad," Paul said smirking, "I wanted to give Magby a challenge by going up against a type strong to your Sandshrew. I guess now I'm going to have to use a Pokémon that Sandshrew will be weak against."

Paul pulled out another Pokeball. It looks like Paul will now give AJ a type disadvantage, but little does he know, his Sandshrew did beat Gary's Wartortle to complete AJ's 99th win.

"What's he doing?" Gary asked himself.

Gary threw the Pokeball and coming out was a Squirtle. AJ couldn't help but smile to the fact that Paul just brought out a Squirtle. Sandshrew was already training himself against types that Sandshrew was weak against, so how would he fare against Squirtle?

"A Squirtle? I just beat that boy's Wartortle who happens to be an evolved form of Squirtle," AJ explained pointing to Gary.

"It's true," Gary responded.

"Maybe because your Wartortle hasn't seen enough potential, if you want your Pokémon to be strong, you need to make sure they are at their best potential or they will never amount to anything," Paul explained.

The Oak twins didn't know what to make of what Paul just said. As for now, it was time for Paul's Squirtle to take on AJ's Sandshrew.

"Well then, I guess it's time to end this," AJ told Paul, "Sandshrew use Rollout!"

"Squirtle use Water Gun!" Paul commanded.

Sandshrew came rolling at Squirtle with Rollout while Squirtle fired out a Water Gun attack. Sandshrew bolted through the Water Gun like it was nothing, and then Sandshrew knocked Squirtle on his back. Paul was now feeling completely disgusted with what just happened to Squirtle. Sandshrew defeated the Tiny Turtle Pokémon with just a single attack.

And with that, AJ finally reached his 100th consecutive victory with the defeat of Paul. The sign now showed 100 wins and 0 losses. Paul just immediately called back his Squirtle after the knockout blow with complete disgust.

"I'm going to have a word with you," Paul angrily said.

"And that my friends is victory number 100!" AJ announced, "We can finally go get badges!"

"Congratulations!" Daisy praised.

"Looks like I got myself another rival," Gary said to himself.

While AJ and Sandshrew got to hug each other for their great accomplishment, Paul went up to the green haired Pokémon trainer and offered his hand out.

"You have proven to be a great competitor," Paul said shaking his hand with AJ, "I guess I'll be seeing you soon in the Pokémon League."

"You got that right, now that I'm getting badges with 100 wins under my belt, I will have plenty of great experience when I face those gym leaders," AJ told Paul, "And I will be looking forward to having another battle with you one of these days."

"I guess I'll do the same, you are proven to be a worthy opponent," Paul said, "I got some training to do."

With that, Paul walked out of AJ's to continue his hard work. He was going to have some words with Squirtle about his battle against Sandshrew. Gary and Daisy were wondering what is with that guy?

* * *

 _ **Outside of AJ's Gym**_

Gary, Daisy, and the cheerleaders were all in the convertible as they were saying goodbye to AJ as he has now closed his gym to begin his journey to collect badges. They might cross paths again one day, but for now the Oak twins had their own roads to go on.

"So, Gary, maybe you can learn not to be an ego maniac all the time, because there are better trainers out there in this world, and AJ proved to be one of them," Daisy explained to Gary.

"Yeah, I understand," Gary replied, "But not to fear, I will lose battles occasionally, and then Gary will rise from the dead to win again!"

"Gary Gary he's the best, he will beat out all the rest!" the cheerleaders cheered.

So even in defeat, Gary has still proven to think he will always be above everyone's game. Daisy loves her brother, but she hopes that one day he gets a big wake up call. Then maybe he won't use that flashy convertible or drag those cheerleaders around anymore.

"Well I'm off to Vermillion City, there's a Thunder Badge with my name on it!" Gary announced.

"Alright Gary, I'll probably stay around and look for more Pokemon," said Daisy.

"Alright sis, you take care," Gary said giving her sister a hug.

"You too Gary, be safe," Daisy said while she gave her brother a hug.

Despite the differences between the Oak twins, these two proven they love each other as siblings. Now Gary is off to continue collecting badges to enter the Pokemon League while Daisy continues working on the Pokedex.

And somewhere out further in the outskirts, a purple haired boy glazed at his Pokeball.

* * *

 **And that concludes the interlude. Instead of Ash being win 99 and Team Rocket being win 100, it's Gary who's win 99 and Paul being win 100.**

 **This won't be AJ's last appearance as he will appear again, but not for a very long time. We got to see Gary and Daisy, and Daisy will run into Ash and Serena soon, but it will be a while before they run into Gary again.**

 **The next chapter will be Serena's Pokemon Contest in Cerulean City and the introduction of another rival for Serena. You probably might know who this rival is. See you next time.**

 **Chapter 15: Snooty Show**


	16. Snooty Show

**Here we are in Cerulean City where Serena will take part in her next Pokémon Contest and meets her new rival. I also want to do something a bit interesting and have the Cerulean Gym be also the contest hall since there are performances in there by the sensational sisters, why not make it a contest hall too. Anyway, please enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Pokémon Center**_

After walking through Mt. Moon, Ash and Serena finally arrived in Cerulean City. They got there a lot quicker due to Ash dashing down the road when he saw what Gary wrote on the sign and Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex trying to catch up.

They were in the Pokémon Center getting their Pokémon rested up, especially after the events of what happened on Mt. Moon with Proton's Rhydon creaming Froakie, Fennekin, and Pikachu along with Leaf's Ivysaur. The only thing those two could do was get stronger.

The first thing that was going to happen in Cerulean City was Serena's next Pokémon Contest which was tomorrow and then they were going to have Ash's gym battle in the Cerulean Gym. Ash and Serena were sitting next to each other in the Pokémon Center and the two trainers felt a bit of a warm feeling next to each other. It was kind of like what Froakie and Fennekin tended to have.

The ding finally came as Ash and Serena went to retrieve their Pokémon and Pikachu. With the contest coming up, Serena decided to train with Beedrill and Fennekin while she also helps Ash prepare for his gym battle. Serena was going to flip-flop this time and have Beedrill be the appeal Pokémon and Fennekin take part in the contest battles.

"So, Serena, are you looking forward to your Pokémon Contest?" Ash asked.

"You bet I am," Serena answered pumping her fists, "And this time I'm going to leave with a ribbon!"

Serena was now more determined to win her upcoming Pokémon Contest after losing her previous contest in Cerulean City. Fennekin did alright in the opening round, but Beedrill was clearly outclassed by Shauna's Seel in the contest battles. Then when Ash and Serena were walking out of the Pokémon Center, they ran into a girl with orange hair in a ponytail. She wore a yellow shirt with red suspenders, blue shorts, and red and white sneakers.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" the girl ranted.

"Sorry, we didn't see you coming in," Serena replied bowing to the girl.

"Good, now move aside I got to get my Pokémon some treatment," the girl ranted as she approached the front counter.

The girl spoke to the nurse in a nice tone to ask and take care of her Pokémon. Was this girl selectively rude or something? The two didn't even bother looking at that girl again as they walked out.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City**_

Before they could get some training in, Ash and Serena decided to walk around Cerulean City to see what the city has to offer. They needed to know the location of the Pokémon Gym and the Contest Hall, and Rotom Dex was there as their helpful guide.

"So where is the Cerulean Gym and the Contest Hall Rotom Dex?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, we need to know how to get to those places, especially the Contest Hall if I want to be there on time," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Hang on tight you two, I'm still trying to process this whole city into my circuits," said Rotom Dex who finally pinpointed the location of the Cerulean Gym, "I have located the Cerulean Gym, it's two blocks down that way."

"Alright!" Ash exclaimed as he ran down to find the gym.

Serena ran after Ash as he needed to remember that her contest was coming first. Speaking of her contest, she didn't get an answer from Rotom Dex of where the Contest Hall was. When Ash finally reached the Cerulean Gym, he could see it looked like a circus tent with a Dewgong in front where the letters reading Cerulean Gym.

"So, this must be the Cerulean Gym," Ash said looking at the gym.

As Ash looked around, he saw people in a line trying to enter the gym. Were they all Pokémon trainers competing for a badge? Wow, that must be a hell of lot of Pokémon trainers wanting to challenge the gym. The line was moving, so were the battles going fast?

Ash went up to the line and went along with the rest, and then he was stopped by what appeared to be some sort of bouncer. So, there must've been a bodyguard for the Cerulean Gym. Why are they letting so many people in, and why have a bouncer?

"Excuse me sir, do you have a ticket?" the bouncer asked.

"A ticket?" Ash questioned, "I need to have a ticket to challenge the gym leader?"

"Challenge the gym leader, no, a ticket for the sensational sisters water performance?" the bouncer questioned.

"Um no," Ash answered until his face lit up, "Wait, there's a performance going on in there, I thought this was an official Pokémon Gym."

"It is kid, and the sensational sisters are the gym leaders, but they have a show going on right now, so you won't be able to battle them right now," the bouncer explained.

"That's okay, I was just curious of why there was a line and I wasn't going to face the gym leaders today, because I wanted to train with my girlfriend for her upcoming Pokémon Contest," Ash explained to the bodyguard.

"Well you're in luck kid, because this isn't just a Pokémon Gym, it's also a Contest Hall," the bouncer explained, "Since the sensational sisters tend to do performances for the people of Cerulean City, they were generous enough to also have this building serve for Pokémon Contests. In fact, after the show, registration for tomorrow's contest will open up."

Amazing, so the Cerulean City Pokémon Gym was also a Contest Hall. Serena and Rotom Dex were able to catch up to Ash.

"Serena guess what, the Pokémon Gym is also the contest hall," Ash mentioned to Serena.

"Whoa, really," Serena gasped.

"Wow, a two for one deal!" Rotom Dex cheered.

"Three for one if you include a water performance by a group called the sensational sisters," Ash mentioned to Rotom Dex as he turned to Serena, "Speaking of which, do you want to watch the show inside? Registration takes place after the show."

"I'd love too," Serena happily answered.

"So that will be two tickets," the bouncer asked.

"Wait, you're not counting Pikachu or my spontaneous circuits," Rotom Dex questioned as his screen turned into a question mark.

"No charge to the Pokémon or…whatever you are," the bouncer explained.

With that, Ash and Serena purchased two tickets and proceeded inside the building where they got to see where Ash would have his battle and Serena would have her contest.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Cerulean Gym &Contest Hall**_

After getting their tickets, Ash and Serena walked into the big room of the building where inside looked like a place for a show. There were blue walls with different water Pokémon on there such as Lapras and Seel, seats for the crowd whenever there was a show or a Pokémon Contest, or possibly a big group watching a gym battle, and most importantly a big swimming pool in the middle of the room. These sensational sisters really want to test these trainers or coordinators whenever the contest circuit comes to Cerulean.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Serena said in amazement, "Look at the size of that pool."

"Man, I can't believe we're going to have a contest and gym battle here," Ash said.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex made their way to their seats to watch the show. As the show began, standing on top of a diving board were three beautiful women. One woman had long blonde hair, another had wavy blue hair, and the third one had curvy red hair. These must be the sensational sisters that Cerulean City were talking about.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Sensational Sisters Daisy, Lily, and Violet!" the announcer announced.

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu all gave a round of applause with the rest of the audience while Rotom Dex just brought a cheering sound effect on itself turning the face into a volume control icon like on a computer. The three lovely ladies dove off the diving board and into the water.

The three girls were swimming around doing many synchronized swimming techniques that a group of three could do. They also did leg kicks in the air while underwater, and even pulled off some swimming acrobatics. These girls must have been taking part in cheerleading. As they were watching, most of the guys were blushing to the beautiful women especially Ash.

"They look great, don't they Ash," Serena said watching the show.

Serena asked Ash something, and right now he looked like he was blushing to the beautiful swimming techniques of these beautiful women. Serena really had a bit of a worried face on herself thinking to herself is Ash really being interested in other women. The only thing she can thank Arceus for is that all three girls were wearing one-piece swimsuits, because for Arceus sakes who knows what could happen if one of those girls wore a bikini and lost their top.

"Ash," Serena grunted

"They do look amazing Serena," Ash replied as she finally got her attention.

"You're not fantasizing about them, are you?" Serena questioned.

"No," Ash answered, "There older than me, do you really think I want to go out with them?"

Serena heard what Ash said. These girls could be sixteen or eighteen, and Ash and Serena were both ten, so these girls were too old for Ash. The show went on for about an hour until it concluded. The three girls gave a bow to the audience, and then Daisy had a microphone in her hand ready to speak to the audience.

"I hope you all enjoyed all show. As you know since we love to give you all a great show, we also made our performance stage as a contest stage which will be perfect as we will help sponsor tomorrow's Cerulean City Pokémon Contest!" Daisy announced as the crowd cheered, "And for all coordinators who will be partaking in the contest, registration is now open!"

* * *

 _ **10 minutes after the performance**_

Serena was in line to sign up for her Pokémon Contest as she held her Contest Pass with her. Serena brushed the whole thing off as she needed to focus on her contest.

"What was that about?" Ash asked.

"What?" Serena questioned.

"Why do you think I fall for those girls?" Ash asked.

"Um…nothing," Serena lied.

"Don't worry about it Ash, it might be a sign of something," Rotom Dex told Ash.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

Ash didn't want to admit yet that he has a crush on Serena and being with her would help to bring them closer, and he doesn't even know Serena has a crush on him too. They wanted to wait until they felt comfortable to confess to each other, but they don't know when that could happen. One girl in the line noticed Serena's insecurity, and she had a Contest Pass with her meaning she was also going to enter the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest. Serena was now up for registration.

"Name please," the lady asked.

"Serena Gabena," Serena replied flashing the Contest Pass to the lady.

"Okay, you're all set," the lady told Serena as she was now registered for the contest.

"Why don't we train for tomorrow," Ash suggested Serena.

"Sure," Serene replied.

As Ash and Serena left the gym, the girl who took notice of Serena watched them leave. This girl had short blue hair and red eyes wearing a light blue headband on her head. She also wore a turquoise dress with light blue long sleeves, and orange scarf, white socks and brown shoes. She had a smirk on her face, and it was hard to know whether it was friendly or teasing.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Park**_

Ash and Serena were now in a park where they had all their Pokémon out. The park had a small pond allowing Froakie and Magikarp to swim around while Pikachu, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree all played together. Fennekin had to stay near Serena as she was going to be practicing contest battling with her little fire type. Serena and Ash wanted to play with their Pokémon after their training, especially Serena with Magikarp. After squandering most of their money on Magikarp, Serena wanted to give her all the love she could get, but it was training time right now.

Serena had her Beedrill hovering over the water since they learned that the contest was going to be on a pool meaning this small pond was the perfect place to train. Froakie made sure that Serena's Magikarp was out of the way.

"Okay Beedrill, dive to the surface of the water and come back up with a Pin Missile," Serena told Beedrill.

Beedrill rose up above the pond and then dove down only to pull a swoop back up to use Pin Missile with the water that rose up from Beedrill's diving.

"Now use Pursuit and Agility on the Pin Missiles!" Serena yelled out.

Beedrill pursued the water filled Pin Missiles and with the help of Agility for a speed boost, Beedrill unleashed a Pursuit attack on some of the Pin Missiles. Beedrill wasn't quick enough to get all of them, but Serena would make good practice of Beedrill's abilities.

"Don't worry Beedrill, we'll get the hang of it," Serena told her Beedrill.

Magikarp was watching and splashing at the same time. Serena could tell her Magikarp was fond of her Pokémon, but still wondered how would Magikarp fair for her. All Magikarp knew was Splash, Tackle, and Flail which in her mind wouldn't make any great contest approvals.

"You like what you see Magikarp?" Serena asked kindly picking up Magikarp.

Magikarp just flailed around in Serena's arms until she dropped the red fish. Magikarp was mostly active in splashing around or flailing, and she wondered how Magikarp could be valuable to her. Like Ash, Serena was not going to be someone who dumps a Pokémon off because they can't do anything, she wanted to show love to her Magikarp.

"I still wonder, do you think you could use Magikarp in this Pokémon Contest?" Ash asked.

"Ash, I already made up my mind of who I'm going to be using for this contest, Beedrill and Fennekin. I've been practicing with Beedrill to make a good appeal, and then you and I could have a mock contest battle to see what combinations I could come up with for Fennekin," Serena explained, "And besides, I spoke with Rotom Dex and all Magikarp can use is Splash, Tackle, and Flail. I don't know how I can use Magikarp in a contest."

"You're not giving up on Magikarp are you?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Absolutely not, I want to make the best of that scam I fell for and find a way for Magikarp to be a good teammate," Serena told Rotom Dex, "I already consider Magikarp a friend.

Serena sadly looked at Magikarp when she picked it up again. How could Magikarp be a great ally for Serena.

"I take it things are getting a little fishy over here," a voice said from behind.

"Huh," Serena said as she looked behind.

This was the blue haired girl who was in line with the other coordinators signing up for the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest. She had a smirk on her face looking at Serena. Ash was a bit puzzled on who this girl was.

"You're not going to use a Magikarp in the Pokémon Contest, are you?" the girl asked.

"What, no. I'm just trying to train and Magikarp has been a little active," Serena told the girl.

"Maybe because it's out of the water and wants to go back in," the girl sternly said.

"I can put Magikarp back in the water," Serena replied putting Magikarp back in the water, 'Go ahead and swim around."

Magikarp was going to get back to swimming, but paid more attention to the girl, and so did Froakie. This girl was looking at her like she was some sort of beginner.

"So, you must be entering the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest, are you?" Serena questioned.

"Gasp! How did you know?" the girl questioned in a sarcastic scared stone.

"Maybe because you we're questioning if I was really going to use Magikarp in the Pokémon Contest," Serena answered, "Speaking of which, how did you know I was entering?"

"Easy, I saw you in line with this handsome boy," the girl said getting closer to Ash, "And I figured he could easily get distracted by girls making you possibly a puff in the air."

Ash was sweating nervously, and Serena was feeling a little bit of irritation. It was one thing to question how she handled a Magikarp, but now to go near Ash. Well she just met this girl, so it's not a good idea to jump all over her. That could make Serena look bad.

"So, what's your name?" the girl asked in a snooty tone.

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and that girl you're talking to is my friend Serena Gabena," Ash nervously answered.

Serena must gotten a deadpan look on her face. Ash called her a friend, and she might be flirting with him, which could make it look like he was on the market.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Miette Henderson and I'm on my way to becoming a top coordinator," the girl said introducing herself.

So, this girl was a Pokémon coordinator like Serena. Well she had some good rivalry in Calem and Shauna, but this girl was just some showoff trying to get under her skin.

"Well Miette, I'll be entering the contest and I will be winning that ribbon," Serena said putting her hands on her hips.

"Hmph well good luck, and I hope you get your Pokémon under control," Miette responded, "I'd love to stay, but I got to prepare too. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," Serena said glaring at Miette until she gave out a giggle to Serena.

"I was talking to Ash," Miette responded as she walked off.

Really, she came all this way from the Cerulean Gym to try and get with Ash. Ash didn't notice it at all, but Serena read her like a book. Miette made Serena feel like she was going to sweep Ash away from her. Ash was her crush, her crush! As soon as Miette left, Ash could notice that Serena was feeling tense.

Ash was a little confused on how Miette was towards her, but he just met her. Ash had known Serena for three years and has been traveling with her for a few weeks. Serena was looking over at her Beedrill and was ready to continue training.

"Beedrill, we have to get this perfect if we're going to beat her!" Serena barked at Beedrill.

"Serena calm down," Ash told Serena.

Serena then turned to Ash as he had a stern look on his face. Ash knew Serena was feeling tense as she is letting Miette's flirting get to her.

"Sorry Ash, it's just," Serena muttered until she stopped.

"What?" Ash questioned.

"It's nothing," Serena lied, "I'll put it behind me and worry about my contest."

"Okay," Ash confirmed.

So, Serena went back to her appeal training with Beedrill trying to make it perfect. She decided for right now to put what Miette said behind her, and then she had a mock contest battle with Ash. For Froakie's pleasure, the Bubble Frog Pokémon volunteered to be Fennekin's sparring partner. Afterwards, they just relaxed with their Pokémon for the rest of the day while Serena spent some time with Magikarp.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Pokémon Center**_

Evening approached Cerulean City and it was time for Ash and Serena to call it a night. They gave their Pokémon to the nurse, so they could rest for tomorrow, and little did they know, the red headed girl was there getting her Pokémon.

"Thank you very much," said the red headed girl taking her Pokémon.

Ash and Serena saw the girl again, and all she did was give a grin to the two Pokémon trainers.

"It's you again," said the red headed girl.

"Hello again, I am Rotom Dex and this Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Rotom Dex said introducing itself along with Ash and Serena, "We saw you today when we went to look for the Cerulean Gym and Contest Hall which happened to be both, but I never got to say this, but they think you are rude and have a temper."

The girl started to get angry when she heard the Cerulean Gym and mentioned that Ash and Serena think she's rude. Then she just mellowed out and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, that's great, did you see those sensational sisters who aren't rude or short tempered like I am according to you?" the girl questioned.

"Um, yeah," Serena answered.

The girl growled at Ash and Serena. Man, this girl must have a temper problem or something. The girl then stomped out of the Pokémon Center, and the only feeling Ash and Serena got was confusion.

"Is something up with her?" Ash asked.

"I think we met her during her period," Rotom Dex solemnly said.

Who was this girl, and why did she have a short temper? Right now, the best thing to do was not worry about it, after all Serena had much more to worry about like her contest and Miette's tactics on Serena.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Cerulean Gym & Contest Hall**_

It was the day of the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest. Serena called her moms last night to let them know about the contest. Serena along with Ash also got the news that their moms we're going to go on a getaway to Celadon City with Rose and Ash's Aunt Yellow in about a week. Thankfully Grace and Jade were going to put aside packing time to watch their daughter compete.

Serena was all dressed in her contest outfit and she had Beedrill's Pokeball along with Fennekin's Pokeball. Beedrill was going to be her appeal Pokémon while Fennekin was going to take part in battles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome one and all to the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest!" Lillian announced to the crowd as everyone was cheering.

The place was packed as it was during the sensational sister's water performance. There were a whole punch of colorful platforms on the pool where Lillian was standing on the center edge where the coordinators would come out from.

"First off, we like to always thank Cerulean City's all famous sensational sisters who give you all shows here for lending their gym over to us for the day so many Pokémon Coordinators can come on over here and make a splash themselves!" Lillian announced as he pointed to the Daisy, Lily, and Violet.

The three sisters all waived to the audience. Since they have given performances in the pool, it's best that they let other Pokémon coordinators come on over and give a performance as well. Ash and Pikachu along with Rotom Dex were all giving out a round of applause to the sisters, but what they didn't know was that in the crowd was that red-haired girl sitting there looking like she was ready to pout.

"Now then, let's get this show started!" Lillian announced as everyone cheered.

Serena was waiting with all the coordinators to get on stage, and then she was approached by Miette. Different from her regular attire, Miette was now seen wearing a blue dress with white in the front making it look like an apron, her usual white and orange headband, and a pair of white flats with orange ankle bracelets around her ankles.

"Well Serena, are you ready for our contest?" Miette asked Serena in a smug tone.

"Yeah," Serena answered until her face showed a little anger, _"Especially after this morning."_

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Ash and Serena were on their way to the Cerulean Gym for Serena's Contest when they were approached by Miette. The blue haired girl was looking friendly, but Serena wasn't falling for that charade._

" _Why hello there Serena," Miette said in a friendly tone until she started to look flirtatious towards Ash, "And hello to you Ash."_

" _Miette, what are you doing?" Serena questioned._

" _Oh, I was just wishing you the best of luck on today's contest," Miette answered._

 _Then without warning, Miette pulled out a basket of wrapped cupcakes. Wow, where did Miette get those cupcakes?_

" _Why don't I treat you both to one of my delicious cupcakes, I made them myself," Miette said giving Ash and Serena a cupcake._

 _Ash and Serena each took a bite of their cupcakes, and it turns out that they were delicious. Wow, Miette really knew how to bake, and it stunned Serena a little bit._

" _So, what did you think of my cupcakes, Ash?" Miette asked as the question seemed to be directed towards Ash._

" _These cupcakes are amazing," Ash happily said._

" _Oh Ash, thank you, you know how much that means to me," Miette said acting kind of fake._

 _Serena was looking very annoyed with Ash's comment. Really, these girls lately have been getting to Ash, and this Miette girl is truly pushing her over the edge. Right now, all she could do is just hold it in and not make a scene. Rotom Dex asked if it could have a cupcake, but Ash reminded that Rotom Dex was a Pokedex and didn't have a mouth._

" _And what did you think Serena," Miette kindly asked._

" _They're…good," Serena answered._

" _Thanks, hey did you ever hear that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Miette told Serena as they looked at Ash, "I can take it he loves that cupcake I gave him."_

" _Yeah, I know," Serena muttered._

" _That's great to hear," said Miette as she turned to Ash, "So Ash, who are you going to be rooting for?"_

" _I'm going to be rooting for Serena," Ash answered._

" _Really, you're not going to be cheering me on," Miette said with a fake sad tone._

" _No, I'm going to be cheering you on," Ash replied waving his hands._

" _Oh, that feels so much better," Miette kindly said, "Well I got to get going, I'll see you at the contest Serena, and to Ash who I bet would be sitting all by his lonesome self with no one keeping him company. Maybe some lady might come and make sure he isn't alone."_

 _Miette than ran off, and after that Serena could feel the fuel being built into her head with what Miette is saying._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

Serena had to come to terms that either Miette is getting under her skin, or she is…going after Ash. Serena is feeling a bit worried about her relationship with Ash since coming to Cerulean City. First Ash felt a little lovesick over the sensational sisters, now Miette is trying to hook up with him. Serena was scared, what if she loses Ash here in the Cerulean Gym whether it's the contest or the gym battle?

The only thing that matters to Serena right now is winning this contest, and she also has her moms watching at home.

"Well I'm up," Miette said as she left the room.

Back in the main room, Lillian introduced the judges, showed off the ribbon while also mentioning that five are needed to compete in the Kanto Grand Festival. Then it was time for the main event, the coordinators make their appeal.

"Alright, our first coordinator who will be taking the stage today is…Miette! Lillian announced as Miette approached the side of the pool.

Miette didn't have a smirk like she did with Serena, but she stood there looking confident. If there was anything Serena would love to see, it would be for Miette to trip and fall into that pool. Too bad that didn't happen.

"It's time to see what Miette is capable of," said Rotom Dex.

"I know Rotom Dex," Ash replied until his thoughts ran through, _"Man, why does she seem to flirt with me?"_

"Everybody, please give a round of applause to…Paras!" Miette announced to the crowd as she brought out her Paras.

Paras looked like a red antlike creature with mushrooms on her back. Paras was standing on a platform in the middle of the pool as Rotom Dex began to do an analysis on Paras.

 _#046-Paras: Mushroom Pokémon_

 _The mushrooms, known as tochukaso, are controlling the bug. Even if the bug bugs the mushrooms, they tell it to bug off._

So, this is what Miette had in store for the audience, a little Paras. All Serena could do is see what Paras can do, and if Miette is really a skilled coordinator or just a showoff.

"Alright Paras use Stun Spore and Poisonpowder together in the air!" Miette called out to Paras.

The Mushroom Pokémon jumped up and used Stun Spore releasing a brownish powder and then Poisonpowder which brought out a purplish powder. The two attacks met, and Miette made her next move.

"Now jump into the powders Paras," Miette told Paras.

"What is she doing?" Serena questioned in the waiting area as she saw Paras jump into the attacks.

This seemed to be crazy for Miette to throw Paras into her own attacks, but if she was a good coordinator, then she wouldn't let her Pokémon go through those attacks unless she knew what she was doing.

"Wow, it seems Paras is jumping into its own attacks, does Miette and Paras have something planned," Lillian announced curiously.

Paras was flipping around in the air until the Mushroom Pokémon landed back on her feet. Paras was feeling the effects of the attacks while having a purple and brown shimmer, and the Mushroom Pokémon was tough though. Still, what is Miette's plan for a great appeal which involves possibly paralyzing or poisoning your own Pokémon?

"Now use X-Scissor on the pool but bring it in!" Miette yelled out.

Of course, Miette is taking advantage of the pool by having Paras use an inverted X-Scissor so instead of going out, it's coming in and so will the water. Paras jumped out of the way of X-Scissor and got a nice wash up from the water. While Paras was being splashed, Miette made the last call.

"Aromatherapy!" Miette called out.

Paras now used Aromatherapy on herself and spread the pink powder out all over the room. Paras was feeling 100% and everyone else in the room was feeling relaxed from the effects of Aromatherapy.

"Amazing, Paras has been able to use the pool to wash off the Stun Spore and Poisonpowder only to give out a beautiful Aromatherapy to refresh itself and the audience too!" Lillian announced as the crowd applauded, "Now that seems relaxing!"

"Wow, Miette really knew how to have Paras use the pool for her support," Ash said.

"I know, I thought Miette was hurting her Pokémon with those attacks but was really trying to show off her attacks and then use the water to clean herself along with an aromatherapy to give a relaxing atmosphere to the place," Rotom Dex explained.

"Well done Paras," Miette said with a kind tone.

Serena was impressed with Miette's appeal. Despite being a showoff trying to get near Ash, she does have some skills as a coordinator. As many more coordinators gave out their appeals, it was now time for Serena to make her case to the judges, Ash, and Miette.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, please give it out for our twenty-sixth coordinator, Serena!" Lillian announced as Serena made her way towards the pool.

Ash was cheering loudly along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex, and that brought a warm smile to Serena's face. Despite Miette's little tactics on the honey blonde girl, Serena had to keep her focus and determination and not lose it. Meanwhile in the crowd, the red-haired girl was watching with a glare. She knew this girl was noisy along with what she believed was her boyfriend.

"Alright Beedrill, it's your time to shine!" Serena announced as Beedrill came out of the Pokeball.

Beedrill was flying over the pool and the audience cheered the Poison Bee Pokémon on. Serena wasn't going to let a showoff like Miette ruin her chances of winning this contest.

"Okay Beedrill, dive with Agility and rise back up with a Pin Missile," Serena told Beedrill.

Beedrill rose high above the pool and then dove down fast using Agility, and then swooped back up to use Pin Missile with the water that came in the air from the pool. Had to be a little tricky with those platforms.

"It looks like Beedrill brought the water up with how fast it came down and fired Pin Missiles inside," Lillian told the crowd.

"Now use Pursuit on the Pin Missiles!" Serena yelled out.

After some practice yesterday, Beedrill was able to match the speed of his own attack. Using Agility first was a better idea as Beedrill was fast enough to shatter through the water covered Pin Missiles. Beedrill shattered all of them and droplets of water and sparkles covered the entire pool.

"Awesome, Serena got it down," Ash said in amazement.

"Amazing, Beedrill used its speed to break the Pin Missiles and give out a breathtaking pool scenery. That's something you don't see from a Beedrill," Lillian announced.

The red-haired girl looked annoyed after seeing Serena's appeal. Probably thinking she got lucky, or something gave her necessary speed. It's bad enough she thinks of her as rude, but also be good.

Back in the waiting area, Serena was approached by Miette as another coordinator went to take the stage. Now what on earth would Miette be thinking of her right now? Does she have another antic on Ash?

"I got to say Serena, you were actually good," Miette confessed.

"Why thank you," Serena replied feeling confused.

"What, I got to appreciate what my worthy competitors do," Miette replied.

"You consider me, a worthy competitor?" Serena asked.

"Kind of like a little interest," Miette said smirking.

"Wait, is this about Ash?" Serena asked with her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about?" Miette questioned in a fake tone.

"Don't take this the wrong way lady, but I got feeling you got something for Ash," Serena responded, "Face it, flirting with him, and asking him about your cupcakes."

Miette heard her now as Serena seemed to be seeing through her. Serena is now starting to think that she was after Ash. That isn't fair as Ash has been traveling with her since the beginning of their Pokémon journey. Miette's smirk turned into a stern look.

"For your information Serena, you can't seem to keep Ash close to you and he got to fall for other girls that aren't you," Miette said leaving Serena stunned, "Face it, you aren't trying hard enough to show how much Ash could be interested in you."

"Are you saying I'm not worthy of Ash?" Serena questioned.

"No, I'm saying you keep your head in the clouds and he could lose sight to you," Miette explained, "And if you don't get your stuff together with him, you'll be completely distracted and crumble, and never make it to top coordinator. I'm just being honest."

So, Miette was flirting with Ash to show that their relationship isn't completely strong and spending too much time trying to protect it could lead to her downfall. Serena has known Ash for three years, and still is too afraid to admit she has a crush on him. There is only one thing Serena could do, put it aside for right now and win this contest.

"I do need to evaluate me and Ash," Serena muttered.

After all the coordinators went and gave their appeals. Lillian appeared back towards the crowd as it was time to announce who was going to the next round.

"Alright, all thirty coordinators have provided us a great show. Now lets see who will be going to the next round," Lillian announced as a board came up.

Pictures of eight coordinators appeared on the screen from top left being the best to bottom right placing them in 8th. Serena's face beamed when she saw herself at number three and beat Miette who was given 4th place in the appeal round.

"Yes! Serena's going to the next round!" Ash cheered raising his fist.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

"Serena and Beedrill have been a sensational show for us," Rotom Dex said with a pun intended, "Now it's time to see we get that with Serena and Fennekin."

"Lucky girl," the red-haired girl muttered.

"And now let's setup the matches for round two," Lillian announced.

The board was shuffling the contestants pictures, and Miette was in the first match paired with an unknown boy while Serena would compete in the last match against an unknown girl. Now it was time for Serena to see if she could really win this time. It was going to be tricky since Fennekin was a fire type on the water and couldn't hover or fly.

"Looks like Serena is going to be the last match in the second round," Ash said as he pulled out his blue Pokeball bringing out Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie happily replied.

"Hey Froakie, Fennekin is going to be in the contest battles, do you want to watch?" Ash asked Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie responded clapping.

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

"Now we got a full crowd cheering Serena and Fennekin on," Rotom Dex said.

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

"Ladies and gentlemen, our first contest battle will be Miette against Tad," Lillian announced.

Miette was approaching one side of the pool while a boy with blue hair, dopey eyes, wearing a green suit went to the other side. It was a good chance to see how Miette faired in contest battles.

"Remember the rules of contest battles, there is 5 minutes on the clock and the person with the most points at the end wins, unless their opponent's points are at zero or their Pokémon are unable to continue," Lillian explained to the audience.

As everyone was watching along with the sensational sisters who were next to the judges, Miette and Tad each held out a Pokeball.

"Go Jigglypuff!" Miette yelled out sending out Jigglypuff.

"Go Diglett!" Tad said bringing out Diglett.

Two Pokémon came out of the Pokeballs. One was a pink puffball with big baby blue eyes, ears almost like Clefairy's, a swirl in front of its head, and stubby arms and feet. The other Pokémon was a brown mole with small eyes and a red nose popping out of the ground.

"I better do an analysis on those Pokémon," Rotom Dex said starting to analyze the Pokémon.

 _#039-Jigglypuff: Balloon Pokémon_

 _The songs they sing are totally different depending on the region they live in. Some even sound like they're shouting!_

 _#050-Diglett: Mole Pokémon_

 _It travels through tunnels that it digs underground. It hates sunlight, so it comes out only after the sun goes down._

So, the battle between Jigglypuff and Diglett was about to…wait a minute, how can Diglett be on a platform that's 3 inches thick?

"OH SHIT!" Tad screamed as Diglett fell through the platform and into the water, "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!"

Tad quickly called back the Pokémon and ran out of the Contest Hall completely embarrassed, and probably scared that his Diglett may have drowned. Lesson here, make sure there is solid ground for a Diglett.

"Okay…due to that, Miette wins by default," Lillian said feeling puzzled and shocked.

Miette couldn't help but laugh because Tad was a dumbass or feel bad that she won by default and Jigglypuff didn't truly earn the win. It didn't matter as she made it to the semi-finals. Daisy, Lily, and Violet were all snickering at the falling Diglett.

"Dumbass," Daisy quietly muttered.

Diglett would be okay though.

* * *

 _ **2 contest matches later**_

After the next two matches, Serena was finally going to get her chance to have Fennekin compete in a contest battle. Due to that hilarious incident, Serena didn't get a chance to know what Jigglypuff was capable of, but she was going to have to focus on her opponent as of right now.

"The next match will feature Eve and Serena! Each coordinator will have 5 minutes to either drain their opponents points to zero or knock out their Pokémon!" Lillian announced

Serena was standing on one side of the pool while another girl with red hair in a ponytail wearing a white dress and black flats stood on the other side. Eve was gripping her Pokeball while Serena had her special red Pokeball.

"Alright Fennekin, you're up!" Serena exclaimed bringing out Fennekin who jumped onto the platform.

"Horsea, go!" Eve exclaimed sending out a small blue seahorse with red pupils and a snout.

"Great grappling circuits! That's a Horsea," Rotom Dex said in shock beginning the analysis.

 _#116-Horsea: Dragon Pokémon_

 _If Horsea senses danger, it will reflexively spray a dense black ink from its mouth and try to escape. This Pokémon swims by cleverly flapping the fin on its back._

"With Horsea in the pool, that Pokémon is able to do whatever it wants," Ash said feeling stunned.

Miette was standing in the waiting area trying to see what Serena would do while the red-haired girl continued to watch. The red head was hoping Serena would fall flat on her face and into that pool.

"Begin!" Lillian announced as the clock begins to wind down.

"Horsea let's begin with Agility!" Eve yelled out.

Horsea began to swim fast in the pool with Agility and Fennekin had very limited movement since the Fox Pokémon could only stand on the platforms. Fennekin had a hard time trying to keep her eyes on Horsea.

"Fennekin use Fire Spin!" Serena yelled out.

Fennekin fires off a Fire Spin attack but misses Horsea and Serena is losing a couple of points for those misses. The pool was a huge advantage for Horsea, and some people could wonder what was Serena doing with a fire type Pokémon on a pool?

"Horsea use Brine!" Eve called out.

Horsea came at Fennekin fast with a Brine attack that struck Fennekin. Froakie was screaming in the stands as Fennekin was hit by Brine and knocked her in the water.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried as she lost more points.

"Well it looks like Fennekin is in deep trouble as the little fox is sinking along with Serena's points and any possible hopes of winning," Lillian announced.

Serena was losing more points, and now Fennekin was completely helpless. This pool was a complete disadvantage to Fennekin because not only was she weak against water, Fennekin couldn't swim either.

"Now use Twister," Eve told Horsea.

Horsea sped up towards Fennekin and unleashed a twister into the pool. Water was being pulled up and Fennekin was being caught in it. Fennekin was now helpless inside a watery cyclone. This couldn't be, Serena was going to lose again in the first round of a Pokémon Contest. No, not like this. Froakie and Ash were calling out Fennekin along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex, and that red head girl had a small smile on her face knowing she got what was coming. Serena couldn't believe it, and worst of all, Miette could use this as an opportunity to take Ash from her. The boy who told her never give up until the end.

Never give up until the end, those words rung in Serena's head very well. She wasn't going to quit, she was going to keep fighting.

"Fennekin! Use Flame Charge in the twister!" Serena called out, "Don't give up until it's over!"

Fennekin heard Serena's voice, and the words that came out of Serena's mouth. Like Froakie, Fennekin wanted to prove herself for Serena so she could become stronger. With that, Fennekin engulfed herself in flames and charged in the opposite direction of the twister. Fennekin was weakened so now Blaze was put in effect allowing Fennekin to have an increase in fire power, and with that, the twister was starting to steam.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems Fennekin is trying to steam back into the competition!" Lillian announced.

"Psybeam!" Serena yelled out.

Fennekin fired a Psybeam into the twister which made it steamy and colorful, but also allowed Fennekin to find the power along with Flame Charge to cancel it out, and completely startle Horsea.

"Oh no!" Eve cried.

"GO!" Serena yelled out pointing at a startled Horsea.

Fennekin in a rainbow-like fire slammed into the Dragon Pokémon making a big splash in the process. Horsea was sent flying at the speed of a high-speed motorcycle out of the pool and crashed into the wall knocked out. Fennekin was able to land on one of the platforms on the pool as soon as Horsea was knocked out.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin chanted.

The judges gave out red Xs to Horsea meaning that the Dragon Pokémon was out of the contest along with Eve.

"What a comeback for Fennekin as Horsea is down and out! Serena and Fennekin will be moving on to the semi-finals!" Lillian announced as Serena's picture along with a picture of Fennekin appeared on the screen with the words WINNER underneath.

"Serena won! Chances of winning are now 25%!" Rotom Dex announced as it spun around happily waving its arms.

"Way to go Serena, you didn't give up. You kept fighting and you won," Ash proudly stated.

"Froakie," Froakie happily said.

Miette was impressed with Serena's efforts of winning, but one person who wasn't enjoying it was the red-haired girl. Really, what was her deal with Serena? Was it really over that meeting in the Pokémon Center?

* * *

 **2 contest battles later**

The semi-finals came and gone. Miette and Jigglypuff defeated a coordinator and their Pidgeotto while Serena along with Fennekin came up victorious over a girl and her Mankey. With that being said, it was Serena and Miette who would compete for the Cerulean City Contest Ribbon.

Serena and Miette were standing side by side on the edge of the pool with Lillian as they were introduced as the coordinators who would compete on the final stage of the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest.

Serena looked over to Miette who was standing rather comfortably, looking like she was going to win this whole dang thing. That look, she's trying to steal Ash from her.

"I think I know what you're trying to do," Serena gloated.

"Of course, you do, I'm trying to win this contest," Miette stated.

"No, you're trying to impress Ash and have him like you back," Serena muttered.

"What, where did you think I get an idea like that?" Miette questioned.

"Don't play dumb, feeding Ash cupcakes and doing whatever you can to show off," Serena growled.

"Serena, do you like Ash?" Miette asked.

"What…yeah as a friend," Serena lied.

"I mean, more than a friend?" Miette questioned.

"Um, yeah kind of," Serena replied.

"Well listen, Ash or any other boy isn't going to fall for you unless you can show them how you can keep your composure," Miette explained, "I know how to keep my composure, and I will show you in battle."

Miette was acting all snooty and showy and it was getting to Serena. She did need to keep her composure as Miette was clearly getting under her skin. She wasn't just looking bad in front of Ash, but her moms as well as they were probably watching the contest on TV. Serena needed to put that aside, because when she looks back at Ash's battle with Paul, it looked like Ash wanted to beat him to prove a point which took a toll on him and his Pokémon. Serena had to put Miette's actions aside and only worry about one thing, winning this contest battle for the ribbon, not to shut her up.

"Alright Miette may the best coordinator win," Serena sternly said.

Serena and Miette shook hands hoping for a good five minutes of battling. Everyone was cheering, and the red-haired girl stood up and began to shout.

"Hey blue-haired, beat that girl who thinks I have an anger problem!" the red-haired girl shouted.

Serena didn't hear her from the crowd and didn't even notice her as well as she was too focused on beating Miette on the final stage for the ribbon. However, three other girls who were watching on the sidelines did notice the red head standing in the crowds.

"Hey, it's our little sister Misty," Daisy said as she began waving.

"Hi Misty," Lily said waving as well.

"Sorry you have to stay with the crowds because you're not stars like us," Violet said waving to her as well.

Well there you have it the girl's name was Misty. She freaked out as soon as the Sensational Sisters noticed her and began to run for the exit. Misty secretly hoped that Serena would fall flat on her face, but now with Daisy, Lily, and Violet knowing that she was there, she didn't want them seeing her right now.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Serena was now standing on one side of the pool battlefield while Miette was standing on the other side of the pool.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to draw the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest to a close as we bring in Miette and Serena!" Lillian announced, "Each coordinator will have five minutes to give us a stylish battle! Now begin!"

The clock began counting down as Serena brought out the first Pokémon.

"Fennekin, it's time to shine!" Serena exclaimed sending out Fennekin.

"Jigglypuff, showtime!" Miette exclaimed sending out Jigglypuff.

Fennekin came in doing front flips before perfectly landing on her feet while Jigglypuff softly landed on the platform. Serena could see Ash, Pikachu, Froakie, and Rotom Dex watching as they all cheered Serena on. At least Serena knew that Ash was rooting for her till the end.

"Fennekin use Flame Charge to get to the other side and attack Jigglypuff!" Serena yelled out to Fennekin.

Fennekin began charging to the other side with Flame Charge. Flame Charge brought out the fire while making water waves on Fennekin's sides. It was both hot and wet at the same time. Miette though was smiling.

"Jigglypuff use Stockpile," Miette told Jigglypuff.

Miette's Jigglypuff began to use Stockpile to stock up some energy and raise her defense. Fennekin hit Jigglypuff but was bounced off of the Balloon Pokémon and sent flying, and luckily it was on another platform.

"Fine, let's use Psybeam!" Serena yelled out.

Fennekin blasted a Psybeam out of her mouth and Miette just stood there smiling with her Jigglypuff stocked up.

"Stockpile," Miette told Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff used Stockpile again and bounced Psybeam up in a 90-degree angle upwards, but it died out in midair giving out rainbow sparkles. Thank Arceus that didn't hit the ceiling. Darn it, Fennekin used a fantastic Psybeam, but Jigglypuff's Stockpile allowed her defense to be raised, thus using her balloon type body to redirect the attack in the air making it look more like Jigglypuff should be getting praised.

"Amazing, Jigglypuff's Stockpile allowed Jigglypuff to send Psybeam up in the air, along with some points for Serena," Lillian announced as Serena lost a couple of points.

"Stockpile, it allows a Pokémon to store up energy and raise its defenses which is why Jigglypuff has been able to bounce off Fennekin's attacks," Rotom Dex explained.

"Okay Jigglypuff, jump up into the air like a balloon," Miette told Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff inflated herself and rose into the air. Fennekin had no idea what Jigglypuff was going to do next, but she had to win for Serena, she just had to.

"Fennekin use Fire Spin!" Serena yelled out.

"Stockpile," Miette told Jigglypuff.

Fennekin unleashed a Fire Spin at Jigglypuff, but Jigglypuff used Stockpile again to deflect it right back at Fennekin. Fennekin was hit by her own attack and was weakened.

"Okay Jigglypuff, Spit Up," Miette smirked at the Balloon Pokémon.

Jigglypuff unleashed a massive blast at Fennekin which hit the Fox Pokémon and had the platform she was standing on flip over causing Fennekin to fall into the water. That is bad news for a fire type Pokémon.

"And Jigglypuff sends Fennekin sinking with that Spit Up, and Serena's points have sunk as well," Lillian announced with four minutes left.

Serena lost more points and Fennekin was underwater. The Fox Pokémon was underneath the flipped platform as she couldn't resurface. There had to be a way out of this, but Fennekin couldn't hear Serena.

"Fennekin come back up!" Serena cried.

"I think it's over," Miette told Serena.

Fennekin couldn't hear from her ears getting muffled with all the water. Fennekin didn't want Serena to lose to that girl who was going after Ash. If Ash fell for Miette, Ash could leave with Miette, and Fennekin realized…Froakie could be going with Ash since Froakie wants to try and be friends with Ash. Without hearing Serena's voice, Fennekin took matters into her own hands. Fennekin suddenly brought some heat into the pool and into the building too.

Serena and Miette along with everyone else could feel the warm effects inside the building. Suddenly there was a bright light like it was sunny inside the stadium. The two coordinators were wondering what was going on, the crowd was figuring that out too, Lillian and the judges were as well along with the Sensational Sisters, and so were Ash and the Pokémon and Rotom Dex.

"Is it me, or did it get a little warm in here?" Ash questioned.

"Ash, I think I know what this could be," Rotom Dex said looking inside the pool.

The heat has made Fennekin feel a new boost of power, and then without an order from Serena, Fennekin used Flame Charge all over the place underwater. The next that happened, the water became steamy and steam was coming out of the pool.

"Is it me or is the pool starting to evaporate?" Lillian questioned looking at the steam.

"What's going on?" Serena questioned looking at the pool.

Miette gasped when she could see underwater flames. True they were weakened by the effects of water, but they somehow gained more power because of this sudden heat. Rotom Dex figured it out.

"I think I know what happened," Rotom Dex said in shock.

"What happened Rotom Dex?" Ash asked.

"Fennekin learned Sunny Day!" Rotom Dex exclaimed, "It's a move that not only boosts fire type attacks but weakens water type attacks."

"That explains why it's suddenly hot in here," Ash responded.

"Serena, I think that's your Fennekin down there," Miette said looking underwater.

With the clock down to three minutes and no call on Fennekin, the steam continued and Jigglypuff was suddenly starting to be raised from the ground while the water level in the pool was going down. Then afterwards, Fennekin finally jumped out and surprised Jigglypuff with a Fire Spin.

The Balloon Pokémon was sent flying and Jigglypuff got out of the way, however she had a hard time moving now that she was stuck inflated thanks to the hot air. Miette began to lose some points.

"Amazing, Fennekin jumps out of the draining water and dazzles Jigglypuff with a Fire Spin that sends Jigglypuff stuck in the air," Lillian announced.

"Fennekin!" Serena called out feeling happy.

"Wow, Jigglypuff got hit hard by Fire Spin," Ash said, "Surprised Jigglypuff didn't deflect that."

"You know why Ash, it's because after Jigglypuff used Spit Up, the effects of Stockpile were gone meaning Jigglypuff's defenses were back to normal," Rotom Dex explained.

"It's not over yet, Jigglypuff use Disarming Voice!" Miette shouted.

"Counter with Psybeam!" Serena retorted.

Jigglypuff sent out a pink sound wave with hearts and Fennekin fired another Psybeam. Psybeam shattered the sound wave in the air and hearts were sent flying giving out a lovely defense.

"Now use Flame Charge!" Serena yelled out.

"Disarming Voice again!" Miette yelled out.

Jigglypuff kept sending out pink sound waves, and Fennekin was going through them like hoops with Flame Charge. The attack didn't seem to phase Fennekin as she hit Jigglypuff.

"Looks like Fennekin jumped through hoops to get even with Jigglypuff!" Lillian announced.

Jigglypuff was finally losing some hot air and was able to float back down to the ground, but not after Serena did some damage to Miette's points with two minutes left.

"Well it looks like you got the hang of it," Miette told Serena, "But I won't lose. Jigglypuff use Stockpile!"

Jigglypuff used Stockpile again to boost her defenses, but Serena chose not to use another attack. At least not yet.

"Now use Swallow," Miette told Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff swallowed the effects of Stockpile and healed herself. Jigglypuff was feeling good as new. Fennekin was still as tough as rocks, but both Pokémon knew this battle wasn't over yet.

"Swallow?" Ash questioned.

"When a Pokémon uses Stockpile, they can either choose to use Spit Up to attack the Pokémon or Swallow to heal itself," Rotom Dex explained, "Jigglypuff was beat up from Fennekin, so she used Swallow to recover."

Rotom Dex was definitely full of knowledge when it comes to Pokémon moves. The only one who didn't quite pay attention was Froakie as he was sitting there watching Fennekin.

"Jigglypuff use Rollout!" Miette yelled out.

Jigglypuff began to use Rollout on the half-filled pool, and the Balloon Pokémon was able to roll around the surface of the water. Serena knew Fennekin could match Jigglypuff's Rollout with the most valuable attack in this battle.

"Flame Charge!" Serena called out.

Fennekin and Jigglypuff were going at fast speeds with their attacks. The two Pokémon kept colliding with their attacks, but neither Pokémon wanted to give in. Somebody had to do something, and it was none other than Miette who pulled something up her sleeve.

"Disable," Miette told Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff stopped rolling around and used Disable on Fennekin. Fennekin couldn't move around the pool engulfed in flames anymore as Jigglypuff was able to disable Flame Charge.

"And Jigglypuff stops Fennekin in its tracks with a Disable!" Lillian announced, "Turns out both Pokémon now have to hit the brakes."

"You can't use Flame Charge anymore," Miette smirked.

"Too late Miette, Fennekin has gained plenty of speed from using that attack," Serena told Serena, "I can still win without Flame Charge."

"We are now down to the final minute!" Lillian announced as the clock has hit one minute.

"Rollout!" Miette yelled out.

"Fire Spin in the pool!" Serena retorted.

Serena used her mind and Fennekin started to use Fire Spin in the pool to create more steam. Jigglypuff wasn't able to see as the steam was coming in. Where would Fennekin be.

"Psybeam," Serena responded.

Fennekin blasted another Psybeam at Jigglypuff and she was blasted towards the wall. Jigglypuff was all worn out now from all that battling, and so was Fennekin. It didn't seem that either Pokémon had enough strength for more dazzling moves so there was only one thing left to do with the clock down to 30 seconds with Miette losing more points.

"Fennekin use Scratch!" Serena called out.

"Jigglypuff, Doubleslap!" Miette called out.

Fennekin was now in a battle stance and Jigglypuff was as well. After gaining some composure, the two Pokémon charged on the platforms to deliver their respective attacks. Fennekin was running fast thanks to the effects of Flame Charge while Jigglypuff not known for speed, knew how to run. Serena and Miette glared at each other. Ash, Froakie, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, and the entire crowd were watching carefully as the clock was down to ten seconds.

9

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5

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1

Fennekin and Jigglypuff collided with their attacks and were both knocked backwards back in their battle stances as the clock hits ZERO! The buzzer sounds.

"TIMES UP!" Lillian announced.

Serena looked up at the board, along with Miette. Both of their points were at critical lows, but underneath their pictures, one coordinator had a slight smidgen more points than the other. Lillian was about to announce that person.

"What a great battle between Jigglypuff and Fennekin! Our two coordinators gave us quite a show here today, but the winner of the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest is…

.

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"SERENA!" Lillian announced as the board now showed a picture of Serena along with Fennekin and Beedrill with the words WINNER underneath.

She did it, she finally did it. Serena Gabena has finally won her first Pokémon Contest. It was quite a battle between her and Miette, but Serena came out on top. A huge roar of cheers filled the building.

"I won," Serena said in shock until her face turned into complete joy, "I won!"

Serena immediately descended down the drained pool to give Fennekin a big hug. They did it, they have won the contest, and they did it together.

"We did it Fennekin!" Serena happily said hugging Fennekin.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin happily replied.

The joy between these two was as blissful as Ash and Froakie when Ash won his first badge. Speaking of Ash and Froakie, the two were cheering very loudly from the crowds.

"Serena did it! She won!" Ash cheered.

"I'm now calculating Serena's chances of winning this contest, and they are 100%!" Rotom Dex exclaimed spinning around and dancing, "It's a fun way of saying that Serena has won!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"FROAKIE! FROAKIE!" Froakie cheered as he watched Fennekin be hugged by Serena.

Miette had no words for Serena right now. She quietly called back her Jigglypuff and just looked at Serena with a down look. Miette was confident that she would beat Serena, but in the end, it was Serena that beat her. The only thing Miette could get from Serena now was respect. Serena has proved to be a worthy opponent.

* * *

 _ **After the battle**_

The pool quickly filled back up and all of the seven coordinators who made it past the appeal rounds were on stage. However, it was Serena who was taking the center stage with Beedrill and Fennekin as Miette along with the other six coordinators (except for Tad who probably was too embarrassed to show his face after the Diglett incident) were ready to watch Serena get her ribbon.

Also standing on the stage were the Sensational Sisters who helped sponsor this Pokémon Contest. They were ready to present Serena with the ribbon.

"Serena, for winning the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest, please accept this ribbon as a token of your victory," Lillian announced as Serena was presented a blue ribbon with a tiny gold Pokeball symbol, "Remember that you need five of these to compete in the Grand Festival."

It finally happened, Serena finally obtained her first contest ribbon. This had to be the happiest day of her life, except for meeting Ash of course. As soon as the ribbon was in Serena's hand, she spun around and did her victory pose.

"Alright, I just won…the Cerulean Ribbon!" Serena exclaimed striking a pose holding the ribbon up in the air.

"Bzzz!" Beedrill exclaimed.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin exclaimed.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash and Serena returned to the Pokémon Center to call Serena's moms about the news that she won her first contest ribbon. Grace and Jade were so ecstatic when they heard about Serena's win.

"I'm so proud of you honey!" Jade said weeping, "My daughter is becoming a top coordinator!"

"Mom take it easy," Serena said.

"Sorry Serena, just in the moment when he saw you win today," Grace said, "And I have to say Fennekin is doing quite well."

"Thanks mom, in fact Fennekin came to her senses to try and do something herself rather than try to hear from me," Serena explained, "I'm so proud of Fennekin today."

"I know you are," Grace said, "Now we got to get going so we can plan out what we're going to do when we go to Celadon City. We love you Serena."

"I love you guys too," Serena replied as the screen went black.

Unfortunately, Serena noticed the reflection from the screen to see that Miette was behind her which startled the honey blonde coordinator. I guess she found out she has two moms.

"Miette!" Serena shrieked.

"Hey there Miette, what brings you here?" Ash asked.

"I want to talk to Serena," Miette kindly said, "Serena, I just want to say I'm sorry about getting under your skin today. You showed some weaknesses that I just wanted to expose and the only thing I could hope you do was to know how to strengthen those weaknesses. In the end, you are a great coordinator."

"Really?" Serena questioned.

"Yes indeed, you toughened up on the stage today and so did your Pokémon and proved that you aren't going to let anything bring you down," Miette explained as she brought out a basket, "I baked this whole basket for you and Ash as a way to say I'm sorry for how I've been acting. Serena, I think you and I could make great rivals in the future."

This was amazing, Miette came to terms about her behavior and even called Serena a great coordinator, and now Miette wants to put herself on the list as another one of Serena's rivals.

"Thanks Miette, and I accept your offer to be a rival," Serena said, "I'm sure we'll meet in future contests."

"We will," Miette said as Serena handed the basket to Ash and they shook hands, "We'll meet again soon."

"It's a deal," Serena responded.

So, Miette has now become Serena's newest rival. Calem is a good friend, Shauna is a great friend, and Miette well, she could be considered a frenemy I guess. As Miette walked out of the Pokémon Center, she whispered one more thing into Serena's ear.

"Oh, and Serena one more thing. Ash is quite a gentleman, if you keep your head in the clouds any longer, any girl could come up and swoop him away…including me," Miette whispered to Serena.

That had to really alarm Serena. She remember that Miette may be competing for Ash's heart, but she doesn't know if that's true. One thing that is true though is Serena does need to act to be close with Ash. After saying those words, Miette giggled and walked out of the Pokémon Center. Then Ash saw Serena's look on her face, she looked shocked.

"Serena are you alright?" Ash asked waving his hand in Serena's face.

"I think Serena is broken," Rotom Dex said feeling confused.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

* * *

 _ **Cerulean City-Cerulean Gym & Contest Hall**_

It was nighttime in the Cerulean Gym and Contest Hall as the building where they hold their performances was also their home. Daisy, Lily, and Violet were all ready to go to bed. As they were in their pajamas, the red-haired girl came into the room.

"Misty," all three girls said in union.

"Today was not my day, first I met these two kids named Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena who think I have anger problems, then the Gabena girl wins the contest which I thankfully didn't see because you two pointed me out in the audience!" Misty ranted, "And I want to do what I can to prove to you girls that I can be a sensational sister like you!"

"There are only three Sensational Sisters and one runt," Daisy commented which made Misty flare up.

"Wait, did you say…Ash Ketchum?" Lily questioned.

"The son of Red Ketchum?" Violet asked.

"Wait a minute, are you saying that the boy who said I have an anger problem could be the former Kanto Champion's son?" Misty questioned.

"Misty, if he is he is likely going to be coming back here for a gym battle," Daisy stated.

Misty heard right, if this Ash Ketchum was the son of Red, then there's a possibility that the apple could fall from the tree and he could be as great as his father.

"Okay girls here's what you will do, when this Ash kid and his contest winning girlfriend come into the gym, I want to battle him," Misty demanded.

"Um Misty, we're the gym leaders," Lily said.

"I want to battle him because unlike you who is too obsessed with boys and your little water acrobatics, I actually have battle experience as a water Pokémon trainer," Misty told her sisters.

"You want to battle him?" Violet asked.

"Yes, for two reasons. One is so I can get back at him for him and his girlfriend thinking I have anger problems, and two, is that I have this crazy theory that in another universe Ash Ketchum's Pikachu destroyed my bike!" Misty ranted.

The three sisters clearly agree that Misty has a temper, but she was truly the best when it came to battling. She might be the runt, but they're family, and the older sisters have to give her a chance.

"Okay, you can battle this Ash Ketchum kid when he comes to the gym," Daisy told Misty.

"Thank you," Misty replied.

"On one condition," Daisy said with a wink.

* * *

 **Serena wins her first contest ribbon and Miette has now officially becomes Serena's newest rival. She will gain one more rival, but that won't happen until the second half of the Kanto Arc.**

 **Well I introduced Misty into this chapter, and she wants to get some payback on Ash and Serena (But she can only battle Ash) Coming up next is Ash's gym battle against Misty.**

 **Chapter 16: A Shocking Surprise**


	17. A Shocking Surprise

**Well here is Ash's gym battle against Misty. Warning expect a little something from the manga to appear in this chapter. I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 ** _Cerulean City_**

Coming off Serena's victory at the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest, Ash and Serena are now going to return to the Cerulean Gym for Ash's gym battle. Serena spent the whole morning admiring her contest ribbon. She showed Miette in the contest, but her parting words did remind her that she needs to do whatever she can to get closer with Ash.

They were on their way to grab something to eat before Ash's gym battle. Going into a restaurant that served them breakfast, Ash was eating super-fast knowing his appetite while Serena took her time eating. Rotom Dex was laying on the ground napping since it was unable to eat while Pikachu snuggled with a bottle of ketchup. Anyone who even came near Pikachu and the ketchup bottle would get the biggest shocking of their lives.

Outside of the restaurant, Misty the red head from earlier walked by to see Ash and Serena eating breakfast. Without hesitation, Misty walked inside.

"Ash is that?" Serena questioned looking at Misty who approached the table.

Misty had a determined look on her face instead of a growling angry look. Despite thinking she is rude and hot-tempered, it didn't look like she wanted to strangle them, but more like talk to them.

"Enjoying breakfast?" Misty asked.

"Um yeah," Ash answered.

" _Until you showed up," Serena thought._

"So, what brought you here, and why did you come to us?" Ash questioned.

"Well first off, I think I should introduce myself, my name is Misty, the girl you happened to meet in the Pokémon Center a few times already," Misty said introducing herself, "And you don't need to introduce yourselves since your floating TV already did that for you."

"Technically, I'm a Pokedex who can talk," Rotom Dex replied waking up from the conversation.

Misty chose to ignore Rotom Dex and kept her attention on the Pallet Town native.

"So, I was wondering, are you heading for the Cerulean Gym?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to face the Sensational Sisters for my second badge," Ash answered, "Why is that important."

"Hmph, well I wanted to have a battle with you," Misty responded.

"Um excuse me," Ash replied.

"I want to have a Pokémon battle with you," Misty retorted.

"Ash can't, he needs his Pokémon in shape for when he faces the gym leaders," Serena responded.

Misty knew it, she knew that Ash was heading for the Cerulean Gym. Misty wanted to be the one having a Pokémon battle with Ash for their bad impression with her.

"Okay little miss contest winner, that's right I heard you won the Pokémon Contest yesterday, I'll leave you two alone and then Ash can have his gym battle," Misty responded, "But Ash has to promise me that the next time we meet, we have a Pokémon battle."

"Okay, we'll have a battle next time, promise," Ash replied.

"Thank you," Misty said with a grin, "I guess I'll leave you two lovebirds alone to eat, I need to get myself something to eat as well."

With that Misty walked away from Ash and Serena and took a table for herself. The two decided to ignore her while they were eating breakfast. While they were eating breakfast, Ash decided which Pokémon he was going to use. Knowing from the pool when watching the water performance and the Pokémon contest, felt like that it was a water type gym, so he was going to bring Froakie because he was capable of swimming, and a Pokémon that could fly which happened to be Butterfree due to the fact that Pidgeotto was in the last gym battle and Butterfree hasn't battled in a gym yet.

Just one question was remaining, when would Pikachu get another chance at a gym or a chance at a contest. Who knows, maybe today would be the day.

* * *

 ** _Cerulean City-Cerulean Gym Contest Hall_**

Ash and Serena arrived at the Cerulean Gym. There wasn't a show going on right now, so they could enter the gym at ease. When they entered they could see that same pool from the other day along with the platforms.

"Hello, is anyone here?" Ash asked out loud.

Then coming out on the other side were the sensational sisters Daisy, Lily, and Violet. Ash could see how beautiful they were, but he was more focused on getting his second badge rather than be baffled by the ladies looks. Plus, it would irritate Serena.

"Why hello there, we were expecting someone to come here today," Daisy said preparing to strike a pose, "Allow me to introduce myself my name is Daisy."

"And I'm Lily," Lily said striking a pose herself.

"And I'm Violet," Violet said also striking a pose.

"And we are the Sensational Sisters!" all three girls said in union.

"And my name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I challenge you all to a Pokémon battle for your gym badge," Ash declared.

Serena was pleased with the fact that Ash wasn't feeling memorized like before. Ash was completely determined to win that badge. Just one question, how would these Sensational Sisters fare.

"You came from Pallet Town to challenge us?" Violet asked with a smile on her face.

"That's right, I already got one of the Kanto Badges and I came here for my second," Ash told the sisters.

The name Pallet Town came up into their heads. They mentioned that they actually were defeated by a trainer who came from Pallet Town. It so happens that trainer could only be Gary. Gary already mocked him on a sign towards Cerulean City, and now Ash was more determined to beat these ladies in a Pokémon battle.

"So, are you ready to battle?" Daisy asked.

"You bet I am," Ash answered.

"Good luck Ash," Serena told her crush.

As they were about to battle, the door opened from behind and coming in was Misty. Ash and Serena turned around looking shocked that they're seeing this girl again. Misty was getting to Ash and Serena's nerves, but why was she here? Well the Sensational Sisters knew the answer to that.

"Um Misty is your name?" Rotom Dex asked.

"That's right, and do you remember what I told you mister Ash Ketchum," Misty said glaring at the Pallet Town native.

"I don't remember right now because I'm about to have a gym battle," Ash told Misty.

"Really, you're backing out from your promise?" Misty questioned.

"What promise?" Serena asked.

"You know, the promise from this morning," Misty reminded.

Ash was regaining the memory of what Misty meant by the promise he made to her at the restaurant that morning. She came in and intruded on the two Pokémon trainers while eating breakfast.

 _Flashback-Morning_

" _Okay, we'll have a battle next time, promise," Ash replied to Misty as she walked away from him and Serena._

 _End Flashback_

Ash promised her to have a Pokémon battle with Misty if they were to meet again. Only he wasn't expecting her to walk into the Cerulean Gym. Was she stalking him to try and sabotage his chances of winning his second badge?

"You promised me a Pokémon battle!" Misty exclaimed.

"But, I have a gym battle," Ash muttered, "With the sensational sisters."

"Really, you want to back away from a fierce Pokémon trainer like me for some stupid badge?" Misty questioned.

Misty glared at Ash really hard. She was getting in the way of his gym battle and could affect the outcome of his battle if he were to battle her right now. Ash had no idea how many Pokémon he could use in the battle since he has Froakie, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, and the Pokémon that he and Serena were sharing, Pikachu.

"I guess I have no choice, after all I am a guy who keeps his promises," Ash muttered as he turned to the three sisters, "Sorry ladies, but I promised her a Pokémon battle."

Daisy, Lily, and Violet all smiled at Ash. Did they think he was handsome or something, especially since Misty ransacked him? Serena knew Ash wanted a gym battle, and now she felt like pushing this girl into the pool like, and hell she almost wanted to do that to Miette. Wait, why were the girls smiling at him?

"We understand that you our runt sister has to get in the way to battle you," Daisy stated.

"Sister!" Ash and Serena exclaimed.

"Yeah, she like totally wanted to battle you," Lily stated.

"Wait, you wanted to battle me?" Ash asked.

"You got that right, so you can cram whatever smart comments you have about me up your ass," Misty stated, "You know, the rude and hot-headed crap."

"Well excuse me, we were trying to be nice and you had to sound like you were above us all," Serena explained, "And Rotom Dex here was not supposed to say anything about that."

"Sorry Serena," Rotom Dex replied.

"Look, maybe we made a bad first impression, but I'll have a Pokémon battle with you before my gym battle," Ash told Misty.

Then the Sensational Sisters all smiled at Ash as he didn't know what he was expecting. Guess he didn't know anything about last night's conversation between the four sisters.

"Actually, Ash Ketchum, we knew you were coming, and your gym battle was actually going to be against our little runt sister," Violet explained pointing to Misty.

"What! Ash has to battle her for his badge!?" Serena exclaimed and questioned at the same time.

"That's right, I talked with my sisters and decided I would be the one who challenges you to a Pokémon battle. So, with that being said, you only get to keep your promise, but get a gym battle at the same time," Misty explained.

"Alright, if you apologize for your behavior I will accept your challenge," Ash told Misty.

"Very well," Misty said taking a deep breath afterwards, "I'm sorry on how I acted towards you."

"Apology…half accepted," Ash replied.

"What?" Misty questioned.

"You owe Serena an apology too," Ash commented.

"Okay," Misty sighed as she turned to Serena, "I'm sorry to you too, and maybe we can work things out afterwards."

"I accept your apology on one condition," Serena told Misty, "Ash dreams of getting into the Pokémon League and he wants to be proud of the eight badges he earns. So, what I ask of you is, give him the best battle you can give. However, I will be rooting for Ash."

"Thank you, and I will be giving it my all against Ash Ketchum," Misty said until she turned to Ash, "I select Daisy as my referee and it will be three on three. Please note that I specialize in water-type Pokémon."

"Alright, I'm ready when you are," Ash said.

Ash and Misty shook hands hoping for a great battle, and now that it seems the air has cleared for the Pokémon trainers. Their gym battle was about to begin until the three sisters came up to Misty.

"Remember the deal Misty of if you're going to be battling Ash," Violet told Misty.

"Do I really need to?" Misty asked.

"Since you want to try and upstage us, plus it's a good way to see how this boy will behave," Lily responded.

Misty was now feeling embarrassed. She walked to the side the Sensational Sisters came from. She was gone for right now, and in the meantime, Serena turned to Ash with one question.

"So, do you know what three Pokémon you're going to use?" Serena asked Ash.

"Yeah, as I said I'll bring Froakie and Butterfree into the battle, and for my third Pokémon," Ash said turning his back to see Pikachu standing behind him, "Since electric attacks are weak against water, I'm going to bring Pikachu into the battle."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily exclaimed.

"Yeah, and if you win I can give you a big bottle of ketchup," Ash told Pikachu.

Now Pikachu's face was beaming with joy. If there was one thing Pikachu loved, it was ketchup. Ash's team for Misty was perfect. Froakie was a swimmer, Butterfree could fly over the pool, and Pikachu was an electric-type Pokémon who could zap water-types.

"Hopefully you're good, just like your girlfriend," Daisy said looking towards Serena.

"You mean Serena?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, like that girl won the contest with a fire-type Pokémon which is not suitable for any body of water," Lily said, "Plus it can't swim."

"You remember me from the Pokémon Contest?" Serena asked.

"Um yeah, even though you aren't in that dress and your hair isn't in that ponytail, you were the winner with that cute little fire-type," Violet said with awe.

"Oh, you mean Fennekin," Serena said looking at her red Pokeball.

"Yeah," Daisy answered, "So besides that cute fox and the bee, don't you like have any other Pokémon?"

"Glad you're taking the time to know me," Serena replied pulling out Magikarp's Pokeball, "This is the only other Pokémon I have."

Serena opened up her Pokeball revealing Magikarp. Magikarp was in the pool looking like the dopey fish it is. Daisy, Lily, and Violet all went up to the Fish Pokémon.

"Aww, this is a cute Magikarp," Lily happily said, "Like where did you find it?"

"She…found it in a river," Ash answered, "We went fishing and she reeled it in, and decided to keep Magikarp for herself."

The girls accepted Ash's answer which was actually a lie. There was no way that they were going to tell the gym leaders that Serena got her Magikarp from a salesman who scammed her. None of them wanted to look bad in front of the gym leaders, and they didn't even tell their moms about that. The only other person who knew about how Serena got Magikarp was Leaf. Serena did want to make sure to take care of this Magikarp and treat her like a friend.

Misty finally came back into the pool area, and Ash and Serena's jaws dropped when they saw her. Meanwhile the sisters were crossing their arms smirking at their sister while Misty looked completely embarrassed. Rotom Dex was having trouble trying to comprehend the scene.

Misty changed her clothes into something a bit…inappropriate.

Misty was wearing black straps along her chest which barely covered her breasts and showed off her belly button. She had a belt along her waist which contained Pokeballs. This is just wrong, there are children in the gym and they suggest Misty to wear something like that!

"Please do not ask," Misty growled.

"What, why we can almost see your boobs?" Rotom Dex asked with Misty showing an angry face at Rotom Dex turning the face on the screen to looking scared, "I was just being honest."

Misty couldn't believe that she had to have a Pokémon battle with Ash in what looked like a sex kink outfit. Then she looked over to the pool and saw Serena's Magikarp trying to change the subject.

"So, you a Magikarp?" Misty asked Serena who still looked mortified seeing Misty.

"Um, yes," Serena replied still feeling shocked.

"Well I guess I can break it to our challenger that I have a Magikarp too that I will be using in our battle today," Misty said, "But lets just say this Magikarp is a lot tougher than you think."

Wait what, Misty said she was going to use a Magikarp, and she also said is a lot tougher than she thought. What did Misty mean by that? Magikarps were weak and only knew moves such as Splash, Tackle, and Flail. Did she have a trick up her sleeve or something?

"Return your Magikarp, it won't be used in the battle," Daisy told Serena.

"Right," Serena said as she called back Magikarp.

Ash and Misty were ready to get to their spots for their battle, but first Serena went up to Ash who was still staring at Misty. It looked like Serena's face was filled with hostility.

"Ash focus on winning this battle, not when those straps come loose," Serena growled towards Ash, "And if you keep staring at her like that, I will freaking punch you in the face."

"Um okay," Ash responded in a panicked state, "And believe me, if I did keep looking at her, it would be more like will you or Misty punch me in the face first."

Ash really did like Serena, but he knew not to get on her bad side because it would either hurt her or just get her angry. Right now, he needed to win his second badge.

* * *

 ** _1 minute later_**

Ash and Pikachu were on one side of the pool while Misty was on the other side of the pool. Serena was watching from the stands with Rotom Dex floating by her side. Daisy was in the referee spot with Lily and Violet watching.

"This official Pokémon battle between our sister Misty and the challenger Ash Ketchum will now begin. Each trainer may use three Pokémon while only the challenger can make substitutions. Oh, and if the challenger should by any means keep staring at our sister, he will be automatically disqualified! Because we like want no perverts in the Pokémon League!" Daisy announced.

Well at least Misty's sisters will give him an automatic disqualification if he keeps looking at her to go along with a punch in the face by Serena, and maybe Misty. So at least they're trying to keep Ash in check which benefits Serena.

"Thank Arceus for that rule," Serena muttered.

"They should also make a no excessive splashing rule because I don't want to be short circuited like how she is short temperated," Rotom Dex said.

"Send the first Pokémon out sis," Daisy told Misty.

"Alright then. Ash Ketchum, I'm going to show you that you don't mess with me!" Misty yelled as she got out her first Pokémon, "Go Goldeen!"

Coming out of Misty's Pokeball was a white and orange goldfish with a horn on his head, it was a Goldeen. Rotom Dex did an analysis on Goldeen.

 _#118-Goldeen: Goldfish Pokémon_

 _Although known for their splendid tail fins, Goldeen apparently compete among themselves to see whose horn is thickest and sharpest._

"Goldeen seem only useful when in a body of water, this should give Ash a chance," Rotom Dex said.

"Alright, and here is my first Pokémon," Ash said pulling out his blue Pokeball, "Froakie I choose you!"

Froakie came out of the Pokeball landing on the platform in front of Ash. So, Ash was going to start with Froakie who could swim in the water. Ash could of gave Goldeen a disadvantage with Butterfree, but why bring Froakie out?

"Why is he bringing Froakie out?" Serena questioned while Fennekin's Pokeball popped opened to watch Froakie, "You want to watch Froakie?"

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily responded.

"What the heck is that thing?" Misty asked.

"My starter Pokémon, Froakie," Ash answered, "Long story on how I got this Pokémon, but since Goldeen can only be useful in a body of water, I wanted to have a Pokémon that could compete with Goldeen instead of just bringing a flying type out. I need to give myself a challenge."

"You choose a competition over an advantage, at least you're willing to test yourself," Misty said.

Goldeen was sitting in the water while Froakie was standing on the platform. Despite Froakie being able to swim, Froakie can also jump back up to the surface in his advantage.

"Froakie go underwater!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie jumped off the platform and into the water ready for an underwater duel.

"I'll make sure this becomes a big mistake for you Ash Ketchum, Goldeen use Agility!" Misty yelled out.

Goldeen started to speed up in the water with Agility. The Goldfish Pokémon did have great speed, and Froakie needed to keep up. Hell, even if Ash used a flying type, hitting Goldeen would be a challenge.

"We'll have to keep up with Goldeen's speed, Froakie use Quick Attack!" Ash yelled out.

"Goldeen use Horn Attack!" Misty yelled out.

Froakie came at Goldeen with Quick Attack, but Goldeen used his speed to get out of the way and then strike Froakie with a Horn Attack. Froakie was sent flying up to the surface, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon landed on his feet perfectly.

"You okay Froakie?" Ash asked.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Alright Froakie jump back into the water and use Double Team!" Ash called out.

Froakie hopped back into the water and used Double Team to create many images of himself. Goldeen didn't see which Froakie was the real Froakie.

"We can fix that, Goldeen use Flail until you hit the real Froakie," Misty told Goldeen.

Goldeen flailed her tail all over hitting all of the Froakies until the Goldfish Pokémon finally hit the real Froakie. With all due respect, Ash was hoping Goldeen would hit Froakie.

"Now use Megahorn!" Misty called out.

"We'll see about that," Ash told the half-naked water type user, "Froakie use Lick!"

Goldeen was about to unleash a powerful Megahorn, but Froakie's tongue beat Goldeen giving him a nice lick. Goldeen was looking petrified, and now Ash had it in the cards.

"Now use Pound!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie delivered a powerful Pound on Goldeen sending him out of the water and up into the air.

"Now finish this with Water Pulse!" Ash called out.

Froakie dashed up out of the water and up to Goldeen. Froakie glared at the Goldfish Pokémon and fired off a Water Pulse which sent Goldeen crashing onto a platform. Goldeen wasn't acting like a fish out of water, Goldeen was lying there not moving at all. Froakie landed right back onto a platform and into a fighting stance.

"Goldeen is unable to battle, the winner is Froakie!" Daisy announced.

And that was one Pokémon down for Misty. Ash decided to have someone swim around with Goldeen for a little challenge, and in the end Froakie came out on top. Misty pulled out Goldeen's Pokeball and called him back telling him he did a great job.

Serena was happy her crush was able to win and keep his composure, and Fennekin was happy for Froakie too. Looks like the Bubble Frog Pokémon wanted to impress the Fox Pokémon whenever he got the chance.

"Well Ash, looks like that Froakie of yours did a heck of a job there," Misty said.

"Thanks, but before you send out your next Pokémon," Ash said as he was pulling out his blue Pokeball to call back Froakie, "Froakie return. Great job buddy, I might need you later so take a good rest."

"Changing Pokémon, I see," Misty commented pulling out her second Pokeball.

"You got that right, and I like to see who you got on the frontlines," Ash told Misty.

"My next Pokémon is Staryu!" Misty exclaimed bringing out an orange starfish with a yellow center that carries a red orb.

"Analyzing," Rotom Dex said analyzing Staryu.

 _#120-Staryu: Star Shape Pokémon_

 _No number of injuries can bother Staryu. Its amazing regenerative powers return it to its previous state in half a day!_

"Well then for my next Pokémon, I choose Butterfree!" Ash yelled out sending out his Butterfree.

As soon as Butterfree got out, the red head began to scream in terror. Why did she scream like that, it was one thing she was half-naked and now she saw a Butterfree? Serena couldn't make of the situation either, and neither did Rotom Dex.

"What's wrong with her?" Serena questioned.

"I have no idea," Rotom Dex said sticking his arms out like he's shrugging, "Maybe she's just crazy."

"What's that thing doing here! BURN THE PLACE DOWN! KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Misty screamed.

"What's going on?" Ash asked in confusion while almost wanting to laugh.

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, she's scared of bugs. Just show a Caterpie to her very far away and she'll scream bloody murder," Daisy explained.

Ash was ready to laugh, but he decided to hold it in. Misty still looked freaked out about seeing a Butterfree, and Serena and Rotom Dex heard the whole thing. Now Serena stood up from the stands to shout to Ash.

"Hey Ash, get payback at her for bugging us so much!" Serena shouted.

"Yeah, make sure you know how to feeler weakness!" Rotom Dex yelled out, "And you will scale to the top!"

"Her slimy behavior won't get her anywhere!" Serena yelled out.

"STOP IT!" Misty screamed.

"Alright guys, that's enough," Ash told Serena and Rotom Dex.

Despite teasing her with bug puns because Misty was scared of bug Pokémon, Ash and Misty did need to keep their focus on the battle. Hell, the bug puns were better than Ash possibly looking at her.

"Okay, Butterfree may be a bug type, but that's not going to stop me," Misty said, "I'll have Staryu stomp that Butterfree all over the place."

"Great, and we can see lots of slime," Ash said now ready to chuckle himself.

"Laugh at this! Staryu use Swift!" Misty hollered.

Staryu fired off a whole bunch of stars at Butterfree, and the Butterfly Pokémon got out of the way just in time. Well Misty wasn't going to take anymore bug puns that's for sure.

"Butterfree use Stun Spore!" Ash yelled out.

Butterfree flew over Staryu and sprinkled brownish powder onto Staryu. Staryu was feeling the effects of Stun Spore which pleased Ash, but it seems he forgot about something.

"Nice try Ash, but that won't work. Staryu jump into the water," Misty told her Staryu.

Staryu jumped into the water and Butterfree stopped using Stun Spore. Butterfree was hovering over the pool wondering where could Staryu be? Was Misty planning a surprise attack for Butterfree?

"Keep your eyes open Butterfree," Ash told Butterfree.

Butterfree remained hovering over the pool and then without any warning, Staryu bolted out of the water and hit the Butterfly Pokémon with a Tackle. Butterfree was sent flying down into the pool. Now Butterfree couldn't swim, but how could Staryu heal from Stun Spore so quickly.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"Hey, you may not know this, but I was watching the Pokémon Contest yesterday and I saw this coordinator and her Paras, and she had her Paras hit itself with Stun Spore and then used the pool water in this gym to wash off the effects," Misty explained, "That's also a trick I use for my water type Pokémon."

Of course, Misty was mentioning Miette's appeal with Paras on how it used X-Scissor on the pool to bring the water in to wash the effects of Stun Spore and Poisonpowder off. Now Staryu just did the same and it let Butterfree fall right into the pool.

Meanwhile Butterfree was struggling in the pool. This Pokémon was not able to swim, and Ash had no idea on what to do. Misty in the meantime was ready to finish off Butterfree.

"Now Staryu, come at Butterfree with a Rapid Spin!" Misty yelled out to Staryu.

Staryu began spinning and came closing in on Butterfree who was still struggling in the pool. Ash gritted his teeth, while Serena and Rotom Dex sat up there worried. If Ash knew better, Butterfree would've never been in this mess.

" _What can I do?" Ash thought to himself._

Ash was wondering what to do. He needed to keep a calm mind and figure something out. As he saw Butterfree flapping his wings in the desperate attempt to stay afloat, Ash may have found his way out. Ash snapped his fingers knowing what he could do.

"Butterfree use Gust!" Ash yelled out.

As Staryu was coming in with Rapid Spin, Butterfree began to flap his wings very hard blowing the water away and Staryu in the process. Butterfree was creating a gust that would get him out of the water, but at the same time it was knocking water out of the pool which splashed onto the sisters. Water was coming towards Serena, and she jumped on Rotom Dex to cover it along with Fennekin while taking the water coming her way. Serena was drenched in the back, but Rotom Dex was nice and dry as she got off of it, and so was her Fennekin.

"Thanks Serena for keeping my buzzing circuits nice and shiny," Rotom Dex said giving a salute, "And speaking of buzzing circuits, Butterfree seems to be out of the water."

Butterfree flew out of the water in time before it caved back in which made Ash happy, and a drenched Serena too. Staryu was knocked to the edge of the pool from Butterfree's Gust.

"I can't believe he got out of that, but not to worry, Butterfree will get what's coming to him," Misty said to herself, "Staryu use Water Gun!"

Staryu came out of the water and fired a Water Gun at Butterfree. Butterfree kept dodging Water Gun after Water Gun until Butterfree was back over Staryu. Misty began to growl.

"Sorry to bug you, but Butterfree use Confusion!" Ash exclaimed.

Butterfree engulfed Staryu in a psychic grip making the Star Shape Pokémon unable to move. Then Butterfree blasted Staryu to the wall with hard force, and Staryu slid to the ground with its red jewel blinking showing its low on energy. Staryu was not going to continue.

"Staryu is unable to battle, the winner is Butterfree!" Daisy announced.

Looks like Ash was in the driver's seat. While Goldeen and Staryu put up a bit of a fight, both his Froakie and Butterfree prevailed. Misty was down to her last Pokémon while Ash still had all three of his with one Pokémon still fresh.

"Well Ash Ketchum, I guess I underestimated you. Goldeen and Staryu were pretty decent fighters, but it's nothing compared to my last Pokémon," Misty told Ash, "You already heard what my last Pokémon is."

"Magikarp," Ash replied.

Ash may have recalled that Misty's last Pokémon was going to be Magikarp being tougher than usual. Maybe Misty was just saying that in reality that it could be an easy target for Ash. Then Misty grabbed the last Pokeball from her belt. Could he get an automatic win, or was there some trick up her sleeve with this Magikarp?

"You got that right, and now you will get to see him in action," Misty said holding the Pokeball that consisted of Magikarp, "Hey Magikarp, come on out."

Misty sounded sarcastic when she told her Magikarp to come on out. The Pokeball opened revealing what should be a Magikarp…but it wasn't. Ash's face was in complete terror and so was Serena's. Rotom Dex was also freaking out on what it saw. It wasn't a Magikarp because they were a red fish, this Pokémon looked like a giant blue sea serpent with scary looking eyes and a big mouth. How the hell do you call this thing a Magikarp?

"That's not a Magikarp," Ash said correcting Misty.

"Oh no, it is a Magikarp," Misty responded, "I just forgot to mention the fact it's an evolved Magikarp."

Ash's jaw dropped to see what Magikarp would become. Serena's jaw dropped in total shock as well along with Fennekin's. Serena got scammed by a salesman receiving a Magikarp, but now seeing what Magikarp could evolve into, the Gabena girl may have gotten the better end of it.

"Say hello to Gyarados," Misty said introducing Gyarados, "Magikarp's evolved form."

Gyarados let out a big terrifying roar. That thing was a monster. Goldeen and Staryu were the appetizers and now Gyarados was the main course. Rotom Dex immediately did a scan on Gyarados.

 _#130-Gyarados: Atrocious Pokémon_

 _It fires hyper beams in all directions, burning the surrounding area to ash. There are some regions where it's called "the deity of destruction."_

Serena was just amazed to see what her Magikarp could evolve into. If she could give her Magikarp all the love and care she can, she would be greatly rewarded. Man, how would a Gyarados do in contests?

Ash was going to stick with Butterfree to take on Gyarados. Now Ash was going to truly be tested against one of the most threating water type Pokémon around.

"Are you up for another round Butterfree?" Ash asked his Butterfree.

"Free free," Butterfree answered.

"Great, I can feeler losing," Ash said mockingly.

"Grr, I get it I'm afraid of bugs! Enough with the bug puns! Gyarados use Twister!" Misty yelled out.

Gyarados unleashed a twister in the pool that created a water cyclone. Butterfree was caught in the twister that Gyarados created, and Butterfree couldn't break out of it.

"Butterfree!" Ash cried.

"Now Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!" Misty yelled out.

Gyarados swung his tail into the water cyclone and struck Butterfree dead on. Butterfree was sent flying to the other side of the gym when Butterfree hit the wall and fell down in defeat. That Gyarados was no joke, and it looks like the bug jokes can end as well.

"Butterfree is unable to battle, the winner is Gyarados!" Daisy announced.

What strength, he took Butterfree out like that. Ash knew that this Gyarados was going to be tough. With that Ash took out his Pokeball and called back Butterfree.

"Butterfree return," Ash said calling back the Butterfly Pokémon, "You did great Butterfree, take a nice long rest."

So now Ash was down to just two Pokémon, his Froakie and a third Pokémon which will likely be Pikachu. Ash decided that it was best to battle this fierce swimmer with a swimmer of his own. Ash pulled out his blue Pokeball.

"Froakie I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

Froakie was back on the platform ready for another round, but now Froakie seemed intimidated when he saw Gyarados. Gyarados was big and Froakie was small, but Froakie needed to do what he could to win for Ash. Froakie then saw Serena, Rotom Dex, and Fennekin in the stands. Knowing that Fennekin was there cheering him on made him feel good.

"Froakie, are you ready to take on Gyarados?" Ash asked his starter.

"Froakie," Froakie calmly answered.

A battle against a beast like Gyarados. Froakie would be lucky if he were not to be Gyarados's dinner, but then again, he knew that there was much worse out there in the world.

"Alright Froakie, jump in the water and use Quick Attack!" Ash told Froakie.

Froakie jumped into the water and Gyarados had his eyes on the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Misty and Gyarados looked in the water to see where exactly Froakie was.

"Alright Gyarados, dive down and use Thrash," Misty told Gyarados.

The Atrocious Pokémon dived down and saw that Froakie was coming in with Quick Attack. Gyarados came right back with Thrash as the two attacks collided. Froakie was pushed back a bit while Gyarados was only pushed a little. Gyarados was coming forward with another Thrash, but Froakie was able to get out of the way.

"Froakie use Smokescreen underwater!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie used his Smokescreen to cloud up the pool, and now Gyarados wasn't able to see. The Pokémon may be big, but if Gyarados couldn't see where Froakie was, he was at an advantage.

"I don't think so, Gyarados come to the surface and use Dragon Rage in the pool!" Misty yelled out to her Gyarados.

Gyarados rose out of the water and looked down at the pool. Without trying to target Froakie, Gyarados unleashed a powerful orange orb into the pool. An explosion was created and Froakie was baffled by it since he was floating backwards. Gyarados now saw his dinner.

"Now use Crunch," Misty said.

Gyarados dove down at Froakie and picked him up by his mouth. Gyarados began to chomp on the poor little Froakie, and Froakie was crying in pain.

"Froakie!" Ash cried.

"Froakie no!" Serena cried.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin cried.

"Froakie use Water Pulse!" Ash panicked.

Froakie fired a water wave at Gyarados, but he was not affected at all. Froakie just kept firing off Water Pulse over and over, but nothing was happening. Then Misty was ready to finish the job.

"And now finish Froakie off with Hyper Beam!" Misty yelled out.

Oh crap, this Gyarados even knew Hyper Beam. The Atrocious Pokémon powered up orange energy in his mouth and Froakie knew what was coming. There was nothing Ash could do, and Froakie knew there was no escape. Gyarados fired the Hyper Beam up close to Froakie and blasting him up to the ceiling.

"Froakie no!" Ash called out.

There was no response as Froakie was falling into the pool, but luckily the water cushioned Froakie's landing except for the entry part. Then Froakie calmly floated back up, and the Bubble Frog Pokémon was floating on the surface on his back, not moving.

"Fennekin," Fennekin moped.

"Froakie is unable to battle, the winner is Gyarados!" Daisy announced.

"Looks like the tide has turned in my favor Ash Ketchum," Misty said with a smirk.

This Gyarados was strong, and he already took down two of Ash's Pokémon with little to no problem. Serena couldn't believe that one day her Magikarp was going to evolve into that. Fennekin was not happy that Froakie lost. Misty had her way now after being forced to wear that kink outfit and get hit with bug puns because of her fear of bugs.

"Froakie return," Ash said calling back Froakie, "You were great Froakie, you're going to get a nice long rest."

Ash knew what he had in store now. With only one Pokémon left, Pikachu looked completely terrified. However, knowing that Pikachu has chosen to come along and serve Ash and Serena on their Pokémon journey, the Mouse Pokémon knew he would have to take the challenge. Ash turned over to Pikachu.

"Pikachu are you ready to go in?" Ash asked Pikachu with determination.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed.

With that, Pikachu hopped onto the platform. Gyarados still looking ferocious like before, Pikachu had the type advantage since he was electric and Gyarados was not only just water-type but flying-type too. (God sakes, anyone think Gyarados should be a secondary dragon-type?)

"So, you're going to bring a little Pikachu in here to combat my Gyarados?" Misty questioned, "You're making the right choice with type advantage since your other two Pokémon proved they were no match for Gyarados."

Ash was determined to beat Misty's Gyarados by all means costs. Pikachu turned his fear of Gyarados into strength, strength to overpower that Gyarados.

"Well then, it's time to end this," Misty said, "Gyarados use Thrash!"

Gyarados came charging in with Thrash, and Pikachu had very limited movement on the pool. Butterfree could fly, Froakie could swim, but Pikachu could do neither of the two.

"Dodge with Agility!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu jumped off the platform with Agility as Gyarados crashed into it. Pikachu was hoping from one platform to another. Hell, if Serena was able to win her contest with Fennekin on this pool, who also had a type disadvantage, then Ash could pull it off with Pikachu. Only now Pikachu was dealing with a Pokémon that can swim.

"Pikachu use Thundershock!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock at Gyarados, and he was being zapped. The Thundershock did do a little damage, but Gyarados was still ready to go on a rampage on Pikachu.

"Well it looks like Pikachu's electric attacks aren't strong enough," Misty said, "Now its time for take action, Gyarados use Dragon Rage on the pool again!"

Gyarados used Dragon Rage once more on the pool, and the waves from Gyarados's attack knocked Pikachu off the platform leaving the Mouse Pokémon in the water.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash called out.

"Pikachu's in the water and can't swim," Serena said clasping her hands without Fennekin whom she returned to her Pokeball.

"Now Gyarados use Twister!" Misty shouted.

Gyarados created another Twister like last time, and Pikachu who was stuck in the water unable to swim was being sucked into the Twister.

"Pikachu get out of there!" Ash called out.

"That twister is powerful, and Pikachu can't escape from it," Rotom Dex said who was looking at Misty who now had a big smirk on her face, "And Serena, do not hope a house comes down and falls on her."

"Why would I want something like that?" Serena questioned Rotom Dex.

"Sorry, must've gotten too much movie data," Rotom Dex replied.

With Pikachu being swirled around in a watery twister, Ash was feeling helpless not knowing what to do. Ash needed to always remind himself to never give up no matter what obstacles lie in front of him. That was a good example he set for Serena, otherwise they wouldn't be the best friends they are right now. Right now, he had to trust Pikachu.

"Pikachu, if you can find a way out of Gyarados's twister, I'll give you two bottles of ketchup!" Ash yelled out.

Wait, did Pikachu just hear that? Despite being swirled around in a water cyclone, Pikachu heard the words two bottles of ketchup. Those had to be the best words coming out of Ash.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Sorry Ash, but this is where it ends," Misty said as Pikachu was gathering electricity, "Gyarados use…"

Misty was interrupted when Pikachu sent electric currents on the water tornado completely zapping it along with the pool, and Gyarados. The cyclone was canceled out, but what was that move that Pikachu just used?

"Pikachu, what did you do?" Ash questioned.

With Gyarados now in a daze, Pikachu landed back on the platforms to navigate around until he got to Gyarados. Now his tail glew white and smacked Gyarados in the face. The Atrocious Pokémon was knocked down underwater and Pikachu landed back on the platform. Ash got two big surprises, first that electric current, now his tail glowing.

"What just happened?" Serena asked in shock who was witnessing everything from the stands.

"Pikachu just learned two new moves, Shock Wave and Iron Tail," Rotom Dex answered, "Shock Wave is an electric attack that can always find its target, and Iron Tail is a steel attack that comes from a sturdy tail."

Ash just heard everything, so Pikachu has another electric attack along with a steel type move. Now with Gyarados taking some damage, it looks like things are going Pikachu's way. While Ash and Misty were about to continue their battle, Lily and Violet were speaking.

"You know, our little sis is doing good," Lily said.

"Yeah, but she could like lose now," Violet replied.

"I know, but still," Lily stated, "Maybe she should've worn a one-piece."

"You're going to get it Ash Ketchum! Gyarados use Hyper Beam!" Misty retorted.

And Gyarados does it again with Hyper Beam. With Gyarados charging up Hyper Beam, Ash wasn't going to let Pikachu take a fall like with Froakie. He wanted Pikachu to be ready by pulling off the same strategy Froakie used at the Pewter Gym with Onix.

"Pikachu use Agility and get on Gyarados's back!" Ash retorted.

Gyarados's Hyper Beam was charged, and he fired. Pikachu got of the way in time, and the next place the Mouse Pokémon ran to was on the back of the Atrocious Pokémon. Pikachu scaled up to Gyarados's head and he was ready to end this.

"Gyarados look out!" Misty cried.

"Pikachu Shock Wave!" Ash retorted.

Pikachu unleashed another set of electric currents onto Gyarados causing him to be electrocuted. Gyarados wasn't able to handle the electricity anymore, and in a shocking turn of events, Gyarados collapsed in the pool while Pikachu jumped back onto the platform. Gyarados rose up floating unconscious while Pikachu gave out a victory pose. Ash's face beamed with joy knowing it was over.

"Gyarados is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu meaning that the winner of the Cerulean Gym Battle is the challenger Ash Ketchum!" Daisy announced.

Ash heard it, he was the winner. He ran onto the platform and gave Pikachu a big hug. Serena was so happy while Rotom Dex played victory music. Gyarados was a big challenge for Ash and his Pokémon, but he prevailed at the end.

"We did it Pikachu, great job!" Ash exclaimed hugging Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded until he began to snicker, "Pikachu."

"I know, your two bottles of ketchup," Ash replied.

Misty stood in shock that her Gyarados lost. In the end though, it was a great battle. Misty happily called back Gyarados before her sisters approached her.

"Before you say anything, I'm going to get changed!" Misty shouted to her sisters.

* * *

 ** _After Misty gets changed_**

Misty was back in her regular clothes and now she was going to be approached by her sisters. Meanwhile Serena was congratulating Ash on his win and making sure not to stare at Misty. At least she knew Ash was no pervert.

"Misty," Daisy replied.

"You came to tease me about losing to him," Misty muttered.

"No, we just wanted to say that you were like totally awesome," Lily stated.

"Really?" Misty questioned.

"Yeah, you battle better than we ever do," Violet said, "I guess we shouldn't be calling you a runt after all."

"But I lost," Misty muttered.

"Yeah you lost, but you proven to be better than us. We may be the famous swimming stars of Cerulean City, but you are the top water-type Pokémon battler," Daisy explained, "That's why we want you to now handle challengers coming to the gym."

"Really?" Misty asked.

Misty was feeling a whirl of emotions right now. Before she was a short-tempered girl who was ready to go off at Ash and Serena, but now it was coming to the fact that her sisters never apricated her. Her older sisters always upstage her, but after her battle with Ash, she has proven that she can take the role of gym leader.

"I'd love to accept the role," Misty happily said.

After hearing that, she and her sisters gave a big hug. These four girls were family whether it came to water performances or Pokémon battles, they were there for each other. All she needed to do was prove herself, and she did.

"I love happy endings," Rotom Dex said with a teary face on his screen watching the four sisters hug.

* * *

 ** _Cerulean City_**

Outside the Cerulean Gym, Daisy, Lily, and Violet were all standing outside with Misty in front. The three older sisters were ready to watch Misty give Ash his badge.

"Ash, I once again want to say I'm sorry to you and your girlfriend for how I acted," Misty said which gave Serena a little blush even though Ash wasn't officially a boyfriend, "Serena there has shown to be a great coordinator as I saw the other day, and today in front of me you proven to be Pokémon League material. As my duty, I now present you with the Cascade Badge."

Misty gave Ash a blue badge that looked like a water droplet. Then Ash began to show his trademark victory pose.

"Thank you," Ash said as he was prepared to do the pose, "Alright, I just won the Cascade Badge!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded.

Ash happily pinned this badge onto his jacket next to his Boulder Badge. He now had two of the Kanto Badges.

"Well Misty, I hope things go well with you as gym leader," Serena said.

"Thank you, Serena, and I wish you best of luck getting into the Grand Festival," Misty commented.

"Thanks, this is my first ribbon and I still need four more to get in," Serena said.

"Actually, we can tell you something since you did win the contest we happily sponsored when those Pokémon Contest people like show up," Lily told Serena, "We heard there will be a Pokémon Contest in Vermillion City which is where the closest gym is."

"That's great to hear," Serena happily said.

"Yeah, and I'll get my third badge!" Ash exclaimed raising his fist in the air.

"Well it seems you two got a lot of work to do before you get to your final destination," Misty said, "I wish you two goodbye and good luck. And if I ever see you again, I might have another battle with you."

"I wouldn't mind that at all Misty," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

With that Ash and Serena bid farewell to the Sensational Sisters and Misty. It was a big gain for Ash and Serena as Ash earned his second badge and Serena got her first ribbon. Now there sights were on Vermillion City for Ash's third gym battle and Serena's next contest.

It was going to be a long trek to Vermillion City, so they were going to be in for more challenges. After fearing that Ash could fall for another girl, Serena needed to confess soon, and she didn't even know Ash secretly likes her. They didn't need to just test their abilities as a trainer or coordinator, they also needed to test their relationship.

Right now, they were going to spend the night in the Cerulean City Pokémon Center before beginning the long journey, but there was still one more thing that needed to be done.

"Now to get Pikachu some ketchup," Ash said looking at Pikachu knowing he wanted ketchup.

* * *

 **That concludes the Cerulean Arc as Ash earns his second badge. I haven't had a great chance to get Pikachu in the spotlight, but this gym battle was perfect. Don't worry, Pikachu will have his moment in a Pokémon Contest soon.**

 **Well as you can see, Misty is staying as the Cerulean Gym Leader. I don't know if I have another appearance for her, maybe she will have one in Johto. I do as of right now have another appearance for Brock, but it won't be for a while.**

 **I'm going to do another poll, and I hope I don't have to play tiebreaker like I did with Squirtle. Would anyone like me to do an "Island of Giant Pokémon" chapter? You know, where we see Pokémon talking with subtitles like from the anime.**

 **Coming up next…the Kanto Starter Arc. The poll will close after the conclusion of the Kanto Starter Arc.**

 **Chapter 17: Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 1**


	18. Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 1

**Welcome to the Kanto Starter Trilogy where the three Kanto Starters join Ash and Serena on their Pokémon journey. Ash and Serena will each get two Pokémon in this trilogy with Ash being Bulbasaur and Charmander, and Serena being Squirtle and another Pokémon who she will get in this chapter. With that, please enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Airport**_

The Viridian Airport was busy as usual directing flights to other parts of the Kanto Region or beyond the Kanto Region. There were Machoke carrying luggage and placing them on cars to transport to planes, Pokémon like Kadabra worked with the airline security to see if they can spot anything on oncoming passengers, and Pidgeots were hovering over the sky to make sure that it was clear coming for pilots.

At the Viridian Airport, there were five ladies who were going on a girls only trip to Celadon City. Delia, Grace, Jade, Rose, and Yellow were all awaiting to board their flight to Celadon City to have some fun while their kids were out traveling. Yellow was holding on to her little Pikachu named Chu Chu as she was her best friend.

"Are you excited of going to Celadon City sis?" Delia asked.

"Um, I'm a little nervous Delia," Yellow said, "I haven't been out in a long time except for seeing you."

Then Rose put her hand on Yellow's shoulder. The younger sister of Delia looked up at Rose who smiled at her. Yellow hasn't had much adventures as Red, Blue, and Rose, so maybe this time away could do her some good.

"Hey Yellow, this is a chance for you not only to have fun, but maybe have a good chance at something in life," Rose said smiling.

Rose did make a good point to Yellow. The blonde woman never married and has no children. With the exception of Chu Chu, she lived all alone by herself. Though she did have family in her sister and her husband and nephew, it would be a chance to meet someone. It was maybe time for her, after all she may not have much time left to have a child of her own. Menopause felt like was coming quicker than a Rapidash.

"Do you think I'll meet someone?" Yellow asked, "I'm very scared to talk to anybody after…you know."

"I know, I don't want to think about it," Delia said comforting her sister.

Delia hugged Yellow as she was almost about to cry. She didn't want her little sister to be alone, but she was too scared to speak to anyone she didn't know after what happened somewhere around the time before Ash was born. It haunted the two sisters all those years, and they never spoke of it to Ash.

"Let's just have a good time," Delia said to her sister.

"Attention, Pidgeot Airlines flight 387 to Celadon City is ready for boarding," the man at the gate's podium announced.

Everyone got up and began to line up accordingly to present their plane tickets. The ladies were all able to fly first class as they got ready to present their tickets. All of them got ready to present their tickets, and Yellow turned over to Grace and Jade, and she asked them a funny question to lighten her mood.

"So, do you think my nephew is imaging your daughter in a bikini?" Yellow asked before she let out a gasp.

"Heh heh heh, even though that would be perverted, it would also make us happy to know Ash likes Serena," Jade answered.

"Even if we or Serena have to slap him in the face," Grace replied as Yellow went from frightened to a lighter mood, "Hey, it's okay. Feel free to say whatever you want."

Yellow was feeling just fine right now, and they were ready to present their tickets.

"Delia Ketchum, welcome aboard; Yellow Presley, welcome aboard; Rose Green, welcome aboard; Grace Gabena, welcome aboard; Jade Gabena, welcome aboard," the man at the gate said scanning all of their tickets.

The five ladies boarded the flight for Celadon City, and after the man scanned all of the tickets, he went to a secluded area before getting on the plane to speak to someone on the phone. The man dialed the phone and began to speak.

"Hello, this is Giovanni," the man on the other line who happened to be one of the two Team Rocket bosses responded.

"Hey, guess who's coming to Celadon City," the rocket posing as an airline worker replied, "Ash Ketchum's and Serena Gabena's mommies."

"Ah very well," Giovanni replied giving out a chuckle, "I think those two are going to be getting a very great punishment right now in the form of what were going to do to their mothers."

"I know sir, and it would greatly please your wife Ariana," the rocket replied.

"I know," Giovanni replied, "I wonder if they're going to be staying at our Casino slash Hotel?"

* * *

 _ **Somewhere on the road to Vermillion City**_

Ash and Serena are on their way to Vermillion City after Ash won his second badge and Serena won her first ribbon. While they were determined to get to their next destination, other things were on Ash's mind right now, and Rotom Dex was the one who noticed.

"What's up Ash," Rotom Dex happily replied, "Did you see stars!"

"Oh no, I'm just wondering what Serena would look like in a bikini," Ash answered to Rotom Dex, "I mean I wouldn't ever want her wearing what Misty wore, but still."

Ash was feeling warm feelings of what Serena would look like in a bikini after watching the Sensational Sisters, even though they wore one-piece swimsuits. Rotom Dex was looking at Ash with more curiosity.

"Ash, what do you think of Serena?" Rotom Dex questioned.

Ash didn't want Serena to hear as he didn't feel ready yet to confess that he likes her. Having someone like Rotom Dex around, they had someone to have human conversations with, even though Rotom Dex was technically both a Pokedex and a Pokémon.

"She doesn't know this, but I had a crush on her almost a year after I met her," Ash answered honestly without Serena hearing, "While I have given her strength and determination with those words I told her at summer camp when we were kids, I felt like I saw starting to see a girl version of myself. It was just amazing, and I haven't been happier to be around her. I just don't know why I'm so nervous to tell her."

"Do you have a reason?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Well, maybe I didn't want our friendship to become awkward," Ash answered in a tone like he didn't know the answer to.

"Well, you figure this out yourself," Rotom Dex told Ash, "I'm not programed to give you love advice."

Rotom Dex floated back from behind and took a look at Serena. Rotom Dex thought Serena looked incredible, especially for a 10-year-old, so what was Ash so worried about. Was he handsome enough for Serena?

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

Ash and Serena have been off the trail and decided to venture around a bit. Unfortunately, this caused the two trainers to get lost, but Rotom Dex was able to help them navigate through the wooded area.

The two Pokémon trainers found a small pond and decided to take a break. Ash and Serena sat down on some rocks while Pikachu laid on the rock near Ash.

"How long do you want to sit here for?" Ash asked the honey-blonde trainer?

"Maybe about half-hour," Serena answered as she took out a water bottle.

As Serena drank from her water bottle, she noticed something out a little in the distance. It looked like a gold Pokémon. This gold Pokémon looked almost like some sort of creature with a brown upper body, and a tail.

"Is that a Pokémon?" Serena questioned looking at what was over there.

The Pokémon looked like was sleeping, but was it sensing Serena and Ash? Was it watching them without them noticing? Serena turned over to Rotom Dex.

"Hey Rotom Dex, can you see if that's a Pokémon?" Serena asked pointing to the thing in the distance.

"Most certainly Serena!" Rotom Dex answered giving a military salute.

Rotom Dex zoomed in on the creature that was in the distance, and according to its calculations, the thing was a Pokémon, and it happened to be an Abra.

"Analysis complete, Serena Gabena. It is confirmed to be a psychic-type Pokémon called Abra," Rotom Dex announced giving out an analysis.

 _#063-Abra: Psi Pokémon_

 _It can read others' minds and will teleport away when danger approaches. You must clear your mind if you want to catch it._

So that was an Abra, a psychic type Pokémon. It would do good for the two if one of them had a psychic-type Pokémon. Serena pulled out a Pokeball and cautiously went towards the Abra.

"Alright Beedrill, use Pin Missile," Serena yelled out as she threw Beedrill's Pokeball revealing the Poison Bee Pokémon.

Beedrill fired off Pin Missiles at the Abra, but the Psi Pokémon teleported away as soon as it sensed the attack coming forward. Serena gritted her teeth as soon as Abra disappeared.

"Darn it, where did Abra go?" Serena questioned.

As Serena was looking around to figure out where Abra went, Beedrill was tackled from behind by another Pokémon. Serena took a look and it caught Ash's attention. Ash saw the Pokémon that caught Beedrill off guard, it was a Bulbasaur.

"Oh, my Arceus, is that a…Bulbasaur?" Ash praised.

Ash's jaw gasped when he saw Bulbasaur. This was one of the Kanto starters that could be acquired by Professor Oak. Ash and Serena knew Leaf got herself a Bulbasaur to start with, and now Ash might have a chance at getting a Bulbasaur himself.

Bulbasaur was growling at Serena, and Ash wasn't going to stand it. He approached the Seed Pokémon and brought Pikachu to his side.

"Hey Bulbasaur, leave my friend alone!" Ash yelled to the Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur yelled firing out leaves at Ash.

Ash got out of the way and Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock at Bulbasaur. The attack missed and Bulbasaur was able to run away. Ash was angry that Bulbasaur ran away, and Serena was disappointed that Abra teleported away.

"I can't believe Bulbasaur got away," Ash said to himself.

"I don't even know where Abra is," Serena muttered as she looked around.

After seeing those two Pokémon, the two agreed to just sit down and continue to relax. They would've loved to have Abra and Bulbasaur on their team, but it doesn't look like the two wanted to be with them. Not sure on Abra, but Bulbasaur wanted nothing to do with them.

* * *

 _ **Later during the day**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex came across a canyon with a worn-out bridge. The bridge looked incredibly dangerous. The bridge looked like it could snap at any Arceus damn minute.

"Ash are you sure this is a good idea?" Serena asked Ash nervously.

"Of course, maybe Bulbasaur winded up on the other side," Ash answered, "I'm going to look for that Bulbasaur and get it!"

Ash raised his fist, and he began to cross the bridge with Pikachu jumping into his backpack. Serena knew this was dangerous, but Ash was her crush, so she followed him. Ash and Serena were taking baby steps along the bridge and Rotom Dex slowly followed them from behind.

"Just a little further," Ash said as they got halfway.

Then all of a sudden, the bridge rope snapped causing Ash and Serena to fall down. Ash grabbed on to the top of the plank while Serena started to slide but grabbed onto Ash's ankle.

"Ash," Serena trailed.

"Ash, Serena!" Rotom Dex said panicking.

Ash was holding onto the bridge plank as hard as he could with Serena dangling down holding onto Ash's leg. Ash had to do something dangerous and this is what it led to.

"Are you okay Serena?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine, we're just so high up," Serena answered feeling terrified looking down at the river, "I just hope my shoe doesn't fall off to give me a realization of how far the drop to the river is."

She had to open her mouth, after she said that, Serena's left shoe was suddenly starting to slip off her foot. She even noticed it and then in two seconds…her shoe fell down into the ravine.

"Oh no…and I had my orthotics in there," Serena muttered.

Then Ash couldn't hang on much longer as his hand slipped and the two were about to fall, but at the last minute, Rotom Dex was able to float to their rescue. The Pokedex grabbed Ash's arm and gently floated him towards the other side with Serena still holding onto Ash's leg. Ash and Serena were heavy for the Pokedex, but it remained strong and in a matter of time, Rotom Dex brought Ash, Serena, and Pikachu to safety.

"Okay, maybe not my best idea," Ash replied.

"Well Ash, at least you're taking the fall," Rotom Dex said with a pun and then a punchline drumbeat.

* * *

 _ **A little later**_

Ash and Serena continued to walk through the woods, well Ash was still walking, Serena on the other hand had to hop on one foot because she didn't want to get her sock dirty after losing her shoe on the bridge. Serena was a bit behind, but Ash was not going too much at a fast pace. That would be good since he fell down a pitfall.

"OW!" Ash yelled as he landed on his butt.

Serena and Rotom Dex stopped to see that Ash and Pikachu were down in the bottom of a dirt pit. It was a good thing Serena's one-foot hopping kept her behind a little bit.

"Ash are you alright?" Serena asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Ash answered rubbing his butt, "Can you lift me out of here Rotom Dex."

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

"You got it, our journey should not go to the pits," Rotom Dex said with another bad pun.

Rotom Dex rubbed its stubby arms and lowered itself into the hole. Ash grabbed a hold of Rotom Dex with Pikachu safely in his backpack. Rotom Dex was able to pull Ash out of the hole and safely on the ground. Serena bent down to check on him to make sure he wasn't hurt badly.

"Let me check on you," Serena said as she pulled down Ash's pants and underwear to look at his ass.

" _Oh my Arceus, Serena is checking out my butt. Why do I feel like this is the best thing ever?" Ash questioned to himself in his thoughts with excitement and a blush._

" _Well, Ash has a nice butt," Serena thought with a turned-on tone._

After Serena looked at his butt, she could see that there was a little bruise, but nothing serious. Then Serena noticed something else along his pant line. Serena took a look at it, and she smirked at Ash.

"Well you're fine Ash," Serena responded, "But you haven't changed your underwear recently."

"I…" Ash said until Serena cut him off.

"Don't make me tell your mom," Serena smirked.

To make sure he doesn't hear about this anymore, Ash went to a nearby bush to change his underwear. Serena then turned to Rotom Dex.

"Rotom Dex, zoom in on Ash," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Why?" Rotom Dex asked.

"I…just want to make sure nothing comes up on him," Serena stuttered.

"Yes Serena," Rotom Dex replied as he started to zoom in on Ash.

Serena watched on Rotom Dex's screen to see Ash changing his underwear. The funny thing is Serena knew Ash had clean underwear on, she just wanted an excuse to see his ass again. Serena giggled when she saw Ash changing. What in Acreus's name was going on with this girl? I know she likes Ash, but why did she need to see that?

* * *

 _ **A little later**_

Ash was now carrying Serena on his back to give her leg a break from the hopping. For being ten years old, Ash was strong as he was able to carry Serena on his back. The honey-blonde coordinator was really light though.

"Ash, do you even know where we are?" Serena questioned.

"Um, I don't know," Ash answered, "I just wanted to find Bulbasaur, and I guess I got carried away."

Bulbasaur may have gotten into Ash's mind, and then he stepped into false grass and he and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex got caught up in a net in a tree. Ash was laying on Serena while Serena was being crushed by Ash. Rotom Dex wasn't going to get them out of this one, but thankfully it wasn't being crushed and broken.

"Not again," Serena groaned.

Ash was trying to wiggle out, but the net wouldn't budge. Ash and Serena couldn't reach their Pokeballs, and then something or someone appeared looking at Ash and Serena in the tree. Bulbasaur was looking at the two Pokémon trainers in the tree, and all the Seed Pokémon did was laugh.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur mocked.

"Did you do this!?" Ash questioned.

"Bulba, Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied mockingly saying maybe.

"Well get us down from here," Ash retorted.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur responded as he just walked away.

"Hey, get back here, I want a match," Ash yelled trying to break free of the net.

Ash struggled to get out of the net, but he continued to crush Serena, especially in her chest area. While Serena found it aggravating, she also found it kind of…exciting. Wait, she's ten, she shouldn't be thinking like that. Serena needs to think how they can get out, and then Serena came up with something.

"Ash try flipping over onto your stomach and reach for Fennekin's Pokeball. Fennekin can use Scratch to slice the net," Serena explained.

"That's a good idea," Ash replied.

Ash was starting to turn around and he was able to land on his stomach while still on top of Serena. Ash and Serena looked at each other awkwardly knowing the position he was in. The two couldn't help but blush at the embarrassing position that they were in. Serena almost thought this was going to lead to…what was she thinking right now? First Serena lost Abra, then she lost her shoe, now she might lose her virginity. What is going on with her head? Serena knows she really likes Ash, but this is going a bit too far.

Ash was able to grab the red Pokeball on Serena's belt. He opened the Pokeball and Fennekin came out.

"Fennekin use Scratch on this net," Serena told Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily said.

Fennekin scratched the net to cut it, and Ash, Serena, and Pikachu fell out while Rotom Dex floated down. Serena hit the ground while Ash landed on top of Serena in that same position. This was truly getting awkward.

* * *

 _ **A little later**_

Ash and Serena continued through the forest and then they came across something. There was a small lake with Pokémon like Oddish, Bellsprout, Paras, Pidgey, Rattata, and Sandshrew, and there was also a cabin.

"Ash look at all of those Pokémon," Serena said looking at all the Pokémon.

As the two were observing the Pokémon, there was another Pokémon that caught their eye. It was that same Abra from before that Serena tried to catch until it ran away.

"Wow, that's amazing to see so many Pokémon, and I think that's the Abra from before," Ash said noticing Abra.

"I wonder who's here?" Serena questioned.

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned.

"I mean there is a cabin here," Serena stated.

Then a girl came out of the cabin. This girl had blue hair with a green bow and wore red overalls with a pink undershirt. She had bowls and Pokémon food in her hands as it looked like she was going to feed the Pokémon. Did these Pokémon belong to her?

"Okay everyone, here's your food," the girl said with kindness, "I want you all to be in your best shape, okay."

These Pokémon must belong to this girl. After all the hell they went through in this forest, Ash and Serena were relived to see something good, unless she had a shotgun.

"You won't believe what happened, I was looking around for anyone who could be nearby, and I found a shoe in the river. If it belonged to a rebel trainer or poacher, that wouldn't bother me, but it belonged to a trainer who was just lost, I hope they're okay," the girl said.

I guess this girl doesn't like bad people, something that Ash and Serena can relate on. The girl found a shoe, maybe it was Serena's or someone else's. Then she noticed that Abra was looking towards the bushes like it was sensing something.

"Is something wrong Abra?" the girl asked, "Do you see something?"

The trainer and coordinator looked like they were busted. Abra was clearly sensing something in those bushes, and fearing that they would be discovered, Ash and Serena emerged from the bushes.

"Oh my…are you Pokémon trainers?" the girl asked after gasping.

"Yes, we are," Ash muttered.

"Why do you ask?" Serena asked.

"Well if you're Pokémon trainers, I can't have you anywhere in these grounds," the girl told them, "This is a hidden Pokémon Sanctuary for Pokémon that are injured, lost, or abandoned. My name is Melanie and I protect the Pokémon around here."

"Sorry, we just got lost and we wounded up here," said Ash.

"You got lost?" Melanie questioned.

"Yeah, you see we wanted to see if we could find a faster route to Vermillion City and we ended up here by mistake," Serena explained as she saw Abra, "We saw that Abra and I tried to catch it, but we didn't know that it belonged with you."

"Oh, it's not your fault. Abra tends to teleport away from us sometimes and returns," Melanie explained, "Speaking of Abra, how did you get past those traps?"

"What traps?" Ash asked.

"The bridge, the pitfalls, the net," Melanie stated.

"Wait, you put those up?" Serena questioned.

"Yes, I did, it was to keep Pokémon trainers and poachers out," Melanie explained, "I can't believe you got past them."

"Well, we more broke out of them, and don't get me started on their time in the net," Rotom Dex said.

Melanie then took a closer look at the two Pokémon trainers. She noticed that Serena only has one shoe on, and she remembered fishing a shoe out of the river. It definitely matched the black sneaker Serena had.

"Is something wrong?" Serena asked as Melanie observed Serena, "Yeah, I lost my shoe from your bridge."

"Actually, I fished it out and it's in the cabin drying up," Melanie stated, "Do you want it back?"

"I'd be happy too," Serena replied happily and then Ash spoke.

"Only if you give it to me," Ash said chuckling a bit as it looked like he got something planned.

"Okay, I'll go get it," Melanie said as she was about to walk into the cabin.

Then Bulbasaur came out with Serena's sneaker, and the Seed Pokémon glared at Ash. Melanie noticed that Bulbasaur came out and Bulbasaur hurled the shoe right at Ash's face.

"Ow," Ash said as he rubbed his nose and got on the ground.

"Are you okay Ash?" Serena asked a little worried.

"I'm fine," Ash answered as he rubbed off his nose.

Ash noticed Serena's sneaker lying on the grass, and Serena was right in front of him. Ash picked up the sneaker and undid the laces.

"Your shoe cinderella," Ash romantically said.

Ash was blushing to the bit that this had to feel like a fairy tale. Ash placed the sneaker back on Serena's foot and Serena just blushed to the fact that Ash was acting like her prince charming. Then Ash turned over and saw Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted.

"No wait, this Bulbasaur has been protecting the village for some time," Melanie explained, "Like some of these Pokémon, this Bulbasaur was abandoned by his trainer."

"Abandoned?" Serena questioned.

"Yes, I found this Bulbasaur over a year ago on a raft as it looked like his trainer got rid of him," Melanie explained as Bulbasaur started to get a sudden sad look, "I don't know why this poor Bulbasaur's trainer decided to get rid of him."

Bulbasaur was starting to reflect over what happened over a year ago when his trainer got rid of him.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-1 year ago**_

 _On a river was a boy with black hair wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers. He had a Bulbasaur in a small wooden white box. The boy looked at Bulbasaur with anger and disgust._

" _Bulbasaur, why won't you evolve!" the boy snarled, "Go away, I don't want you if you won't evolve!"_

 _The boy pushed off the white box with Bulbasaur in it, sending him sailing down the river. Bulbasaur never saw that boy ever again._

 _Then in about a week floating down the river, he is spotted by a girl with blue hair in pink clothes. That girl happened to be Melanie._

" _Are you okay?" Melanie asked._

" _Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur moaned._

" _It's okay Bulbasaur, you can come with me," Melanie said to Bulbasaur in a soothing tone._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

It just hurt Bulbasaur that his trainer got rid of him because he wouldn't evolve. Bulbasaur didn't have any compassion for any other humans other than Melanie, because he felt that those humans would only care for themselves. Bulbasaur wanted to do what he could to be strong as a Bulbasaur and he would only evolve when he felt the time was right.

"Bulbasaur has been doing such a great job protecting the village and helping out all of the other Pokémon that have come here," Melanie explained.

Bulbasaur has been glaring at Ash and Serena. The two had no intentions on hurting the Pokémon or catching any of them. It was all a misunderstanding, then Ash approached Bulbasaur.

"Hey Bulbasaur, I'm sorry about trying to catch you earlier," Ash told Bulbasaur, "I didn't know you were looking out for these Pokémon."

"We didn't mean to disturb you," Serena kindly said.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied.

Bulbasaur still had a stern look at the two Pokémon trainers. Ash and Serena wanted to show Bulbasaur that they could be humans they could trust. Froakie and Fennekin have gotten along with them after the emotional trauma, Pikachu hasn't been fond of humans at first but found peace with them, so maybe they could gain Bulbasaur's trust.

"Hey Melanie, would you mind if we stayed here and helped the Pokémon out for a little bit?" Ash asked, "I want to show Bulbasaur that we aren't going to hurt anyone, and how much we love Pokémon."

"Same here, I was hoping to make mends with Abra," Serena replied.

"Why certainly, it never hurts to have a little help around here," Melanie answered.

They decided to spend the rest of the day with Melanie and the Pokémon. Ash and Serena got to play with the Pokémon, Pikachu interacted with them along with Rotom Dex, and Bulbasaur looked at the two trainers knowing that maybe they aren't so bad.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Airport**_

Delia, Grace, Jade, Rose, and Yellow arrived in Celadon City near the evening time. Celadon City was the second biggest city in Kanto behind only Saffron City. When they saw Celadon City from the plane, they couldn't help but fall in love with the sight of the city.

After the ladies received their luggage, they stepped out of the airport and breathed in the air of Celadon City. It was tough to get used to the smell of the big city. Rose was fine with it, after all she did live here at one point.

"So, this is Celadon City," Jade said.

"Wow, I never knew Celadon City was so big," Yellow quietly said.

"It is, after all it's the second biggest city in the Kanto Region," Rose stated.

The ladies then spotted a man with a sign that read Ketchum and Gabena. It was Rose who planned this getaway, and apparently, she didn't book a hotel. They wonder, why was there this man with a sign calling for Delia, Grace, and Jade? The five ladies walked up to the man.

"Um, I don't think we hired a chauffeur," Delia said in confusion.

"Not a problem ladies, I was wondering did you have a hotel booked here in Celadon City?" the man asked.

"Um, I was the one who planned the trip, and we were going to just go around town to find a hotel ourselves," Rose explained, "But if you know any good hotels, we don't mind if you can give us a ride."

"That's what I'm here for," the man said, "Come with me."

* * *

 _ **Celadon City**_

The ladies had no idea who this man was, but Rose was an experienced Pokémon trainer at her time, so she could protect them if something went wrong. All five ladies entered the limousine, and the vehicle left the airport drop-off section. As they were in the limo, they were wondering where they were going, after all it wasn't a good idea to take a ride from a stranger.

"So where do you think we're going?" Yellow asked with a little fear in her tone holding Chu Chu.

"I don't know, but don't worry I'll be ready if anything happens," Rose answered.

The drive from the airport lasted about half-hour, and then the five women arrived at what appeared to be a hotel. The big building was beige with about 40 stories, there were some neon lights that were turned showing neon signs of Pokémon, dice, and the words WIN BIG. The front of the building had palm trees and a fountain with a drop-off area where the ladies got out.

"What is this place?" Grace asked.

"This definitely looks like a five-star resort," Jade responded.

"And it looks like there could be some gambling," Rose said, "And when's there gambling, there happen to be bars!"

The man approached the five ladies to present them to the building that they were in front of.

"Ladies, I welcome you to the Celadon City Casino Hotel," the man said, "Please step inside."

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino Hotel**_

The man walked the ladies into the hotel, and judging by the inside, it was impressive. The walls were yellow with a marble floor, a chandelier hanging in the middle of the lobby, beautiful flowers by the walls, plenty of chairs and tables with people talking. Walking on a red carpet up to the check in desk where they were met by a woman with blonde hair in ponytails.

"Welcome to the Celadon Casino Hotel, here we have the most luxurious rooms coming with room service, a world class spa, gourmet food, and of course…a casino," the clerk said.

"Wow, this place is amazing, but I don't know if we can afford this, uhm," Delia said as she was trying to figure out the woman's name.

"Read the name tag, my name is Cassidy," the clerk said introducing herself as Cassidy, "And hey, I think you're such great ladies that I'm going to do something generous for you."

"Generous? What are you talking about?" Jade asked.

"Don't say this to anyone, but because I like you all, I'm going to give you a suite for two weeks…for free," Cassidy said.

"For free!" all five ladies exclaimed.

"Yes, I figured you girls are awesome so I'm going to let you enjoy our stay here with no charge. Enjoy the spa, pool, restaurant, and of course the casino," Cassidy explained, "And guess what, the casino even gives out prizes which include Pokémon."

"Pokémon, you give away Pokémon?" Rose questioned.

"That's right, real live Pokémon that you get enough winnings, you can take a Pokémon home with you," Cassidy explained.

"We can win a…Pokémon," Delia stuttered.

This had to be a dream that these ladies were given a room for free for two weeks. Some of the finest treatment in this hotel, and a chance to win a Pokémon. Some of the ladies thought it wouldn't be a bad idea, after all Delia, Grace, and Jade were pretty lonely since their kids left for their Pokémon journey.

"We'll take a room for five," Grace retorted.

"Better, how about I give you each your own room," Cassidy suggested.

"Um, how about three rooms. One for myself, one for Delia and Yellow since they're sisters, and one for Grace and Jade since they're married." Rose suggested.

"And little Chu Chu," Yellow said hugging Pikachu.

"Wow, I got some sisters and lesbians," Cassidy said, "Okay, three suites will be assigned to you all."

After Cassidy gave Delia, Grace, and Rose their room keys, she turned to a man with short teal hair wearing a bell boy costume as he had a cart for their luggage.

"Biff take these ladies to their rooms and bring their luggage with," Cassidy said.

"The name is Butch," said the bell boy who happened to be Butch, "And I'd be happy too."

Butch took Delia's, Yellow's, Grace's, Jade's, and Rose's luggage and placed them on the cart. Butch got the ladies to follow them as these moms were about to have the vacation they dreamed of having since their kids left. As soon as Butch got on the elevator with the ladies, Cassidy dialed the phone to call someone. The phone line went up to the top floor where the hotel owner's office was.

Inside the hotel owner's office was a man wearing an orange suit petting his Persian. It appears this man was none other than Giovanni. This was the hotel that was being run by Team Rocket. Giovanni picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello," Giovanni responded.

"Hello boss guess who just checked into our hotel," Cassidy replied, "Delia Presley Ketchum and her sister Yellow Presley, along with Grace and Jade Gabena, and I believe the other woman happens to be Rose Green."

"Oh, so it looks like those kids mothers are going to be guests in our hotel," Giovanni said with a smirk.

"Yeah and let's just say that those two kids are going to stop bothering us for potential…funeral arrangements," Cassidy said with an evil tone.

"Excellent, let them enjoy themselves and then we will strike. Those two kids are going to suffer for getting in Team Rocket's way, and we'll start by killing their mothers," Giovanni said as he began to give out an evil laugh.

Giovanni's evil laugh became loud, and Cassidy was laughing with him. Unfortunately, no one else in the lobby heard the evil laughter so they couldn't alert anyone. Rose might be fine, but it looks like Delia, Grace, Jade, and Yellow could become permanent guests in their hotel.

* * *

 _ **Melanie's Cabin-The next morning**_

Ash and Serena spent the night in Melanie's cabin after playing with the Pokémon and caring for them as well. Even their own Pokémon like Froakie, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Fennekin, Beedrill, and Magikarp were getting along with the other Pokémon. Serena spent time with her Magikarp, and Abra couldn't help but be pleased with how Serena can get along with such a weak fish. Serena did squander away lots of money to end up getting this Pokémon, but she wanted to make the best of it. Bulbasaur could now understand what kind of people Ash and Serena were, but he was most fond of Ash.

"Well Melanie, I'm glad we got a chance to let these Pokémon know that there are good humans out there," Ash said.

"You're welcome," Melanie said, "Well since you're going, I have a favor to ask you."

Melanie looked over to Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon could notice that Melanie was looking at him, and with that Bulbasaur approached. He knew what she was going to say.

"Ash, I want you to take Bulbasaur with you," Melanie told Ash.

"What? Me?" Ash asked in amazement.

Ash was stunned and so was Serena, but Bulbasaur felt surprised as well. Why would Melanie want Bulbasaur to go with Ash?

"You see, Bulbasaur has been protecting this village for over a year after his trainer got rid of him, and while we are grateful for Bulbasaur's service to me and all of the Pokémon around here, Bulbasaur needs to go out there into the world and get a chance to grow. Doing that will help Bulbasaur become even stronger than before, and it will also encourage the other Pokémon to leave. This place is a temporary home to the Pokémon, but they have to leave as well to handle what is out there," Melanie explained, "Ash, I think you would be the perfect trainer for Bulbasaur."

Ash couldn't believe it, yesterday he tried to catch this Bulbasaur and it refused to go with him, and now Melanie is giving Bulbasaur to him. After seeing what Ash along with Serena can do, he was ready to put the pain and misery of his former trainer behind and join alongside with Ash. Melanie was right on one thing, going out into this world will give Bulbasaur a chance to grow.

"Melanie, I accept under one condition," Ash responded.

"And what's that?" Melanie asked.

"If Bulbasaur is willing to have a battle with me," Ash replied looking at Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur happily nodded to Ash's challenge as he does want to work on capturing Bulbasaur. Serena was amazed that Ash was about to get a Kanto starter. Soon both he and Leaf were going to have Bulbasaurs, well Leaf actually has an Ivysaur, but it still would feel great to have one.

"Alright then Bulbasaur, lets go," Ash said pumping his fist.

* * *

 _ **One minute later**_

Ash and Bulbasaur were on opposite sides and Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Melanie, and all of the other Pokémon were watching together. Ash pulled out a Pokeball, and it was his special blue Pokeball.

"Froakie, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

"Froakie!" Froakie exclaimed.

The Bubble Frog Pokémon came out ready to fight Bulbasaur. Despite the type disadvantage Froakie had against Bulbasaur, he was still willing to fight the Seed Pokémon. Abra on the other hand had his mind on Serena rather than the battle that was about to begin.

"Froakie use Bubble!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie unleashed a flurry of bubbles at Bulbasaur, but he dodged them jumping left to right. Then Bulbasaur charged at Froakie with a Tackle knocking Froakie down to the ground. Next Bulbasaur used his vines to grab Froakie and started to slam him on the ground repeatedly.

"Hang in there Froakie!" Ash yelled out.

Serena was clasping her hands hoping that Froakie was alright, Fennekin was also out of her ball watching Froakie as she was worried too. Ash was hoping he could pull something off with Froakie.

"Froakie, use Bubble again!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie continually got slammed but toughened out and launched another flurry of bubbles at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was caught off guard and was hurt by the attack causing him to let go of Bulbasaur.

"Now use Smokescreen!" Ash retorted.

Froakie unleashed smoke all over the battlefield and Bulbasaur couldn't see what was going on, and neither did the others. Abra on the other hand just continued to pay attention to Serena.

"Quick Attack!" Ash retorted.

Froakie was inside the smoke and caught Bulbasaur off guard with a Quick Attack. Bulbasaur was knocked down and was weakened. Bulbasaur couldn't get up, and the only two attacks he showed were Tackle and Vine Whip. Maybe Bulbasaur could show Ash his other attacks, but for right now he must meet his destiny. Ash pulled out a Pokeball and prepared to throw it.

"Pokeball, go!" Ash yelled out throwing the Pokeball.

Bulbasaur saw the Pokeball, and the Seed Pokémon got sucked inside. The Pokeball wiggled around a bit until it finally stopped and made the ding sound. Ash and Froakie smiled as they noticed what just happened. Ash walked up to the Pokeball that contained his newest capture. Ash Ketchum has just captured the grass-type starter for the Kanto Region.

"Alright, we caught Bulbasaur!" Ash exclaimed as he raised the Pokeball containing the newly caught Bulbasaur.

"Froakie!" Froakie exclaimed giving a victory sign.

"Bulbasaur, I'll miss you," Melanie said.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

Ash and Serena were standing with Melanie and all of the other Pokémon with Bulbasaur now on Ash's side. They were about ready to part ways.

"Well Melanie, I guess this is where we get going," Ash told Melanie.

"Well it was nice meeting all of you, and I know you will take great care of Bulbasaur," Melanie said as she knelt down to Bulbasaur's level, "Now you take care Bulbasaur."

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied.

And with that, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, and Bulbasaur all parted ways with Melanie. All of the Pokémon were waving goodbye and Ash and Serena waved goodbye too. However, there was one thing that seemed a bit off with Melanie and the group of Pokémon, where was Abra? The Psi Pokémon wasn't there.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

It was half-hour since Ash and Serena parted ways with Melanie. The two were walking through the forest with Pikachu and Bulbasaur. This was going to be a new adventure for Bulbasaur with Ash as his new trainer.

"Hey Bulbasaur, I just want to let you know that you leaving Melanie was a big step forward for not just you, but for all of those Pokémon knowing that one day they will find the strength to leave too," Ash explained, "And I know you will be a great addition to my team. You're not just my new Pokémon, you're my new friend."

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur happily said.

"Bulbasaur, I know you'll do great with Ash," Serena happily said.

"That's right Bulbasaur, you got what it takes to be strong as a Venasaur," Rotom Dex flexing its muscles.

Bulbasaur didn't want to hear about his evolution states. After being abandoned for not evolving, Bulbasaur was hoping Ash could make him a powerful Bulbasaur, and then evolve when he felt like he was ready.

Soon after, they all stopped walking as they saw something in front of them. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur all knew who this was. This Pokémon came out of nowhere and was looking at Serena. She knew who this Pokémon was, it was none other than Abra.

"Abra," Abra said.

"What's Abra doing here?" Ash questioned.

"I think Abra is talking to me," Serena said.

Serena approached Abra and was wondering what was this Pokémon doing here? Abra was studying Serena, and after seeing what she could do with Magikarp, Abra had a great interest in her.

"Abra, what are you doing here?" Serena asked as she looked at Abra with curiosity.

Abra then looked at her belt and raised his arm and pointed at Serena's belt. Serena took a look and saw that she had three Pokeballs on her belt.

"Yeah, those are my Pokeballs," Serena told Abra.

Then Abra pointed to her belt again. Why was Abra pointing to Serena's belt with her three Pokeballs? Then the answer hit her on the head. Serena finally understood what Abra was here for.

"Did you want to…come with me?" Serena asked Abra.

"Abra," Abra responded sounding like a yes.

"Sweet mother of Arceus! Serena you got yourself a chance to get a psychic-type Pokémon," Rotom Dex announced.

"Um Rotom Dex, I think Abra only knows Teleport," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Of course, you can come Abra," Serena answered as she got out a Pokeball.

"You're taking Abra?" Ash asked, "Even though it only knows Teleport?"

"Of course, if I'm going to be friends with Magikarp who people might find as weak, then I'll be friends with an Abra that only knows Teleport," Serena explained as she bounced the ball on Abra sucking him inside until the ball dinged completing the capture, "And besides, I saw what Magikarp can do after it can evolve into Gyarados, who knows what Abra can do after he evolves."

"She's right Ash, take time with your Pokémon and it will pay off," Rotom Dex told Ash.

Two captures in one day, along with Ash's Bulbasaur, Serena gets herself an Abra. Ash knew that he was going to work hard with Bulbasaur, and Serena was going to do everything she can to be a good friend to Abra. The only question would be how could she use an Abra in a Pokémon Contest? She would need to work on that, but for right now Ash and Serena continue their journey towards Vermillion City for Ash's next gym battle and Serena's next contest.

* * *

 **That concludes part one of the Kanto Starter Trilogy, and part two will focus on Charmander. Ash got his Bulbasaur and Serena gets an Abra. Like Magikarp, Abra might not have much value until he evolves, but she'll do what she can.**

 **Looks like Delia, Yellow, Grace, and Jade are in Team Rocket's Casino Hotel along with Rose. We also got introductions to Cassidy and Butch in this chapter. Who knows what Team Rocket could do.**

 **Now I'm going to do something fun. I'm going to ask you a question and you have to answer only in the PM. The first one to give me the correct answer will decide one Pokémon that will give to each Ash and Serena in the Johto Arc. Don't decide Pokémon until I mention the winner. Now here's the question.**

 **Who was the original trainer of the Bulbasaur that Ash just got? Remember that Bulbasaur belonged to someone who appeared only once in the anime.**

 **If no one gives a correct answer by the time the next chapter gets posted, then I'll give a hint until someone gives out the correct answer. Don't forget to vote in the poll which closes after the Kanto Starter Arc. See you next time.**

 **Chapter 18: Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 2**


	19. Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 2

**Here is the second part of the Kanto Trilogy, and that is when Ash gets Charmander. Well sort of, just read and you'll see what happens. I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino and Hotel**_

A few days have gone by since Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose all checked in at the hotel. As expected they ended up paying a visit to the casino inside the hotel. There were all sorts of stuff in the casino such as slot machines, a roulette table, blackjack, and craps. What the ladies didn't know was that the employees of the casino were rockets in disguise.

"So how are our guests doing?" one of the rockets asked.

"They're doing alright," another rocket answered.

Delia was on the slot machines and Yellow just stood there and watched with Chu Chu in her arms, Grace and Jade were playing on the roulette table and its been win and lose all around for the couple, Rose on the other hand was at the bar as she has been drinking three cocktails until she got drunk.

"Well it looks like someone drank too much," the rocket said laughing a bit.

Rose was stumbling all over the place until she came across Delia and Yellow. Rose slouched over the two sisters.

"You know what you should do, you should take your tops off," Rose slurred.

"Um Rose, we are not going topless," Delia awkwardly said.

"What do you mean, don't you want them to see how hot you are!" Rose exclaimed.

"Um, I'm not comfortable taking my clothes off here, I'm not even like that with Chu Chu," Yellow said.

"Oh, my Arceus, you two are pathetic like Magikarps," Rose ranted as she stormed off to Grace and Jade, "Hey, you know those two are pathetic!"

"Who?" Jade questioned.

"Those Presley sisters, they don't want to take their tops off," Rose slurred.

"Rose, you're drunk," Grace said giggling.

"No, I'm not!" Rose ranted as she wobbled her arms.

Then Rose fell onto the roulette table passed out. She knocked some chips over and fell asleep, and it caught some peoples attention. Man, that woman was crazy when she had too much to drink. Lot of people were giggling at the drunk Rose who now passed out, and even some of the rockets in disguise were witnessing it. Petrel was witnessing it from afar.

"Let's take her back to our room," Jade said as she and Grace picked her up.

Jade and Grace were carrying Rose out of the casino and back to their room. Boy did this woman make a scene, and she continued to slur to the ladies to take their tops off, which caused Delia and Yellow to get embarrassed. The two sisters joined Grace and Jade going back to their rooms. Lesson here, don't drink too much.

"Wow are those ladies going to die by our actions or embarrassment of being linked to a drunk?" one of the rockets asked Petrel.

"I have no fuckin idea Baron," Petrel answered who revealed the rocket's name to be Baron, "Just give them anything if they ask."

* * *

 _ **Somewhere on the road to Vermillion City-A few days later**_

It's been about a week since Ash got Bulbasaur and Serena got Abra. The two continued walking towards Vermillion City while they battled a couple of trainers along the way to give their Pokémon some battling experience. Along with Tackle and Vine Whip, Ash has also learned that his Bulbasaur knows Razor Leaf and Leech Seed. Serena has mostly been training Fennekin and Beedrill since Magikarp and Abra don't carry a variety of moves to help her in contests. Ash and Serena also made sure Pikachu got his share of battles, along with bottles of ketchup.

"So how much longer until we get to Vermillion City?" Serena asked Rotom Dex.

"I'm doing calculations and judging by our distance and the location of our destination, it will probably be about another week until we arrive," Rotom Dex explained showing the map in front of her.

"Awesome, in about that time I'll have my third badge!" Ash exclaimed raising his fist in the air.

As Ash and Serena were walking down the road, they see a girl who has long auburn hair and wore a white polo shirt with a blue skirt, white socks, black tennis shoes, and a gold hairpin in her hair. Rotom Dex and Pikachu weren't quite sure who this girl was, but Ash and Serena knew who she was. The auburn-haired girl also noticed Ash and Serena and was ecstatic to see them.

"Daisy!" Serena called out.

"Ash, Serena," Daisy exclaimed.

The three ran into each other with Serena giving Daisy a hug and then Ash giving out a handshake. The two were happy to see Daisy Oak again.

"It's so nice to see you," Daisy happily said, "So how have you been?"

"We've been doing great, how about you Daisy?" Serena asked.

"I'm doing good, and I can see you two are doing alright," Daisy commented.

"Thanks Daisy," Ash replied as his face went a bit stern, "So have you seen Gary lately? If you did, how many badges does he have? I'm guessing a bajillion since he is the great Gary Oak."

Daisy laughed at Ash's comment knowing how arrogant Gary can be. Then Daisy noticed Pikachu and the floating red Pokedex with them, and she was wondering what that was.

"So, I see you got a Pikachu," Daisy said looking at Pikachu.

"We did, it was a bit of rogue Pikachu we found in Viridian City, but he opened up to us and has agreed to help both of us out," Ash explained.

"What do you mean by that? Who's Pokémon is that?" Daisy asked.

"We're both sharing Pikachu, he befriended Ash and then knowing that I'm a good friend of his agreed to also help me out," Serena explained.

"That is so cool, you both get to use a Pokémon together," Daisy happily squealed until she turned her attention to Rotom Dex, "So what is that?"

"Daisy, do you remember when we left for Pallet Town that Professor Oak gave us a special Pokedex that both me and Serena were going to share, but we had to go to Viridian City to obtain a special part," Ash said, "That part was a Pokémon called Rotom, and it went inside making Rotom Dex."

"Rotom Dex?" Daisy questioned in confusion.

"Indeed, I am Rotom Dex, I serve Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena in their quest around the Pokémon world," Rotom Dex said introducing itself.

"WHAT! That Pokedex can talk?" Daisy asked in shock.

"You got that right, and I also act as a referee in Pokémon battles, navigate their way to their destinations, and all sort of other stuff," Rotom Dex explained.

"Wow," Daisy said in amazement.

"Yeah, you see Rotom Dex isn't just a Pokedex, Rotom Dex has been a big help with our travels, and having conversations with us," Ash said.

"That's so cool," said Daisy.

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

After the meeting, Ash, Serena, and Daisy all talked about what they have done since they left Pallet Town. Ash mentioned that he has won two Kanto badges and Serena was doing Pokémon Contests and already has won a Kanto ribbon. They got a chance to meet all of their Pokémon that they obtained along the way. Ash even talked to Daisy about meeting up with Leaf to travel through Mt. Moon, and talked about their meetings with people like Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, and Miette, but didn't bring anything up on Paul. Daisy told Ash and Serena that she met Gary not too long ago that he had two badges when she last saw him, and they challenged a guy named AJ who beat them both in a Pokémon battle with just a Sandshrew, and mentioned a guy named Paul who challenged him too. Ash didn't bother to ask about Paul as he had a feeling it might have been the same Paul that he and Serena met. Ash and Serena said nothing to Daisy about their encounters with Team Rocket.

"I know I want to get to Vermillion City, but I would also like to see if there are any more Pokémon I could get," Ash said.

"How about that giant one," Rotom Dex said pointing to the rock.

There was a big shadow in front of them, but it turned out to just be a big rock with a Charmander laying on it. While many seemed disappointed, Ash was feeling ecstatic about seeing a Charmander. Charmander was one of the starter Pokémon trainers could receive from Professor Oak.

"Cool, it's a Charmander!" Ash exclaimed with joy as Rotom Dex scanned it.

 _#004-Charmander: Lizard Pokémon_

 _The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely._

As Ash was happy to see a Charmander in front of him, something about that Pokémon felt off. Daisy was able to notice something, and Serena told her about Rotom Dex's camera mode. Rotom Dex was able to zoom in on Charmander and Daisy was able to catch it with her eye, the flame was small.

"Ash, Serena, you might want to see this," Daisy said observing Charmander's tail.

"Charmander's tail, the flame is little," Serena muttered.

"Yes, when a flame is that small, it means that Charmander is in bad shape, and when it goes out…Charmander dies," Daisy explained with a grim tone.

Ash knew what Daisy was talking about. That Charmander didn't look healthy, but for some reason Charmander glared at the group.

"Hey Ash, why don't you catch Charmander and take it to a Pokémon Center," Serena suggested.

"Catch Charmander?" Ash questioned.

"I would agree with Serena, I don't know how much longer Charmander can withstand being there," Daisy replied.

Ash knew the ladies were right, and Pikachu and Rotom Dex both nodded in agreement. Without any hesitation, Ash turned his cap backwards and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Pokeball go!" Ash yelled out throwing a Pokeball.

The Pokeball came at Charmander, but the Lizard Pokémon swatted it away. Charmander appeared to be glaring at the group thinking they can try and catch him. What happened, why didn't the Pokeball work?

"Ash try it again," Daisy suggested, "Remember the capture is mostly determined on luck."

"Okay," Ash said getting out another Pokeball, "Pokeball go!"

Another Pokeball came at Charmander, and this time it got sucked inside. The Pokeball shaked violently until Charmander came out again. Charmander glared and growled at the group. Why didn't it work a second time?

"What's going on? Why isn't the Pokeball working?" Serena asked in worry.

"I don't know Serena, according to my senses, the probably of the Pokeball pulling off the capture should be high. It's not normal for the Pokeball to fail twice for a Pokémon in this state," Rotom Dex explained.

Ash was looking at Charmander. He knew Charmander was in bad shape, but why wouldn't he want to be captured? Why did he want to stay on that rock?

"Something is up with this Charmander. There has to be a reason why Charmander doesn't want to be captured, and I think I know who can help," Daisy said pulling out a Pokeball, "Hey Rotom, can you translate Pokémon?"

"You bet I can, I don't think I showed Ash and Serena that feature yet," Rotom Dex answered.

"Whoa, you can understand Pokémon?" Ash asked in amazement.

"Just wait and see," Rotom Dex replied winking at them, "Alright Daisy, who's going to speak to Charmander?"

"How about Charmander's evolved form, Charmeleon!" Daisy exclaimed sending out her Pokémon.

The Pokémon looked like a Charmander but a little bigger. The skin was red instead of orange, it had sharp claws, and there was a tiny round horn on its head. That Pokémon Daisy brought out was Charmander's evolved form, Charmeleon.

"We already scanned your Pokémon Daisy, but it never hurts to do a second scanning," Rotom Dex said doing another analysis on Charmeleon.

 _#005-Charmeleon: Flame Pokémon_

 _Charmeleon mercilessly destroys its foes using its sharp claws. If it encounters a strong foe, it turns aggressive. In this excited state, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white color._

"Charmeleon, I want you to go up to that rock and speak to that Charmander," Daisy told Charmeleon.

"Char!" Charmeleon responded.

Charmeleon went up to the rock and saw Charmander. Daisy thought Charmeleon speaking to Charmander was the best bet since they were in the same species group. Charmander looked angrily at Charmeleon and the Flame Pokémon calmly spoke. Rotom Dex was within range to decipher the conversation between Charmander and Charmeleon. Then Charmeleon came back down and Rotom Dex was ready to give the final verdict.

"Charmeleon was able to get answers from Charmander. It appeared Charmander's trainer went out and told him to wait here until he comes back, and not to move for anything," Rotom Dex explained.

"So…this Charmander belongs to somebody?" Serena asked.

"It looks like it," Ash confirmed.

"Well I hate to say this to you guys, but if this Charmander belongs to someone, I think it's best we leave it alone," Daisy suggested.

"But Charmander is weak, he needs help," Ash protested.

"I'm sorry Ash, but we can't take other people's Pokémon, it's considered theft," Daisy explained, "But I hope whoever has that Charmander comes back soon."

So Ash, Serena, Daisy, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all left the rock leaving Charmander behind. Ash knew he wanted to help Charmander but couldn't risk Charmander attacking him for kidnapping or being found guilty of Pokémon stealing. Right now, Charmander could just look up in the clouds and hope his trainer comes back soon.

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

With Daisy now in the group, Ash and Serena made their way down the road but it was starting to get really cloudy and dark. This was a sign that a storm was coming. Luckily for the three Pokémon trainers, they found a Pokémon Center on the road.

"Guys look, there's the Pokémon Center," Daisy said pointing to the Pokémon Center, "I was looking at my map and discovered a Pokémon Center was located nearby."

"Perfect, let's go," Ash said as soon as rain started to fall, "Hurry!"

Ash, Serena, Daisy, and Pikachu made a run for the Pokémon Center while Rotom Dex made a float quickly as possible because it didn't want to short circuit. They made it inside safely.

Little did they know, the Charmander that was on the rock was struggling for dear life as he used a leaf to cover his tail flame. The flame was getting much smaller.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the road**_

With everyone inside from the storm, Ash and Serena were sitting at a table while Daisy gave them some soup. Pikachu was eating food while Rotom Dex played dancing Pikachus on its screen to entertain the Mouse Pokémon. Unfortunately for the two Pallet Town natives, they weren't feeling hungry, they felt more worried.

"Is something wrong you two?" Daisy asked.

Ash and Serena looked glum and Pikachu turned his attention away from his food and bottle of ketchup and saw that Ash and Serena weren't looking to satisfied. Did it have something to do with the weather, or could it be Charmander?

"I'm just wondering if anyone came back for Charmander," Ash stated.

"Yeah, Charmander has been out there for so long, and it would break my heart if something happened to his trainer and had to survive in the rain like this," Serena said in a low tone looking outside as it continued pouring.

"I know how you feel, but Charmander refused to budge," Daisy said, "If anything happens to Charmander, it's either his fault or the trainer's. Right now, we have to respect what Charmander needs to do."

Ash and Serena just felt nothing but guilt as they hoped Charmander would be alright. Then something caught their attention in the Pokémon Center, boys talking.

There were a group of boys in the Pokémon Center with a massive pile of Pokeballs, but one of the teenage boys stood out among the rest. He had blue hair with sunglasses on his head, wore a pink shirt with a brown vest, blue pants, and white boots.

"Man, what a collection of Pokémon you got there," said one of the boys.

"You're the man Damien," another boy said.

"Oh yeah, I am the best there is. The one and only Damien," said the blue haired boy introducing himself as Damien.

"Wow, this guy seems arrogant," said Ash.

"Yeah, he reminds me of my twin brother Gary," Daisy said, "I'm sure you knew that Ash."

All of those boys were talking smack, and it seemed to annoy Ash and the girls. Pikachu and Rotom Dex were listening too and felt a little irritated by their smack talk. But then, there was one topic that came up which would blow their gasket.

"Hey Damien, didn't you happen to have a Charmander?" one of the boys asked.

"Yeah, I left it on some rock and told him that I promise to come back for it, and the little bastard fell for it," Damien said laughing.

What! This sick boy just left a Charmander on a rock saying he come back for it, and he was going to just leave it there to die. He was enjoying the fact that he abandoned a Charmander and lied saying he would come back. This was just cruel.

"Yeah, and right now he's probably in that rain waiting for me and will stay there and not do anything because he's so fucking retarded!" Damien exclaimed laughing.

This just boiled their blood. Abandoning a Pokémon was one thing, but to lie about it and enjoy any possible pain the Pokémon is in! Ash, Serena, Daisy, and Pikachu were all angry.

"So, he's the one who abandoned that Charmander," Ash growled.

"Despicable," Serena growled.

With what they were hearing, Rotom Dex was looking over at the conversation with a mad face now showing on its screen. Damien continued to talk trash about that Charmander.

"That Charmander was so weak! It's so weak it lost to a dead Pidgey! It's so fucking weak that it gets picked on by nerds! It's so fucking weak someone actually mistaken it for a Magikarp! IT'S SO FUCKING WEAK THAT IT GOT HIS ASS KICKED BY A PIECE OF PAPER, AND IT WAS LAYING ON THE GROUND!" Damien exclaimed while he was still menacingly laughing, "And it's going to stay on that rock waiting for it's tail to go out because he's so fucking retarded thinking I was going to get him!"

Rotom Dex had enough, he floated over to the group of boys and the three and Pikachu were wondering what was Rotom Dex about to do? Then Damien and the boys that were with him saw Rotom Dex who now had a happy face on its screen.

"I didn't order a floating TV," Damien retorted.

"Hello, my name is Rotom Dex and I'm going to tell you a happy story," Rotom Dex said it started to tell a story showing a boy and a Rattata.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy and a Rattata. The boy didn't like the Rattata, so he told Rattata to stay by an oak tree. The boy left and never came back, and then one day a group of Growlithes ate the Rattata for no reason and the Rattata died. Then they boy was followed by a ghost who happened to be the ghost of that Rattata. Since then the boy got mugged where his shoes were stolen, then a piano fell out of nowhere and landed on him while on the edge of a ditch where he fell and broke all of his bones, and then his parents had to pay his medical bills where the family went broke and became homeless, and then those same Growlithes came in and ate the boy for no reason, after a car ran a red light running the boy over. The end," Rotom Dex told showing images from the story.

"Why would you tell me a story about garbage you floating piece of crap?" Damien asked.

"Because all of those bad things happened because of karma for leaving a Rattata out to die. The moral of this story is if you don't want bad things to happen to you, do right things. Right now, the super-duper right thing to do is to get that Charmander," Rotom Dex told Damien.

"You're not the boss of me!" Damien yelled pointing his finger at Rotom Dex.

"But how are you going to fight off a mugger who's trying to steal your shoes while you fall down a ditch after a piano falls on you? Better yet, who's going to pay for your medical bills after that and the car that hit you? Or where will you live after that?" Rotom Dex asked.

"None of that stuff is going to happen you technological piece of shit!" Damien yelled.

"The moral of this story is karma is going to come back and bite you in the butt. Or something worse could happen like something will get you spayed and neutered," Rotom Dex said.

"That Charmander is weak, I'm not getting it," Damien retorted.

"Rotom Dex is right, get Charmander!" Ash exclaimed as he now confronted the troublesome teenage boy.

"You can't tell me what to do," Damien told Ash looking at him with a disgusting glare.

Meanwhile in the back portion of the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy was tending to a Squirtle who had a disgusted look on his face. This Squirtle was found a while back and acted like a jerk to the nurse and any humans in the waiting area of the Pokémon Center.

"Chansey, could you try and hold Squirtle down, so I can feed him," Joy told Chansey.

"Squirtle Squirtle!" Squirtle angrily ranted pointing at the nurse.

"Squirtle, you need to eat so you can stay healthy. I don't want you to starve," Nurse Joy told Squirtle.

Squirtle then fired a Water Gun at the nurse drenching her, but she didn't drop the food. The food was probably soaked, but Nurse Joy was still determined to make sure this Squirtle was fine. Squirtle was a big troublemaker since it came to the Pokémon Center. Squirtle got out of Chansey's grip and did eat the food that Nurse Joy was going to give him, but also threw some at her face.

"Squirtle!" Nurse Joy ranted until she took a deep breath, "Oh Squirtle, what am I going to do with you?"

"Squirtle," Squirtle mocked sticking out his tongue.

Then Nurse Joy was hearing arguing in the waiting area. She looked outside and saw that Ash was arguing with Damien with Serena and Daisy backing up Ash. Nurse Joy looked over to Squirtle and Chansey.

"We have a situation outside Chansey, keep an eye on Squirtle," Nurse Joy told Chansey.

"Chansey," Chansey replied.

Nurse Joy walked out while Chansey looked over to Squirtle. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon glared at Chansey knowing that the human told Chansey to watch over him.

"Alright, you want to fight boy!" Damien exclaimed.

"Break it up!" Nurse Joy yelled out clapping her hands.

Nurse Joy caught the group's attention. Ash turned over to Nurse Joy along with Serena and Daisy. Damien gave a disgusted look at Nurse Joy along with his boys and Pikachu and Rotom Dex turned around.

"You should know Pokémon are not to be used in personal fights, they hurt both the trainer and the Pokémon," Nurse Joy told everyone.

"Then his little TV friend shouldn't be telling me stories about Growlithes eating a boy because he released a Rattata," Damien said as he got up, "I'm out of here, these scoundrels aren't worth my time."

Damien and the boys walked out with the pile of Pokeballs. Ash had a disgusted look on his face, and so did Serena and Daisy. They turned over to Nurse Joy and started to look more relaxed, maybe because their presence isn't there.

"I'm sorry about those guys, they tend to have a bad reputation," Nurse Joy said.

"Then why didn't you report them about their behavior?" Serena asked.

"I have and trust me the police is aware of them. I've been keeping an eye on them lately," Nurse Joy explained, "Just try not to get mixed up with people like them or could be asking for trouble. Do you understand?"

"We do," Daisy answered until Nurse Joy heard a crash in her area.

"Good, well you take care," Nurse Joy said looking at Chansey, "I got some work to do."

Nurse Joy walked back behind the desk as she knew Squirtle was causing a ruckus. It just boiled Ash's blood that there are people like Damien out there, and who knows what could've happened to Charmander.

"What do you think is going on in there?" Serena asked looking at where Nurse Joy is going.

"I don't know, but I know what I'm going to do," Ash said as he was looking out the window, "I'm going to rescue Charmander."

"Are you crazy! Going out there in that kind of weather!" Daisy shouted.

"If I don't save Charmander, who will?" Ash questioned.

Serena and Daisy looked out the window to see how hard it was raining and how windy it was, and then they turned their sights back to Ash. Ash was right, if nobody comes over and saves Charmander, and Charmander is going to pay the price. This isn't fair that Ash is going to risk his life to save a Charmander in a big storm because some punk decided to leave it for dead without Charmander even knowing.

"Let's go," Serena muttered.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later out on the road**_

The storm was picking up and Ash, Serena, and Daisy all went into the big storm to save Charmander. They all had rain ponchos on, and Pikachu was running right behind them. Rotom Dex was not with them as they didn't want the Pokedex to possibly suffer a short-circuiting due to water damage.

"I'm worried we could all get sick," Daisy said running.

"Me too, but Charmander is likely sicker," Ash said as he was running too.

The three Pokémon trainers and Pikachu finally made it to the rock where Charmander was and he was being attacked by a flock of Spearow. Charmander had a leaf over his tail to keep the flame burning, but it was getting harder with the wind and the Spearow.

"Pikachu use Thundershock!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thundershock to zap all of the Spearow and they flew away. Ash ran up to Charmander who was on the rock and noticed the flame on his tail was small.

"Guys, the flame is about to go out," Ash told the girls.

"We have to hurry back to the Pokémon Center," Serena said.

"Right, Charmander needs medical care now!" Daisy exclaimed.

Without hesitation, Ash took off his rain poncho and covered Charmander in it. Ash didn't mind if he got drenched, Charmander's health was a top priority.

"Ash what are you doing!" Serena yelled.

"I have to keep Charmander dry and warm," Ash told Serena.

"But you'll get…" Serena trailed.

"Let's just go back to the Pokémon Center," Ash retorted.

Charmander was too weak to move and Ash carried the Lizard Pokémon in his rain poncho. They made a mad dash for the Pokémon Center trying to keep the tail flame lit, and for Serena it was to also make sure Ash wasn't being soaked to the bone.

"Hang in there Charmander!" Ash shouted.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the road**_

The lights were out, and Nurse Joy was watching over Squirtle who was sleeping right now. The waiting area was empty as everyone went to bed, except for Rotom Dex who was floating awaiting for its friends return.

"Well Chansey, at least Squirtle is fast asleep," Nurse Joy said.

Then the sound of the door slamming open awoke the Squirtle and startled Nurse Joy and Chansey. Nurse Joy went out while she told Chansey to keep an eye on Squirtle. Squirtle just fired a Water Gun at Chansey and laughed which got Chansey a bit irritated.

Nurse Joy noticed in the waiting room was a drenched Ash Ketchum who had Charmander in his rain poncho along with Serena and Daisy. The three kids were panting along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex floated over to the group.

"Ash, Serena, Daisy, you three are alright," Rotom Dex said in relief, "I was worried I would be serving no one."

"Nurse Joy, we need medical attention for this Charmander," Ash told Nurse Joy holding the rain poncho that carried Charmander, "His tail flame is about to go out."

Nurse Joy took a close inspection at the Charmander, and she could see how he was doing. Charmander was cold, weak, and had a small flame on his tail. She knew that this Pokémon was in critical condition.

"Oh, my Arceus, we'll give Charmander attention right away!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she ran over to Chansey after Ash gave her Charmander, "Chansey we have a Pokémon in critical condition, I need your assistance!"

"Squirtle," Squirtle said.

"Squirtle I need to tend to this Charmander who might die. Please don't get in our way please," Nurse Joy told Squirtle.

Squirtle wanted to launch another Water Gun until he saw the Charmander. Squirtle knew that Charmander was in bad shape, and he probably thought it was another one of those pesky humans. Despite the antics Squirtle had, he agreed to stay put and let Nurse Joy do her thing because he wasn't going to let a Pokémon die because of him. At least Squirtle knew better.

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

Charmander was laying on the cart getting ready for treatment. Charmander was in bad shape and the group's hearts were aching that Charmander might not make it. Nurse Joy was doing everything she could to make sure Charmander made it.

"Charmander is really sick and his tail is about to go out," Nurse Joy said as she was doing a dialysis, "How could you let something like this happen to a Pokémon!"

"It wasn't our fault, that argument we were having with Damien was about that Charmander, he was the one who left it out on the rock in the rain," Ash explained.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Nurse Joy muttered as she looked over to Charmander, "I'll do everything I can to help Charmander. Chansey, this may be an all-nighter."

With that, Ash, Serena, and Daisy were all told to wait outside as the nurse would begin operating on Charmander. There was one other Pokémon in the operating room who heard everything and that was Squirtle. He knew that this Pokémon was about to die because of a worthless human, but those humans saved Charmander. Right now, Squirtle just felt confused. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon walked out letting Nurse Joy do her thing, he would bug her another time.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino and Hotel**_

It was late at night in Celadon City and the ladies were about to go out. They wanted to make sure Rose wasn't drinking as much as the last time she went to hit the bar. These ladies didn't want her making another scene.

When they arrived at the casino, many people were playing big in the casino. The five women wanted to look like they were going to have a night out of town as they dressed up with makeup. Delia wore a purple cocktail dress with white stiletto sandals, Grace was all glimmered up in a black dress that went to her knees with black T-straps high heels, Jade was in a red satin blouse with black leather pants and black stiletto sandals, Yellow was wearing an orange dress with brown high heel boots holding her Pikachu, and Rose was wearing a light blue dress with white gladiator sandals. They definitely looked like women who want to hit the casino.

While there were so many options to choose from for gambling, the ladies remembered something that was in the casino. People could actually get Pokémon from the casino with their winnings and by looking at the big screen, they show people Pokémon that they could win. Rose had plenty of Pokémon to tend to and Yellow had Chu Chu, but Delia, Grace, and Jade didn't have a Pokémon of their own. Sure, the Gabenas had their Rhyhorn, but he's old and might not be around much longer. Those three ladies were alone and with the fact that their kids were on a Pokémon journey and not around, they figured why not get themselves a Pokémon.

"I think maybe I'll get a Pokémon while I'm here," Delia said looking at the Pokémon on the screen.

"You want a Pokémon?" Yellow asked.

"Well to be honest, I'm all alone. Red's been gone for a while and Ash is traveling Kanto with Serena," Delia explained, "Maybe it's time that I could have a chance to be a mom again and…care for a Pokémon."

"You want to get a Pokémon to replace your son?" Rose questioned.

"No, I'm not replacing Ash, I'm just…alone," Delia trailed.

"I know how you feel Delia," Jade said, "And come to think of it, our Rhyhorn might not be around much longer. Grace, maybe we could get a Pokémon too."

"You really think so?" Grace asked.

"Yeah," Jade answered as she looked around the casino, "Okay girls, lets hit the tables and win us some dough! We can get ourselves a Pokémon!"

"Okay enjoy, I'm going to get drinking again," Rose told the ladies as she walked away.

With that, Rose went back to the bar, but the mothers told Yellow to keep an eye on her, so she doesn't overdo it with the drinking again.

With that, the ladies all went around doing their thing with Delia, Grace, and Jade carefully playing all the games in the casino and they've been on a run. Delia is nailing the slots, Grace is coming up lucky on the roulette table, and nobody knew this, but Jade was a pretty good poker player. Jade was thinking to herself would Rose want to play strip poker with them?

Shortly after winning a whole bunch of money, Delia, Grace, and Jade went looking for wherever they gave away Pokémon, but luckily one of the casino workers (a rocket in disguise) guided them over to the stand where they gave away Pokémon. They were greeted by a blonde woman with pigtails who was indeed Cassidy.

"Welcome to our Pokémon Prize Center where we can give you any Pokémon at a price. If there is a Pokémon you want to take home with you, look at the board," Cassidy explained showing them the Pokémon.

"Wow, so many Pokémon to choose from," Grace said looking at the board, "But which ones do we want?"

Delia was thinking hard about getting herself a Pokémon. She wasn't going to use it in battles like her husband or her son, but she was going to treat this Pokémon as her own child, and maybe start helping her out around the house with stuff like cleaning and gardening. It would be a great way to bond. Grace and Jade thought maybe it was time to let Serena grow up and create another motherly bond with a Pokémon they got. It seemed wrong that they were going to buy a Pokémon, and they had no idea how the people get these Pokémon, but they wanted to give them a loving home.

Delia then looked at the board of available Pokémon and there was one Pokémon that caught her attention. Delia fell in love with that Pokémon the moment she saw it on the screen. The Pokémon was a light pink humanoid with a red nose and a blue santa like hat.

"Do you have that Pokémon," Delia asked pointing to the humanoid looking Pokémon.

"Oh, you want a Mime Jr.?" Cassidy asked.

"Yeah, I think it's very cute," Delia answered with a friendly smile.

"Alright, you can take one of your own Mime Jr.'s home for 4000 Pokedollars," Cassidy told Delia.

"SOLD!" Delia shouted giving her the money.

"And what about you ladies?" Cassidy asked.

Grace and Jade were trying to find the perfect Pokémon to take home, and then they saw one. A pink egg like Pokémon with a red bottom and a white belly that looked like an egg.

"We'll take that one," Jade said pointing to the Pokémon.

"Happiny?" Cassidy asked.

"Yeah, we'd love to take one home with us," Grace told Cassidy.

"That will come to 5000 Pokedollars," Cassidy told the gay couple.

"We'd be happy to take it," Grace said getting out her money.

Cassidy took their money and went back telling them to wait there. The three ladies stood around waiting for Cassidy to come back with their Pokémon, and after 5 minutes she emerged with two Pokeballs giving one of them to Delia and the other to Jade.

"Thank you very much and enjoy your new Pokémon and the rest of your night ladies," Cassidy said giving a courteous bow.

Afterwards Delia and Jade opened up their Pokeballs and coming out were their new Pokémon. The three ladies couldn't be happier meeting their new companions.

"Grace, Jade, aren't they just cute?" Delia happily asked.

"Mime mime," Mime Jr. said happily as she saw Delia.

Delia could tell that this Mime Jr. was a boy, and she was very happy that she got another chance as a mother, only now she was going to be a motherly figure to a Pokémon. Delia couldn't wait to surprise Ash with her new Pokémon and friend.

"They are cute," Grace said admiring Happiny.

While Serena was their baby girl, Happiny was a perfect way to fill the void in their hearts of Serena leaving for her journey. Happiny wasn't just going to be their new Pokémon, she was going to be the newest member of the Gabena family.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the road**_

It's been 3 hours since the operation on Charmander and it was past midnight. None of the three Pokémon trainers could fall asleep as they worry about Charmander. Then Nurse Joy came out as the operation was finished and Ash was the first to approach her.

"How is Charmander?" Ash asked.

Nurse Joy had a serious look but then gave a warm smile. This was a good sign saying that Charmander was able to pull through. Ash, Serena, and Daisy all took a look to see that Charmander was sleeping peacefully and wasn't in pain anymore.

"Charmander is recovering, he should be fine by morning," Nurse Joy told them.

Ash couldn't help but embrace Charmander for pulling through, but Ash knew that he had to let Charmander rest. It was his intentions of going out in that storm to bring Charmander to the Pokémon Center that saved him. Then Ash got a hand on his shoulder and turning around it was Serena. Ash couldn't help but blush.

"I'm proud of you Ash," Serena sincerely told him, "You decided to run out there to get Charmander and he's going to live because of you."

"Thanks Serena, I want to do anything I can to help a Pokémon in need," Ash said until he went to his thoughts, _"And I also want to show you how much of a great person I am. I'm not sure when to tell her."_

"Let's have Charmander sleep for the night," Daisy suggested.

"Okay," Ash said.

The three Pokémon trainers closed the door to let Charmander sleep, and after hearing the news that Charmander would live, the storm cleared up. Right now, it was time to get some rest, and then find a way to break the news to Charmander.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino and Hotel**_

Yellow was at the bar with Rose as she wanted to keep a close eye on how much she was drinking. They were greeted by the bartender who happened to be a man with purple hair and a dopey face.

"What will it be ladies?" the bartender asked with Yellow glaring at Rose.

"I'll just have red wine," Rose muttered angrily.

"And you miss?" the bartender asked.

"Um, I wasn't going to have a drink," Yellow said until she trailed off and saw the bartender's nametag reading…Petrel, "Petrel."

"Well, if you change your mind let me know," Petrel said as he started cleaning glasses.

Rose was looking at Yellow with a stern look on her face as she was drinking her wine. Seriously, the only amount of action she has seen from her is holding Chu Chu in her arms. She wanted her to live or meet someone. Then Delia, Grace, and Jade joined the two ladies at the bar with their new Pokémon. Rose and Yellow were amazed at what they saw.

"Did you ladies just get Pokémon?" Rose questioned looking at Mime Jr. in Delia's arms along with Happiny in Jade's arms.

"Yeah, aren't they cute," Delia said with Mime Jr. giving a happy gesture, "This is Mime Jr. and I actually thought of a good name to give him."

"A name?" Rose asked.

"Mimey!" Delia squealed.

Mime Jr. was waving his arms in happiness as he was happy to be named Mimey. Then Yellow took a look at the Pokémon that Jade got. Happiny couldn't have been anymore happier to be with someone like Jade.

"And who's that, and does that Pokémon have a name?" Yellow asked.

"Yellow, Rose, I want you to meet Happiny," Grace said showing the Playhouse Pokémon to the women, "And just like Mime Jr., me and Jade thought of a great name to give her."

"Her, it's a girl?" Yellow questioned.

"Yes, her name is Happy!" Jade squealed, "I gave her that name because this Pokémon is always happy."

"It's great to see that we all have Pokémon. Maybe Mimey and Happy can meet with Chu Chu for a playdate," Yellow suggested.

"We could sis," Delia said patting her on the shoulder.

Yellow was happy with the idea that Chu Chu and the two new Pokémon could come over to play. It would almost be like the moms and kids coming over for playtime. Then Yellow turned over to Rose and looked at Petrel too.

"You know what bartender, to celebrate my sister and her friends getting new Pokémon and to please Rose in us having a good time, I'll take the hardest drink you got," Yellow said.

"Really, that would be Everstone Frost Spritzee Spritzer," Petrel stated.

"Great, I'll have one of those," Yellow said.

"Whoa, even I found that to be too strong," Rose said.

"Was that the drink that took you out?" Grace questioned.

"Um…no," Rose answered.

"Great, one shot of Everstone Frost Spritzee Spritzer, I don't want to overdo it," Yellow said as she gave Chu Chu to Grace.

" _Man, this woman is taking chances. I thought this was going to just be one of innocent bystanders with a Pikachu we take out, but it turns out she wants to take a chance,"_ Petrel thought as he was making the drink.

Then Petrel gave her the shot of the alcoholic beverage. This drink sure looked strong, and now to know if it tastes strong. Without hesitation, Yellow raised the shot in the air.

"To new friends," Yellow happily said as she drank the shot.

"Well, tell me how it tastes," Petrel said.

"Yeah, I want to hear," Rose replied.

Yellow was starting to have blurry vision. She could see multiple images of her hands, and things were looking pretty wavy. Then as she turned around, she saw what appeared to be a handsome supermodel in front of her, but what she didn't realize was that was the bartender Petrel who also was an undercover rocket executive. Yellow started to laugh and sway all around, and without warning, she grabbed Petrel by the shirt and started to make out with him.

"Whoa! You son of a bitch!" Rose cheered.

Delia, Grace, Jade, and Rose were shocked, the Pokémon didn't quite understand it, and what the women didn't notice was Archer was watching in a distance seeing the blonde woman making out with his comrade.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the road-Morning**_

Morning arrived in the Pokémon Center. Ash, Serena, and Daisy were all sleeping in their beds after saving Charmander. The three Pokémon trainers deserved a good nights sleep after running into that storm. Ash was able to wake up and go to the room where Charmander was sleeping only to discover something.

Ash gasped when he saw Charmander was trying to climb out the window. It looked like Charmander was trying to escape and go back to the rock where Damien told him to wait. Serena, Daisy, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all caught up with Ash who witnessed Charmander. Doesn't Charmander know what happened?

"Charmander, where are you going?" Ash asked.

"Char," Charmander responded.

Nurse Joy walked in and noticed that Charmander was trying to escape from the window. Nurse Joy knew what he was doing.

"I think Charmander is going back to the rock to wait for Damien," Nurse Joy said.

"But why?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Charmander is still technically Damien's Pokémon, and since you mentioned that he told him to wait out over at that rock, Charmander thinks he needs to go back," Nurse Joy explained.

So Charmander almost dies but is saved by Ash and then goes right back to the rock where Damien told him to be. This is an abusive cycle and it must be stopped.

"Let me talk to Charmander," Ash said approaching Charmander and putting his hand on his heart, "Charmander listen, we came across Damien and we heard him saying that he was going to back for you. He lied, he left you on that rock to die because he thought you were weak."

"Char?" Charmander questioned.

"He's right Charmander, we heard what he said and the worst part, he enjoyed it," Daisy said.

"I'm sorry Charmander," Serena muttered.

"Pikachu," Pikachu muttered.

Charmander heard the truth, and it's hard to accept the truth. Damien was supposed to be the guy who raised him and the guy he was supposed to trust, but he was mislead to believe that he really was going to come back for him.

"If you go back to that rock, you'll just end up in the same state as before," Ash said as he started to look out the window, "Tell you what Charmander, we can see how strong you are, and then I want you to think about if you want to come with us."

"Char?" Charmander questioned.

"Come on, let's go," Ash said giving Charmander the gesture that he wants to go outside.

So, without further questioning, Charmander followed Ash outside and Serena and Daisy came along with them with of course Pikachu and Rotom Dex. As Nurse Joy saw them go outside, she couldn't help but think how Ash was able to handle a stubborn Charmander.

"I guess he knows what he's doing with Charmander," Nurse Joy said as she got hit by a Water Gun by none other than Squirtle and started to have a stern attitude, "I wonder if he can lend a hand with this Squirtle?"

* * *

 _ **Outside the Pokémon Center**_

In an area a little bit away from the Pokémon Center, Ash took Charmander to train with him. He wanted to see how strong Charmander really was and tried to figure out what weaknesses he had and how he could improve. Ash thought of the best way to see how Charmander could do.

"Hey Serena, would you like to have a battle with Charmander?" Ash kindly asked.

"Sure," Serena answered.

"Great," Ash replied.

With that Ash and Serena each took separate sides. Rotom Dex didn't do any officiating since it was going to observe Charmander's moves. Daisy and Pikachu were on the sides watching, but little do they know that there was a being with blue hair watching from the distance.

"Okay Fennekin, come on out," Serena said sending out Fennekin.

A test battle between two fire-types. This was a good way to see what Charmander could do in battle. Ash would make the first move.

"Okay Charmander use Ember," Ash told Charmander.

"Dodge it," Serena responded.

Charmander fired off some embers at Fennekin, but the Fox Pokémon was getting out of the way. However, Fennekin wasn't getting out of the way quick enough as it was shown that Charmander was attacking fast. How fast you attack can make a difference in a battle.

"Fennekin use Psybeam," Serena called out.

"Dodge it Charmander," Ash responded.

Fennekin fired off a Psybeam and Charmander was jumping out of the way. Charmander landed perfectly on his feet and then took a good look at Fennekin. Without hesitation, Charmander opened his mouth and fired a blue sphere at Fennekin which caught her off guard. Fennekin took a tumble from that massive attack and Ash, Serena, and Daisy were just amazed by what Charmander just did.

"Charmander, what was that?" Ash asked Charmander.

"According to my move data, the attack Charmander just used was Dragon Rage, which happens to be a dragon-type attack," Rotom Dex explained.

Then came a second surprise from Charmander. As soon as Fennekin got up, Charmander unleashed flame from his mouth hitting Fennekin which knocked her down. Fennekin couldn't believe the move that Charmander just used and it was a move that Fennekin hopes to get down. Charmander used Flamethrower.

"Wow, that was amazing not only do you know Dragon Rage, but you know Flamethrower as well," Ash said in amazement.

"Okay, that's enough. I think Charmander is a pretty tough Pokémon," Serena said as she gave Fennekin a hug, "Thanks for practicing with Charmander Fennekin."

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily responded.

"So, Ash, are you thinking about taking that Charmander?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah Ash, we'll both have fire-type Pokémon and you already saw what Charmander can evolve into," Serena told Ash.

"What do you say Charmander, do you want to come with us?" Ash said putting his hand out towards Charmander.

Ash couldn't help but smile to what a great Pokémon Charmander is. Ash knew he would not just be a great teammate, but a great friend. Charmander couldn't even remember one-time Damien said something nice to him. He only says nasty things after he loses, but when he wins, he doesn't thank him or anything. Ash was treating Charmander as a living creature, Damien was treating Charmander as some tool. Charmander had to understand Damien wasn't coming back, so without hesitation Charmander put his hand out. The two were about to grab each other's hand until…

"OW!" Ash cried as he got slapped on the wrist.

"You're not taking Charmander! He's my Pokémon!" Damien retorted as he was the one who hit Ash.

They couldn't believe it, Damien appeared out of nowhere, but no one was aware that he was watching from the distance. What was he doing here, and why did he want to take Charmander? Yesterday he was enjoying the fact he left it out in the rain to die, and now he comes back for it.

"Damien!? What are you doing here?" Ash asked in shock.

"I'm getting Charmander back like I promised, but you punk tried to steal it!" Damien yelled out.

"Steal Charmander," Serena muttered.

"Yeah, you punks are stealing Charmander from me!" Damien yelled.

"Stealing Charmander, YOU LEFT IT ON A ROCK TO DIE AND LIED TO HIM!" Daisy screamed, "Charmander is alive because Ash saved it."

"Speaking of Charmander, why did you want him back?" Ash asked.

"Because I now see how strong Charmander is seeing it fight that fox," Damien answered.

Ash just wanted to vomit. Getting a Pokémon back because you maybe realize you did wrong and want to make up might be one thing but coming back for it because the Pokémon isn't weak in your eyes anymore, that's nasty. With that, Ash stood up and looked at Damien in the eyes.

"No," Ash told Damien.

"What?" Damien questioned.

"I'm not giving you Charmander because you think it's strong. You will just repeat the cycle and leave Charmander to die again," Ash told Damien.

Charmander walked up to Ash and hugged Ash's leg. Charmander looked at Ash with a plead wanting to come with him. Ash knew that Charmander wanted to come with him and he wasn't going to let him back in the hands of Damien.

"Okay then, how about this. A one on one Pokémon battle. If you win, you can keep Charmander, if I win, I TAKE CHARMANDER BACK!" Damien scolded to Ash.

Now the fate of Charmander was going to rely on a one on one Pokémon battle. Ash looked at Charmander and wanted him to beat Damien. Ash also saw the faces of Serena, Daisy, Pikachu, Fennekin, and Rotom Dex as they want him to challenge Damien too. Ash refused to lose to someone like Damien.

"I accept your challenge," Ash said as he and Damien shook hands.

Ash was not happy with the fact that he just shook hands with a sick bastard like Damien, but it was to make the deal official. Charmander could only hope Ash can win.

* * *

 _ **One minute later**_

Ash and Damien were on opposite sides as Serena, Daisy, Pikachu, and Fennekin all watched from the sidelines with Rotom Dex acting as the referee showing a picture of Ash and Damien.

"This will be a one on one Pokémon battle between Ash Ketchum and a sick bastard who needs to be left in a dungeon to die!" Rotom Dex announced as Damien glared at Rotom Dex.

"Shut up you piece of floating garbage!" Damien screamed as he sent out his Pokémon, "Exeggutor, fuck up this bastard's Pokémon!"

Damien threw his Pokeball and coming out appeared to be what looked like a palm tree with feet and three coconuts with faces which resembles the head. Exeggutor happened to be the Pokémon, and Rotom Dex began to analyze the Pokémon.

 _#103-Exeggutor: Coconut Pokémon_

 _It engages its enemies using psychic powers. Each of its three heads fires off psychokinetic energy, tripling its power._

"Froakie, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

Froakie was in his battle stance as he was ready to battle Exeggutor. Froakie also saw that Fennekin was out and that she would cheer him on hoping to win. Ash wasn't going to let Charmander down, and Froakie wasn't going to let Ash down either. One thing they had to be aware of was that Exeggutor did have a type advantage over Froakie since it was a grass-type and Froakie was a water-type.

"Go Froakie!" Serena cheered.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin cheered.

"We'll let's see how Froakie's been doing since you left Pallet Town," Daisy said ready to watch the battle.

"Exeggutor use Stomp and break that Pokémon's bones!" Damien yelled.

"Froakie hop up in the air!" Ash yelled out.

Froakie jumped up high and avoided Exeggutor's Stomp which caused Damien to grind his teeth and then shout.

"I said break that Pokémon's bones, not let it hop up you slow piece of shit!" Damien yelled.

"Now use Bubble!" Ash called out.

Froakie unleashed a bunch of bubbles at Exeggutor which caused the Coconut Pokémon to start stumbling. Froakie came down and landed on Exeggutor's head. Damien saw Froakie on top of Exeggutor and demanded another attack.

"Exeggutor, kill that bastard with Egg Bomb, AND NO MISSING!" Damien screamed.

"Froakie get off of Exeggutor!" Ash called out.

Exeggutor unleashed Egg Bomb at Froakie, but some of them hit Froakie but barely. Froakie fell off of Exeggutor and the Coconut Pokémon saw Froakie lying down.

"Good! Good! Good! Now use Wood Hammer until it's dead!" Damien yelled.

"What, you can't kill Pokémon!" Serena yelled.

"Yes, I can!" Damien screamed, "And if they lose, I'll send them somewhere to die!"

"Froakie get out of the way!" Ash called out.

Froakie couldn't believe the words he was hearing from Damien as Exeggutor was coming in about to deliver a Wood Hammer. Charmander now heard that Damien was going to leave Pokémon that lose out to die so that meant he did abandoned Charmander on that rock to die. As Wood Hammer was coming in, Froakie was starting to get a terrifying image.

 _Exeggutor was replaced by was a muscular man who was bald, wore sunglasses, and wore a camouflage jacket, green cargo jeans, and brown boots. He had a hammer in his hand ready to smash Froakie. That wasn't any man, that was Siegfried._

" _Yeah! I love murdering Pokémon!" Siegfried screamed as he hammered Froakie._

 _Froakie was being smashed by the hammer repeatedly as Siegfried was just laughing mercifully. The evil man continued to smash Froakie as guts and blood were being spread all over the ground._

" _I hope you're a baby, because killing happy families bastard babies is fucking awesome!" Siegfried yelled out as he continued to smash Froakie._

 _The surprising thing that Froakie was still alive, but in great pain. Froakie's bones were broken, his organs were smashed, blood was pouring all over, and he had no energy. Then came something that would frighten Froakie. Siegfried had Fennekin in his hands awaiting what kind of torture he was going to give her._

" _Hey sad excuse bastard of a Pokémon, I got your girlfriend," Siegfried told Froakie, "And now I'm going to eat her, and I broke your bones, so you can't save her!"_

 _With that, Siegfried was now biting onto Fennekin's neck and chewed off her head, and then ate it. Siegfried just bit of the head of a live Fennekin and ate it in front of Froakie, and he couldn't save her._

" _YEAH! I LOVE EATING FUCKING LIVE POKEMON!" Siegfried shouted._

As Wood Hammer was about to come down, he was realizing that Damien was starting to have a resemblance of Siegfried. It wasn't in appearance, but more likely in actions of how he was going to have Exeggutor smash him with Wood Hammer. Froakie noticed Fennekin's reaction as she got worried for Froakie. Charmander was going to end up with this punk again if he wins.

If Froakie and Fennekin were going to avenge their families by finding Siegfried and challenging him, then they needed to get through all of the obstacles that were coming their way. Froakie wasn't going to accept defeat, and the Bubble Frog Pokemon rolled out of the way.

"Great job Froakie!" Ash exclaimed raising his fist.

Froakie was back on his feet and Exeggutor was glancing at Froakie. Damien was pissed that Exeggutor's Wood Hammer missed. Ash needed to think of something, and then he found a weakness. It was coming from Exeggutor's legs.

"Exeggutor use Psyshock!" Damien shouted.

"Froakie use your tongue and wrap it around Exeggutor's legs," Ash told Froakie.

Froakie hopped up and let his tongue out. Froakie used his tongue to wrap Exeggutor's legs causing Exeggutor to not walk around. Psyshock came and Froakie just spun around Exeggutor like some tetherball until he finally got the Coconut Pokemon to trip up and fall down. Froakie was able to get out of the way.

"You piece of shit! Egg Bomb!" Damien yelled.

"Froakie use Water Pulse!" Ash retorted.

Froakie was about to unleash a Water Pulse attack, but something else happened. Instead of creating a water sphere, Froakie was creating a light blue energy and then fired off a beam. Ash was stunned at what he just saw, and so was Serena. The beam hit Exeggutor, and the Coconut Pokemon was frozen.

"Was that…Ice Beam?" Daisy asked in shock.

"Ice Beam?" Serena questioned.

"Ice Beam is a powerful ice-type move that has a chance to freeze the Pokemon, and since Exeggutor is a grass-type Pokemon, it took more damage than usual," Daisy explained.

"Ice Beam, that's amazing," Ash said in amazement.

Ash couldn't help but smile seeing that Exeggutor was not moving at all and for one final blow, Froakie bashed in with a Quick Attack taking out the Coconut Pokemon fully as ice shards were scattered all over the ground.

"Exeggutor is unable to battle, the winner is Froakie! Which means the winner of this battle and rightful custody to Charmander is Ash Ketchum!" Rotom Dex announced happily as it was dancing in celebration.

"Way to go Froakie!" Ash exclaimed as he gave Froakie a hug.

"Froakie," Froakie responded happily.

Ash couldn't believe that Froakie just learned Ice Beam, and now he has won the rights to keep Charmander. Charmander was happy and couldn't help but join in the hug as he was now part of Ash's Pokemon family. It was a touching scene for the ladies and Pikachu after seeing Ash win a sudden death battle for the fate of Charmander.

"Looks like Fennekin has a new fire buddy," Daisy said teasing Serena.

"Daisy, I think Fennekin is fine with Froakie," Serena said looking at Fennekin, "Isn't that right Fennekin."

"Fennekin," Fennekin replied.

As Ash was happily hugging Froakie and Charmander hugging Ash, Damien called back his Exeggutor and just gave a smirk to Ash. Afterwards he approached the ten year old Pallet Town native with a smirk. This guy treats Pokemon like tools and was in a hatred argument with Ash, why does he have that smirk?

"I have to say that was a great battle, you got some pretty strong Pokemon," Damien said.

"Um thanks," Ash replied.

"You're welcome," Damien said in a sinister tone.

Without warning, Damien punched Ash in the eye and Serena and Daisy just gasped at what he just done.

"ASH!" Serena cried.

Ash was knocked down, but that wasn't the worst part. Damien grabbed Ash's Pokeball belt taking his Pokeballs. Froakie saw what this sadistic trainer did and was about to charge with a Quick Attack, but he was too late. Damien forcefully returned Froakie to his Pokeball before he could strike him. Then Damien glared at Charmander who was about to attack him with a Flamethrower, but it didn't come out in time as Damien got out Charmander's Pokeball in time and forcefully returned him.

"MY POKEMON!" Ash cried as Damien began to run away.

"No, they're my Pokemon!" Damien hollered.

Damien stored Ash's Pokeball belt into his vest and Serena and Daisy were going to try and stop him, but he closelined both girls in the neck causing them to fall down on Pikachu and Fennekin. That wasn't enough to kill the girls, but it was enough for him to run into a wooded area. Fennekin saw Damien run off, and tears were starting to form into Fennekin's eyes. Damien just took her closest friend away from her. The three got up after Damien's ambush, only to see the worst happened.

"No," Ash muttered.

Tears began to come from Ash's eyes as Damien, the sick minded Pokemon trainer who left Charmander on a rock to die, got away with all of his Pokemon and the Charmander he was about to take away from him. All of Ash's Pokemon were now in his possession.

Ash began to cry, and Serena came in and embrace him in a hug. Daisy put her hand on Ash's shoulder for support, Pikachu came up to Ash and rubbed his cheek. However, Fennekin just stood there and watched in the direction where Damien went out of sight and cried like she never cried before.

"FENNEKIN!" Fennekin cried.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino and Hotel**_

The hotel room Delia and Yellow were in was trashed as it looked like a wild party was thrown inside. Delia didn't have anything to drink but her sister had one shot of Everstone Frost Spritzee Spritzer and it made her go crazy. Delia was looking around with Mimey to see how much of a mess her little sister made.

"Man, Yellow was really on the mark last night," Delia muttered to herself, "I never seen someone go fucking crazy, I just hope she doesn't recall what happened afterwards."

Delia was a bit freaked out by the fact of Yellow's actions. Chu Chu was staying with Grace and Jade in their hotel room since Yellow was in no condition to take care of her.

The two sisters had an eventful night with the rest of the ladies, they were lucky on the gambling floor, she got Mimey while the Gabenas got Happy, and Yellow got to get a good taste in alcohol. When Delia entered the room, she could see a blonde bump showing from above the covers which she assumed was Yellow. Delia stood there with her arms crossed, and then approached her sister who was moaning out of the covers.

"Yellow?" Delia questioned.

It was clear Yellow had a hangover, and then Delia gasped what she saw from her little sister. Yellow was clearly naked as she ended up seeing her boobs. She then noticed a second lump on the bed but continued to talk with her.

"What the hell happened?" Yellow asked in a slur.

"You were drunk as hell and judging by that lump on the other side of the bed, I can take it you brought someone into the bedroom for drunken sex," Delia said.

"I had sex?" Yellow questioned in a slur.

"Yeah, don't you have someone in the bed with you," Delia stated.

Yellow's head was not acting right. She had a massive headache, had a hard time remembering what happened, and was wondering why the room looked like was hit by a tornado. Then Yellow could see that someone was in the bed with her but couldn't make out who it was.

"There's someone in the bed with me?" Yellow questioned as she raised the covers.

"I don't think I need to see that," Delia said fast as she could but was too late.

The covers came off and in the bed was a man naked. Delia almost wanted to scream as she did see his penis. Delia could agree this man's penis wasn't as big as Red's penis. Delia looked at the naked man and could recognize who this man was. Yellow's face was in shock as she knew who the man in her bed was. Yellow could not believe that this man just spent the night in their room. Was this man drunk too? They knew who it was.

"Petrel!?" Yellow gasped in confusion.

"Hallelujah! I'm no longer a virgin!" shouted Petrel.

* * *

 **Looks like Yellow may have had sex with Petrel. She has no idea that she just slept with a Team Rocket Execeutive, hell the ladies don't even know he's a Team Rocket Executive.**

 **What did I say by Ash sort of gets Charmander. Damien took all of Ash's Pokemon and the Charmander he was supposed to rescues from him. I'd figure that's something he would do since he is lazy and doesn't work on training his Pokemon. The group will help Ash reclaim his Pokemon in the next chapter, and there is a Pokemon in the Pokemon Center who might give them a hand. That's right, Squirtle was introduced in this chapter, and that will be the Squirtle Serena gets in the next chapter.**

 **Alright, I did a question where the first person who gets it right can decide a Pokemon Ash and Serena should get in Johto. No one got it right and I will not reveal answers that I got, but here is the question again.**

 **Who was the original trainer of the Bulbasaur that Ash just got? Remember that Bulbasaur belonged to someone who appeared only once in the anime.**

 **I did leave a hint in the story of the first part of the Kanto Starter Trilogy which I guess no one saw. Well here is another hint that will make it easier, and remember I only accept the answer in the form of PM.**

 **2** **nd** **hint: He appeared on the Orange Islands**

 **First one with the correct answer wins, and if I don't have a winner, I'll give another hint. I will be closing the poll when the next chapter is posted. Stayed tuned for the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 19: Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 3**


	20. Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 3

**I just want you all to know I have actually decided to make revision on this chapter. I'll explain why at the end of the chapter.**

 **Well after that cruel ending to the last chapter, it's time for us to bring closure to the Kanto Starter Trilogy. In this chapter, not only will Ash, Serena, and Daisy try to find Damien and recover Ash's Pokémon, Serena will also get Squirtle in this chapter. Hopefully you'll get a kick out of the results of how I handle Damien, it might make you go nuts, and I'll let you know now, Yellow did not get pregnant. Enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino and Hotel**_

Giovanni was watching on the monitors of how the casino was handling, and the operation has been a success so far. Team Rocket has been able to make profits out of the people buying Pokémon and losing money in the process along with buying food and drinks. Giovanni was stroking his Persian and the Classy Cat Pokémon was loving every moment of it.

"Soon Persian, we will get enough money to make one of the biggest purchases in Team Rocket history. With all of these money-making schemes we have created all over the Kanto Region, Team Rocket will soon make it's big purchase of the Silph Company in Saffron City," Giovanni explained.

The plan for the casino and hotel was one of the plots of making money so that Giovanni can legally buy the Silph Company. The Silph Company is the leading manufacturer in Pokémon technology, and also provides supplies for ongoing Pokémon trainers such as Pokémon medicines and Pokeballs and helps out with Pokémon transfers and carry limits. If it weren't for the Silph Company, Pokémon trainers wouldn't exist today.

Team Rocket wasn't planning on buying the Silph Company, so they can control trainer inventory, there was something else there that they wanted. It was rumored that the Silph Company was developing a special kind of Pokeball that would capture without fail. They call it the Master Ball. Then Giovanni heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Giovanni asked.

"It's Ariana," Ariana answered from the other side.

"Ah, my lovely wife, come on in," Giovanni said as Ariana entered the room.

Giovanni looked at his wife and co-founder and co-leader of Team Rocket with a hint of glare in his eyes. The only thing that was on Giovanni's mind was the business of their beloved terrorist organization.

"What brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on headquarters?" Giovanni asked, "I have Archer and Petrel here keeping an eye on the place along with Cassidy and Butch working alongside."

"I was actually going to tell you that you should go back to headquarters and look out after the place right now," Ariana suggested.

"Why?" Giovanni questioned.

"One, Proton is finally going to be joining us in a little while with those worthless pieces of shit Jessie and James along with that talking Meowth, so no high-ranking rockets are going to be covering headquarters," Ariana answered.

"And two," Giovanni questioned.

"Archer and Petrel are soon going to put the plan in action in killing those kids mothers, and Proton will be part of that," Ariana answered with a pause, "And I'm hoping to watch this in person because it's kind of personal."

"Personal?" Giovanni questioned, "Oh, do you mean what I think you mean?"

"Yes Giovanni, you should know there is more to wanting Ash Ketchum's and Serena Gabena's mothers killed other than just foiling our plots," Ariana said.

"That's Jessie and James fault!" Giovanni exclaimed banging his fist on his desk.

"Sorry about that, but you know why," Ariana said.

Ariana spoke with Giovanni about her personal reasons of watching Delia, Yellow, Grace, and Jade suffer and possibly Rose too. Giovanni was angry that he had to leave the facility and let Ariana take the head seat of the hotel. Giovanni did understand why Ariana wanted to watch this unfold. There was only one question, what was Ariana's deal with the Ketchums and Gabenas?

* * *

 _ **Delia's and Yellow's room**_

Yellow was in shock that she just had sex with the bartender from the casino. That Everstone Frost Spritzee Spritzer was strong, but no way it could've made her that crazy. Delia had Grace, Jade, and Rose in their hotel room to discuss what happened last night. Mime Jr. and Happiny got to play together and Chu Chu was joining in on the fun too. Still, it had to be a bit of a whirlwind of what happened.

"Yellow you dirty girl! We needed you to get wild and you did by brining a stranger bartender into your room," Rose said patting Yellow on the back hard in a victorious tone.

"I wasn't intending to have sex with that Petrel guy," Yellow replied.

Yellow definitely ended up getting drunk from the strong drink she got, and she had no clue was she was doing. What was the situation going to be when she sees him again? Will she have to avoid the bar just to stay away from him or what?

"Are you going to see him again and talk about last night?" Jade questioned.

"I don't know, but I can tell he enjoyed it because this morning, he said he was no longer a virgin and looked very happy," Yellow explained.

"Yeah, I heard that," Delia replied.

"Well the maybe the best thing to do is not say anything to Petrel until he comes to you," Grace suggested.

"Okay, but if something happens to me like I get pregnant or get a sexual disease, I will have to talk to him," Yellow told the ladies.

Yellow couldn't believe that she had drunk sex with Petrel and wasn't sure how she was going to confront him after that night in bed. To make matters even worse, Delia was in the room with her. The only thing Yellow could do right now is be herself, and not create any awkward meetings with the bartender who she ordered her drink from. And also not hang with Rose a lot when the other three ladies aren't around.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the road**_

Ash was sitting on a couch at the Pokémon Center holding an ice pack to his eye where Damien punched him. He almost wanted to continue crying, but he didn't want to swell up his eye with his tears. Ash just had his Pokémon stolen by Damien, and the raven-haired boy was upset. Serena sat on the couch to comfort him with Pikachu alongside.

Ash tried to save Charmander from Damien, instead he got his Pokémon taken and Charmander back with Damien because Damien thought all of his Pokémon and Charmander were strong, and he's wondering what he could do to his Pokémon as Damien as already been proven to be an abusive trainer. He didn't just take his Pokémon, he took his friends, his allies, and his partners, but the one Pokémon that hurt to most for Ash to have taken besides the Charmander he was starting to get to gain his trust was Froakie. Froakie already could feel trauma from what was going on when he was an egg, and now being with a sadistic boy like Damien, Ash knew from his heart that Froakie was going to be abused. What if he got lied to and left on a rock to die like Charmander did? Froakie of course wouldn't believe that, but Damien would find other methods. There was one Pokémon who was hurt by Damien's actions more than anyone was Fennekin. Fennekin didn't just see Ash's Pokémon get taken, she saw her be separated from her best friend for 4 years, and it broke her heart. Fennekin and Froakie seemed inseparable, especially when Team Rocket separated them from their trainers, but now this because of someone who refuses to raise a Pokémon and just expect strong Pokémon to be handed to them. Fennekin wanted to make Damien pay for not just taking Ash's Pokémon and abusing Charmander but taking away her best friend.

Daisy was speaking to an officer who was at the Pokémon Center. They called the police just after Ash got his Pokémon taken. Daisy was helping giving them a report on Ash's stolen Pokémon, and Rotom Dex proved to be valuable as it was able to show the officer footage of Damien punching Ash and forcibly calling back Froakie and Charmander who were trying to stop him. Also, the fact that he ended up hitting two girls, that was considered domestic assault.

"So, let me know what Pokémon your friend has again," the officer said.

"Froakie, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, and Bulbasaur," Daisy answered, "And he was about to save Charmander from him, but that's when he punched him."

The officer was writing notes down recalling the Pokémon Ash had taken from him. The crimes that Damien committed consisted of attempted Pokémon murder, Pokémon theft, and two counts of domestic assault.

"Please, if you have any leads on Damien, let us know," Rotom Dex told the officer.

"I will, I've actually been hearing reports about that trainer," the officer responded, "We'll keep an eye out for him and get your Pokémon back."

Daisy's face grew grim, how long would it take to find Damien. How far could Damien have gone, and what is he doing to Ash's Pokémon? She looked over to Ash where Serena and Pikachu were still comforting him. He had to wait for the police to get his Pokémon back, who knows how long that will take!

After speaking with the officers, Daisy and Rotom Dex had a seat with Ash and Serena to keep Ash company.

"Well, they got the information on Damien, but we don't know how long it will be until they find him," Daisy told Ash.

"Great, who knows what he's going to do to my Pokémon," Ash muttered, "Froakie already had a traumatizing experience with that hunter and now he's with Damien."

Froakie was clearly Ash's best friend and so were the rest of his Pokémon. As the three were sitting on the couch, the only thing Nurse Joy could do was watch.

"That guy really broke his heart, first he leaves a Charmander in critical condition about ready to die, and now they take his Pokémon. He's a good kid, he didn't deserve that," Nurse Joy said weeping a tear from her eye.

Then a Water Gun was fired from behind hitting Nurse Joy. She turned around to see it was Squirtle again who was laughing at her. Nurse Joy just had a firm look on her face, but she didn't want to show any signs of anger.

"Squirtle, that boy just had his Pokémon taken and you think this is a time for jokes," Nurse Joy firmly said.

"Squirtle Squirtle," Squirtle replied.

What Squirtle was trying to say was that this was what he meant exactly by humans being pathetic, and he only took his Pokémon because that human thought the Pokémon were strong. This was the case with Squirtle, his former trainer thought he wasn't strong enough and released him. Squirtle thought that the humans only care about strong Pokémon and themselves, and that's what caused him to start distrusting humans. It all had to start with his former trainer.

"Oh Squirtle, what am I going to do with you," Nurse Joy said as she had her hands on her hips.

Then Squirtle got a menacing look and snuck out the window. Squirtle could see Ash holding his ice pack with Daisy and Serena sitting beside him. The next thing he did was he got behind them and looked at Serena, and then he fired a Water Gun at her from behind.

"AHHHH!" Serena shrieked as she was hit with Water Gun.

"Serena!" Ash said in shock as he dropped the ice pack with his eye feeling much better though.

Serena fell on her butt onto the floor and she was drenched from the stray Water Gun. Squirtle was laughing until Serena got up and glared at Squirtle.

"Did you do that?" Serena questioned the Squirtle.

Nurse Joy noticed the scene and saw that Squirtle was outside. The Pokémon nurse rushed outside as Squirtle started to laugh at Serena. Nurse Joy couldn't believe that Squirtle snuck out and did that to one of the visitors in the Pokémon Center. Thank Arceus Squirtle didn't do that to the police while they were.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I was watching over this Squirtle and he must have gotten out," Nurse Joy told Serena as she grabbed Squirtle, "Squirtle, that was not nice of you!"

"Squirtle Squirtle," Squirtle said without regret.

"What the, is that a Squirtle?" Ash asked.

"It is," Daisy answered.

"I haven't analyzed a Squirtle yet so let me get to it," Rotom Dex said as he analyzed Squirtle.

 _#007-Squirtle: Tiny Turtle Pokémon_

 _Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds._

"So, who's Squirtle is that? I want to give the trainer a piece of my mind," Serena told Nurse Joy.

"To be honest, it's no one's Squirtle. I've actually been keeping Squirtle here in the Pokémon Center for a little while," Nurse Joy confirmed, "I'm sorry Squirtle hit you with that Water Gun."

"That's fine," Serena muttered as she looked at Squirtle.

This Squirtle was truly a menace, she has given Nurse Joy havoc and now playing a mean joke by shooting Serena with a Water Gun. Then they remembered what Nurse Joy said by no one's Squirtle.

"What do you mean no one's Squirtle?" Ash asked.

"You see, a few weeks ago Chansey found something wondering the road. I thought it might be a Pokémon trainer, but it looked small. As it got closer, it turned out to be a Squirtle and it was an angry Squirtle. I went up to Squirtle and the only thing Squirtle did was headbutt me. Then Chansey came and took down Squirtle so we could look at him. It was only done for self defense since Squirtle attacked me. I didn't know what happened to Squirtle, but he was in bad shape, so I took Squirtle in and kept him in the Pokémon Center since then. Squirtle has tormented me on occasions since I took him in such as playing pranks or attacking me," Nurse Joy explained telling the story of Squirtle.

"Wow, what happened to Squirtle?" Ash asked.

"My best bet is due to the way he treated me and mocks any trainers visiting the Pokémon Center, I'm guessing that this Squirtle was abandoned and has been hurt by it since," Nurse Joy explained.

"Was it Damien?" Daisy questioned.

"I don't think so, Squirtle was in bad shape most likely from wondering down the road all tired. I'm keeping Squirtle here for his own good. Despite the nonsense he's been causing me, I don't want Squirtle to wind up in the same shape as before," Nurse Joy explained.

Ash and Daisy had to feel bad for Squirtle, and they still had the thoughts of Damien taking Ash's Pokémon in their head. Squirtle must have been acting like an annoyance because his trainer abandoned him.

"Maybe Squirtle abandoned him because Squirtle was annoying," Serena muttered, "Hitting the trainer with Water Guns behind them all of time, and it just got to the trainer's nerves."

Squirtle heard what Serena said and looked pissed. How dare she talk about him like that. Serena has no idea what the Tiny Turtle Pokémon went through before winding up in this Pokémon Center. Squirtle was about ready to fire another Water Gun at Serena until Ash saw what he was doing. Despite the emotional state Ash was in, he jumped in front of Serena and took the Water Gun for her.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle angrily ranted at towards Ash.

"Thanks Ash," Serena replied.

"You're welcome Serena," Ash responded.

Serena had enough of this Squirtle's attitude, so she went up towards the troublesome Squirtle and looked at him in the eye as she stood crossing her arms towering the Tiny Turtle Pokémon, and then bent down to his level.

"Squirtle, I don't like how you are acting towards us. I don't know what happened to you, but that doesn't give you any reason to hit us with Water Guns," Serena told Squirtle.

"Squirtle?" Squirtle questioned.

"Listen Squirtle, Ash got his Pokémon taken by someone who was selfish and just wanted strong Pokémon without working for them, and you trying to hit us with Water Guns isn't helping at all," Serena told Squirtle, "If what Nurse Joy said was true and you got left behind because they thought you were weak, your trainer is just as bad as Damien."

Squirtle was wondering what was this girl was talking about. Did she know about what happened to him?

"Squirtle, I'm sure there's a trainer out there who's willing to accept you. The trainer you had previously was selfish and probably only wanted big tough Pokémon, but not all of them are like that. You don't need to hate humans Squirtle, I mean despite what you just put us through, I would take the time to be your friend or maybe Ash would or Daisy here," Serena explained gesturing to Ash and Daisy, "And I wish someone could show you that those types of humans got what they deserve. They can't get away with this stuff, and neither should Damien."

Squirtle actually took what Serena said to heart. Squirtle might see that Serena somewhat understands the pain he's going through, and she could even deal with him despite soaking her.

"She's right Squirtle, I wish someone could put Damien in his place for that trick he pulled on Ash thinking his Pokémon are strong and what he did to Charmander because he thought he was weak," Daisy said.

Serena heard what Daisy said and took a look at Squirtle and a distraught Ash. She was remembering when they rescued Charmander from the storm that Damien left him in because Damien thought Charmander was weak. Then Ash wins a Pokémon battle for rights to Charmander which lead to Damien thinking Ash had strong Pokémon causing him to punch him without warning and take his Pokémon, and also emotionally hurting Fennekin in the process for separating Froakie from her. Now they're dealing with a troublesome Squirtle who likes to play tricks because his trainer ditched him for being weak. Serena let all of those things run through her head while looking at Ash and Squirtle, she actually thought of something.

"Ash," Serena told Ash.

"What is it Serena," Ash replied.

"I hate seeing you hurt, and I hate seeing Fennekin hurt. I want us to make Damien pay for what he did," Serena said looking at Ash with total determination, "We're going to get your Pokémon back, and I think I know how we can get them back."

"Don't bother, we don't know where he is," Ash said.

"Ash listen to me! You tell me never give up until the end, and I've always took those words to heart. We don't know how long it could be until the police find him, but if we do something, we can get your Pokémon back. They're your Pokémon and we want to help you get them back," Serena told Ash.

"I agree with Serena on this one Ash, if you want your Pokémon back, we have to go out and find Damien," Daisy told Ash.

"We're all in this together Ash," said Rotom Dex.

"Pika," Pikachu said nodding his head.

"We're getting your Pokémon back, they're your friends. If we sit here any longer, who knows what Damien will do to them," Serena said.

Ash could think about what Damien could do to his Pokémon and Charmander. Froakie knows Damien is a bad guy and Ash is his best friend, and if Froakie shows any signs of disobedience, Damien might beat him to death. Ash can already imagine that, or Charmander suffering that fate for trying to turn on him. Ash really likes Serena, and now she is starting to tell him to stand up and recover his Pokémon. Hearing those words from someone he has a crush on, Ash wants to make Serena proud. Ash no longer felt defeat and misery, he felt strength and love. He needed to get Charmander and his Pokémon away from that sadistic Pokémon trainer.

"Alright Serena," Ash said as his eyes we're now filled with determination, "Let's get my Pokémon back, and Charmander away from Damien!"

"That's the spirit!" Serena cheered as she embraced in a hug.

Ash was lucky to have a girl like Serena in her life. He didn't know what kind of plan she had set, but Ash was going to trust her.

"There's just one question, how are we going to find him? Pidgeotto and Butterfree we're taken from me, so we don't have any Pokémon who can search the skies," Ash said.

"That's where Beedrill comes in," Serena told Ash holding Beedrill's Pokeball and then turned to Squirtle, "Hey Squirtle, do you want to come with us and watch us take care of Damien."

Squirtle heard what Serena said about going after the trainer who beat him up and took Ash's Pokémon. He remembers the painful memory of when his trainer released him because he wasn't considered to be strong enough.

"Squirtle," Squirtle confirmed.

"That's great," Serena happily said, "No funny stuff. Nurse Joy, is it okay if Squirtle comes with us to look for Damien."

"You know something, I really could use a break from Squirtle and so could Chansey," Nurse Joy said feeling relieved, "Go ahead."

"Thanks," Serena replied.

Ash, Serena, Daisy, Pikachu, Squirtle, and Rotom Dex all stepped out of the Pokémon Center. Serena sent out her Beedrill.

"Beedrill, Ash got his Pokémon taken by a person with blue hair. I want you to find that person," Serena told Beedrill.

"Serena, you're going to need more help," Daisy said as she threw her Pokeball up in the air where a Zubat was released, "Zubat, I want you to help Beedrill to search for a man with blue hair. He stole Ash's Pokémon and we have to get them back."

"Zubat," Zubat replied.

Beedrill and Zubat began to fly around searching the area for Damien, and the three Pokémon trainers needed to keep up with them.

"Let's follow them," Ash said.

"And I will tell you the plan on the way," Serena said until she saw Squirtle standing by the door, "Squirtle, there's a bad human we're going after, I want you to see how we're going to bring justice to him."

"Squirtle," Squirtle nodded with a tint of confusion

Squirtle then understood what Serena said and acted to follow her. Then Serena's red Pokeball opened up revealing her Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded with a loud cry.

"Fennekin," Serena said when she saw her starter, "We're going to get Froakie back."

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded with a bit of hope.

"Damien is going to pay for what he did, and I know what I'm going to do," Serena said, "The question is are you going to be up for it?"

Fennekin heard Serena, and in honest opinions, she just wanted Froakie back. They were through everything together since they hatched. Fennekin was willing to do what she could do to help get Froakie back. She misses him badly.

"So, Serena, what is your plan?" Ash asked as they began running.

* * *

 _ **20 minutes later**_

Beedrill and Zubat have been looking around for Damien and the group have been following them. It was hard to search through the thick trees making it extremely hard to find Damien.

Despite his attempts to be a perverted Pokémon, Squirtle has taken fond measures of Serena even though she scolded him back at the Pokémon Center. He was just happy not to be watched by Nurse Joy. Coming with at how they were going to take down a pathetic human, Squirtle couldn't be any happier as he gets to see one human gets what he deserved. The fact that these humans are trying to take down a true bad human, maybe Squirtle's mind could change thanks to this girl. Maybe Squirtle just needed a trainer who was going to accept him as a friend.

Beedrill saw someone out in the distance running, and Zubat was noticing it with her supersonic radars Beedrill got a closer look, and it was him! Damien was in Beedrill's sights. Zubat let the group know, and Beedrill began to close in on Damien and began to hover over him. The group all followed Zubat, and the Bat Pokémon was able to guide them to Beedrill, and then they saw him.

"DAMIEN!" Ash screamed.

The sadistic blue haired boy heard the call, and he turned around to see Ash, Serena, Daisy, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex. Squirtle stood behind Serena as everyone's sights were on Damien.

"What do you want!" Damien exclaimed.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin cried as she was about to deliver a Fire Spin, but nothing came out and Fennekin felt sad, "Fennekin."

"What happened, why didn't Fennekin's Fire Spin work?" Serena asked.

"Because Fennekin has a broken heart and she won't be able to use her attacks," Daisy confirmed, "And Damien was the one who broke her heart."

Daisy was furious, and Serena looked down at Fennekin. Not only did Damien take her best friend, her broken heart now caused her to be unable to use any attacks.

"Fennekin, just stay there," Serena told Fennekin as she went to thought, _"Beside Fennekin, you attacking him wasn't part of the plan."_

"Give Ash his Pokémon back," Daisy told Damien.

"These are my Pokémon, I got them fair and square!" Damien yelled.

"You punched me in the eye and swiped them off my belt, and to add injury to insult, NOW FENNEKIN IS HURT!" Ash angrily ranted.

"Then maybe you should to only walk around with weak pathetic Pokémon! You're doing the job for me to be the best," Damien said.

"Damien, you are scum," Ash told Damien.

Ash wanted to run up to Damien and punch him in the eye like he did to him, but that wasn't the idea. Serena glared at Damien and started to approach the sadistic boy.

"Oh look, your girlfriend is going to make your problems go away, because you're a big baby!" Damien mockingly said, "No wonder those strong Pokémon wanted to ditch you for me."

"Alright that's enough!" Serena scolded, "You have forgotten something Damien, Ash's Pokémon will not listen to you!"

"They will listen to me because I'm so great!" Damien announced.

" _He's starting to remind me of my brother, just without the abuse," Daisy thought to herself._

"Alright Damien, if you're so great then prove it. I will have a one on one Pokémon battle with you right here, right now. Here's how it's going to work, if I win, you're going to give Ash his Pokémon back, and that includes Charmander!" Serena scolded.

"I'm not doing that!" Damien ranted.

"Then that doesn't prove you're so great. Those great Pokémon trainers will take anything that comes their way, so this proves you're a coward. Or afraid of losing to a girl," Serena said.

"Fine, I accept your challenge," Damien replied.

"Good, and I was going to do something to benefit you. If you win, you can actually take my Pokémon and Daisy's Pokémon along with Pikachu," Serena told Damien.

"WHAT!" Daisy exclaimed.

"PIKA!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"And, I'll be generous to you, I'm going to let you choose the Pokémon that I will use," Serena said as she threw up her Pokeballs.

Fennekin and Beedrill already came to her side, and Magikarp along with Abra joined Serena on her side. Daisy was wondering what the hell was Serena thinking. Gambling away their Pokémon was out of her mind, but also letting Damien choose the Pokémon Serena would use in the battle. Damien was now letting out a sadistic laugh.

"Serena Gabena, you are digging our graves," Daisy stuttered.

"Don't worry, Serena knows what she's doing," Ash said, "I have faith in her."

"You are truly a dumb blonde bimbo! You're letting me choose my opponent," Damien laughed.

"She is, and I have analysis on all of her Pokémon there are no enhancements for booby traps of any kind," Rotom Dex told Damien showing images of all of her Pokémon clean.

Daisy could not believe it, she knew that Damien was not going to pick Beedrill. Fennekin couldn't use her attacks, Magikarp wasn't even in water, and Abra only knew Teleport. Damien made his pick and pointed to none other than Magikarp.

"I'll take the pathetic fish," Damien said pointing to Magikarp.

"Alright, I'll use Magikarp," Serena said as she called back her Pokémon but Fennekin begged her not to be returned, "Okay Fennekin, you can watch."

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded.

" _I won this battle already," Damien thought to himself._

"Ash, we're going to lose all of our Pokémon," Daisy said in fear.

"Don't worry, I know what Serena's doing. In fact, I was hoping he pick Magikarp," Ash said.

"Unless Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, we're screwed," Daisy stated, "You can't plan an evolution. Magikarps are not strong enough for a Pokémon battle."

"Damien abandoned Charmander because he was weak and stole him back because he found out he was strong. We're going to show him how having a weak Pokémon can give us an advantage sometimes," Ash explained.

Daisy was not trusting Ash or Serena, Squirtle was looking onward at what was going to take place. Without hesitation, Serena and Damien took separate sides as they were going to engage in a one on one Pokémon battle with Rotom Dex acting as the referee showing pictures of Damien and Serena where Magikarp was already under Serena's picture.

"This will be a single elimination Pokémon battle between Serena Gabena and Damien. The match begins now!" Rotom Dex announced.

"Crush that fish Machoke!" Damien yelled out sending his Pokémon.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a blue like human creature that was muscular with fins on his head and wore a gold belt with a P on it. The Pokémon Damien sent out was clearly a Machoke and Rotom Dex wanted information on Machoke.

 _#067-Machoke: Superpower Pokémon_

 _When it encounters an enemy that's truly mighty, this Pokémon removes the power-save belt from its waist and unleashes its full power._

"Stick to the plan Serena," Ash said to himself.

"Begin battle!" Rotom Dex announced.

"Magikarp use Tackle!" Serena yelled out.

"Machoke use Dynamic Punch!" Damien retorted.

Magikarp tried to send out a strong enough Tackle, but Machoke powered up his fist and unleashed a powerful Dynamic Punch right at Magikarp. The Fish Pokémon was sent flying towards a tree and was knocked out. Daisy knew this battle was a lost cause, because Machoke took out Magikarp in just 5 seconds.

"Magikarp is unable to battle, the winner is Machoke," Rotom Dex solemnly said.

"YEAH! YOU TRULY ARE A DUMB BIMBO LETTING ME CHOOSE YOUR POKEMON!" Damien shouted into the sky, "I truly am the great Damien, and you suck!"

Daisy was about to tear up and look angrily at Ash as she started to unclip her belt. She knew what was coming and Serena called back Magikarp and thanked her for a good fight. Serena unclipped her belt as well and went up and looked angrily at Serena. Fennekin was feeling sad that Serena lost.

"Congratulations, now we have no Pokémon," Daisy said feeling upset, "Aren't you going to call back Fennekin?"

"Not yet," Serena answered as she took Daisy's Pokeballs, "I'm sorry Daisy, I was trying to teach Magikarp a new move that I was hoping to show off, but she never got the chance."

Serena walked up to Damien with her Pokeballs and Daisy's with Fennekin and Pikachu following her. For some reason though, Ash wasn't feeling upset, and Squirtle was angry that this pathetic human won. Squirtle tried giving this human a chance and she failed.

"So, what was that so-called attack she was trying to teach Magikarp?" Daisy questioned.

"She'll tell you in a little bit," Ash replied.

"Squirtle," Squirtle mumbled.

"You lose, hand them over," Damien told Serena.

Serena looked down at the ground as she looked at her Pokeballs and Daisy's Pokeballs knowing that she was going to have to give them to…him.

"I just wanted to say one thing, I was really hoping to teach Magikarp a special attack that would do amazing in contests, and Damien, I think I should at least tell you what I was going to teach Magikarp. It would have proven how truly strong Magikarp is," Serena said.

"What's the move called?" Damien questioned.

Serena looked at Damien with a slight pause and then she told him the attack.

"TESTICLE ATTACK NUMBER 67!" Serena screamed as she kicked Damien in the testicles.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Damien screamed as he fell to the ground.

"WHO'S THE DUMB BLONDE BIMBO NOW!" Serena shouted as she grabbed a hold of Ash's Pokeballs and even grabbed Charmander's Pokeball and ran back.

"Squirtle," Squirtle happily cheered while laughing at Damien's misery.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily chanted.

"What the," Daisy said in shock.

"Serena knew what she was doing," Ash said.

Damien fell for the trap. Damien left Charmander to die because he was weak, and Serena sending out a weak Pokémon for Damien to beat only to get close to him and kick him in the crotch to grab Ash's Pokeballs. Serena clipped her Pokeballs back to her belt and handed Ash and Daisy their Pokeballs.

"I missed you all," Ash happily said looking at his Pokeballs.

"Sorry I doubted you Serena, you knew what you were doing," Daisy said.

Fennekin growled at Damien, and she was going to make him pay for taking Froakie away from her. Damien angrily got back up as he managed to recover from the blow that Serena delivered, but reached into his pocket.

"HEY FOX, WATCH THIS!" Damien screamed at Fennekin as he pulled out a gun.

Everyone gasped and Squirtle knew that this guy was playing another dirty trick. The only one who should be good enough for dirty tricks was Squirtle. Damien looked maliciously at Serena and pointed the gun at her. Damien pulled the trigger and fired. Serena stood there frozen in place, but Squirtle ran around quickly and did something amazing.

Squirtle jumped up and withdrew into his shell and used Rapid Spin vertically. Squirtle got in front of the bullet and it deflected off his shell and right back to Damien where the bullet was sent right back to his testicles blowing them off.

* * *

 _ **20 years later**_

A boy with a brown duck creature holding a leek, a Farfetch'd, were walking down the trail when they were confronted by a boy with blue hair.

"That's a nice looking Farfetch'd you got there," the boy said, "My name is Damien Jr."

"Hello Damien Jr., and this is a nice Farfetch'd, he's my best friend," the boy said.

"That's great, now watch this," Damien Jr. said as he took out a baseball bat.

Damien Jr. started to beat Farfetch'd to death. The Wild Duck Pokémon was suffering broken bones and blood was pouring out of his feathers.

"Stop it! Stop it! You're killing Farfetch'd! You're killing my best friend!" the boy cried.

"Oh yeah, watch this!" Damien Jr. yelled as he pulled out a knife.

Damien Jr. started to cut up Farfetch'd's limbs, and the boy could only cry. This was his best friend, and this cruel boy was taking him away. He was maliciously laughing like his father Damien.

Then all of a sudden Damien Jr. faded into oblivion and Farfetch'd was healed like the beating never happened. The boy didn't even remember anything and they just happily continued walking down the trail.

* * *

 _ **Back to the present**_

Damien collapsed to the ground and bits of his testicles and penis were on the ground after Squirtle deflected the bullet to his groin area. Pikachu charged over and grabbed the gun and came back with it to Ash.

"Squirtle!" Serena exclaimed clasping her hands.

"Squirtle," Squirtle said giving a thumbs up to Serena.

Ash brought Charmander out and immediately stepped on his Pokeball destroying it. Damien could see Fennekin was angry and so was Charmander, but Fennekin gave out the big surprise.

"AHHHHH!" Damien screamed as Fennekin unleashed not a Fire Spin, but a Flamethrower.

Charmander came in and joined in launching his own Flamethrower at Damien. Damien was now in excruciating pain as he was unable to move. The only thing he wanted now was for someone to just put him out of his misery.

"Fennekin," Serena said.

"That was Flamethrower, and it looks like Fennekin is cured of her broken heart," Daisy said, "I think the fact that Ash got Froakie back might have been the case."

Serena was amazed and happy that Fennekin could use her attacks again. Serena was also amazed that Squirtle who was hating humans managed to save her from a truly bad human. Serena and Fennekin were on their way to Squirtle, but when she got up to him, he got a bit affectionate.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the road**_

The group was able to get in contact with the Pokémon Center who contacted the police. An ambulance already came to get Damien with a police officer present in the emergency vehicle. Damien was going to be treated at the hospital and then go to prison after treatments.

Ash, Serena, Daisy were with Nurse Joy, and Froakie was out and Fennekin gave him a big hug showing how much she missed her. Charmander was standing there looking happy, and Squirtle was next to Serena. One of the officers who was going over the charges that Damien was facing.

"So, what are the charges?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Damien is facing one count of Pokémon cruelty, one count of attempted Pokémon murder, one count of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic assault, five counts of Pokémon thievery, one count of illegal possession of a firearm, and one count of attempted murder," the officer stated, "Adding these felonies up and Damien could be facing up to 50 years behind bars."

"I don't know if that's good enough justice, but at least he will have something to live with for the rest of his life," Daisy said referring to Damien getting his privates destroyed, "You got to love karma."

"Yeah, we loved doing that thing that game show host tells everyone to do, only it was to a person and not a Pokémon," Rotom Dex said.

"You kids did a great job catching Damien," the officer said praising the group, "I just want you kids know that in the future that some of these guys could be dangerous. And are willing to attack."

Daisy took note of that, but Ash and Serena didn't because they already had a few run ins with Team Rocket. They were hoping not to run into those guys again. Then Serena turned over and saw Squirtle who was standing right by them.

"Actually, we wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for Squirtle," Serena told the officer, "Squirtle deflected the bullet to protect us."

"Squirtle saved you?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Squirtle played a big part in helping us get Ash's Pokémon back," Serena said looking down at Squirtle, "Thanks again Squirtle."

"Squirtle," Squirtle replied as he looked at Serena with a blush.

As the Pokémon were getting along, Charmander made his way towards Ash. He destroyed the Pokeball Damien had for Charmander making it no longer his. Charmander looked up at Ash and thanked him for saving him from Damien and showing him what kind of person, he truly was. There was still one more piece of business to take care of.

"Ash, you forgot to officially make Charmander a new member of your team," Daisy reminded Ash.

"Thanks Daisy," said Ash as he pulled out an empty Pokeball, "Charmander, I officially welcome you to the group."

"Charmander!" Charmander exclaimed as he jumped into the Pokeball.

The Pokeball didn't even shake, it just immediately made a ding. Ash now had Charmander on his team, and he was going to treat Charmander better than Damien had.

"You got a Pokémon, and a new friend," Serena said.

"Yeah I do," Ash said smiling while holding his Pokeball.

Squirtle still looked at Serena with that blush. Squirtle was thinking to himself that despite being stubborn towards her, she has proven to be a caring person. Protecting Serena was a big step for him from moving on from his previous trainer. Squirtle just hoped he didn't see him again. Squirtle thought Serena was a good person and was willing to do what he could to impress her.

After seeing Ash use an empty Pokeball to catch Charmander, Squirtle fired a Water Gun at Ash without warning.

"Whoa!" Ash shrieked as he was drenched.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed.

What Serena didn't know is that from behind, Squirtle grabbed one of Serena's empty Pokeballs and sucked himself in. Nurse Joy was what Squirtle did as like Charmander, the Pokeball didn't even shake, it just dinged. Serena didn't realize that she just got Squirtle.

"I'm fine Serena," Ash said rubbing his head.

"Squirtle," Serena said as she turned to look at Squirtle, but only see a Pokeball, "Oh my gosh, did Squirtle?"

"Yeah, Squirtle has chosen to go with you," Nurse Joy told Serena.

"Squirtle wants…to go with me?" Serena questioned.

"The three of you helped Squirtle open up after your situation with Damien. Serena did most of the work helping out Squirtle, and after taking action protecting her, Squirtle must've figured out that Serena was the right trainer for her," Nurse Joy explained.

Serena heard what Nurse Joy said and she was right. After reaching out to Squirtle, he realized that Serena would be a better trainer for him than his last trainer. Squirtle thought he could look up to Serena and help her along the way.

"Well what do you know you two, Ash has two of the Kanto starters and you have one," Daisy said to Serena.

"Well in that case, welcome to the team Squirtle," Serena happily said looking at her Pokeball.

* * *

 _ **Somewhere on the road**_

Ash, Serena, and Daisy were all traveling down the road after the incident with Damien. They took the time to meet their new Pokémon. Rotom Dex approached Squirtle to talk to him about his past, but the Tiny Turtle Pokémon thought it would be best not to mention his previous trainer. Squirtle wanted to move on his last trainer like how Charmander wanted to move on from Damien.

They hit a fork in the road and Rotom Dex showed them on the map where each path would take them. For the three Pokémon trainers, this is where they were going to spilt up. Ash and Serena were on their way to Vermillion City for Ash's next gym battle and Serena's next contest. Daisy on the other hand was going to follow the other path and look around for more Pokémon to research.

"I'm sorry I doubted you with how you were going to handle Damien," Daisy sincerely said.

"It's okay, we knew that we needed to try and think things through before taking action. I learned that the hard way after being scammed for the Magikarp I got," Serena stated.

"Well that turned out to be 2000 Pokedollars well spent Serena," Ash said with a chuckle.

"You guys really were thinking back there, you two should be able to take care of yourselves," Daisy said, "Well take care, and I hope we see each other again soon."

"We hope to see you soon too Daisy," Ash said, "And if you see Gary, don't tell me if he said anything that makes me feel like a loser."

"I won't Ash, and if he does, he will answer to me," Daisy said with a wink.

With that, Ash and Serena waived goodbye to Daisy as they go their separate ways. The two Pokémon trainers and Pikachu along with Rotom Dex continued their way towards Vermillion City.

As the two were walking down the road, Ash was looking at Serena who had Pikachu on her shoulder. Ash couldn't be happier to be traveling with Serena as she just helped him up after Damien's dirty trick.

"Hey Serena," Ash replied.

"Yeah," Serena replied.

"Thank you. Thank you for helping me get my Pokémon back," Ash said as he stopped to hug Serena.

"You're welcome Ash, I know how much your Pokémon means to you, especially Froakie," Serena said as she about to shed a tear, "I wasn't going to let Damien get away like that. I did not want to see you miserable like that, and I especially did not want to see Fennekin miserable."

"I don't know what I do without you," Ash said, "I'm glad were traveling together."

"Me too," Serena said.

Ash and Serena embraced in another hug and the two smiled at each other. Ash knew that Serena was going to look out for him just like how he was going to look out for Serena. Ash couldn't help but look at Serena's radiant look and there was one thing that was going through his mind.

" _When is the best time to tell her?" Ash questioned himself in thought._

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino and Hotel**_

Outside the magnificent hotel being run by Team Rocket, a black jeep started to pull up to the curb. Coming out of the jeep was the rocket executive Proton who was going to appear at the hotel as scheduled. He looked at the building and gave a menacing smile knowing that this was their top money-making operation in the Kanto Region.

"Oh, our hotel looks as beautiful as ever, and it's even more beautiful with dumbasses losing their money or buying Pokémon," Proton said looking at the jeep, "Speaking of dumbasses, get your fucking asses out here!"

Stumbling out of the jeep was the infamous Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth. The executives and bosses did not want these three rockets anywhere near their casino operations because they are known to be screw ups. He even remembers making sure the fossil expedition at Mt. Moon didn't mess up by driving himself and Petrel over to stop them from messing up.

"So, this is our bosses' casino?" Jessie asked.

"Yes, and we are going to give you a simple task that you will perform," Proton angrily told them.

"Are we going to manage the stands where we distribute the Pokémon?" James asked.

"Are we going to live like wealthy royalty?" Meowth happily asked, "Or do we get to do casino work? You know I could make a great blackjack dealer."

"Dear Arceus, no! You guys are total screw ups which is why we like to give Cassidy and Bumpy more tasks than you bastards!" Proton screamed.

Proton hated the trio with every fiber of his being. He wish they never joined Team Rocket because they did worse for the criminal organization than good. Proton wasn't happy that he had to give Jessie, James, and Meowth a chance to actually do something important, but it was simple, and they shouldn't mess up.

"So, what are we going to do to benefit this casino?" Jessie asked.

"Well if I were the boss, I'd have Rhydon shove you into a pool and then I throw a toaster into the pool to electrocute you bastards to death, but that's not going to be the case," Proton spoke.

"Are we going to do room service?" James asked.

"No!" Proton exclaimed until he gave a menacing smirk, "You may have not heard this, but you know those kids that have messed with Team Rocket's plan along with you guys fucking up."

"You mean the twerps are in the hotel!?" Meowth questioned.

"No, but their moms are. Interesting to see that the girl has lesbians as parents," Proton said, "But that's not the case. In a couple of days, you will be serving dinner to them."

"We're going to cook for our enemies?" Jessie asked until she let out a gasp, "Wait a minute…you want us to kill them by food?"

Proton's menacing smirk remained on his face. Jessie may have just found out that they were going to arrange an assassination attempt by cooking. Then Proton raised a vile in his hand that had a skull and crossbones.

"You've read my mind," Proton said with venom in his voice.

* * *

 **Looks like Team Rocket is about to make their move on the moms, and it's going to have something to do with food.**

 **This concludes the Kanto Starter Trilogy and Serena got herself Squirtle, and this Squirtle seems to have a little crush on her. Ash might have competition. I didn't mention Squirtle's trainer in this chapter, but we will get to meet Squirtle's ex-trainer soon.**

 **After leaving Charmander to die and taking Ash's Pokémon and breaking Fennekin's heart taking Froakie away from her, a think a kick in the crotch and a bullet deflected back to the crotch would be perfect karma. At least Damien will truly live with something for the rest of his life.**

 **Now let me mention what happened in the previous product of this chapter, I originally had Squirtle being a bit of a pervert where he would look at Serena's underwear, but I actually took the time and thought it over and read through the chapter again. I decided to change that and remove that behavior from the story. Instead he's just going to be somewhat affectionate towards Serena like Ash's Chikortia was, but he's going to grow out of it.**

 **I thought that behavior from Squirtle was going to be a little gag, but I didn't realize I entered the stages of Pokephila, and I wasn't intending to do that. I'm glad some of those reviewers brought that to my attention, and by the way the stuff you saw in the previous content was what would be the things Squirtle would do the most. Squirtle was going to have to learn that the behavior wasn't going to be acceptable and mature out of that as it can bring a bad reputation to the Pokémon trainer and the Pokémon, especially since he would be going on a stage in contests in front of a crowd.**

 **I'm sorry about that, I now consider that a huge mistake that I'm going to learn from as I didn't quite have a complete understanding on Pokephila. So, with that, I changed it where Squirtle will just be affectionate and he will mature out of it. In addition, when we meet Squirtle's former trainer, it might give you all the wrong idea.**

 **Just remember, if I tend to make changes in my story in the future to rid of something that might turn people off, I also need to learn how it can make the story better. As of now the stuff I have planned will remain the same. I do want to make sure that whenever I write I please both myself and the readers, and now I can understand we both were not pleased with that.**

 **To make it up to you, I've added another hint to Bulbasaur's original trainer.**

 **1** **st** **hint: Look for it in Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 1**

 **2** **nd** **hint: A character that appeared in the Orange Islands part of the anime**

 **3** **rd** **hint: The character technically didn't have a name**

 **4** **th** **hint: The episode he appeared in was titled "The Mystery Menace"**

 **Remember to give me the answer in PM and you may send many PMs as you want, but with one answer. Remember the first one to send me the correct answer via PM can decide one Pokémon that I can give each Ash and Serena.**

 **It was a blowout in the poll, and I won't do a chapter based off the giant Pokémon Island.**

 **Next chapter, Ash and Serena will arrive in Vermillion City and Ash will be challenging Lt. Surge. How will that battle go, stayed tuned for the next exciting chapter of Pokémon the Adventures of Ash and Serena.**

 **Chapter 20: Shock, Drop, and Roll**


	21. Shock, Drop, and Roll

**Sorry everyone, writer's block got to me, but I finally got this chapter in. I hope this chapter turned out okay. Let me know what you think.**

 **So here is Ash's gym battle with Lt. Surge, and it will actually be a double battle. Also, we're finally going to have a little more in depth with Froakie and Fennekin and start to hear out from Pikachu as well.**

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Pokémon Center**_

After journeying from Cerulean City and each trainer obtaining two Pokémon, along with a cruel encounter with Damien, Ash and Serena finally made it to Vermillion City. This was going to be the sight of Ash's next gym battle and Serena's next contest. Ash and Serena went to get their Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center, and then they already put in some training for their upcoming competitions.

"So, Ash, who are you going to use for your gym battle?" Serena asked.

"I haven't decided yet, I'll give Froakie a go and for my other Pokémon?" Ash questioned himself, "I'm not sure yet."

"Do you have any idea what the gym leader uses?" Serena asked.

"Not really," Ash answered.

Then appearing out from one of the corridors, it was a familiar face that Ash and Serena haven't seen in a long time. It was the boy with the red cap who came from Kalos, it was Calem Anderson. Calem noticed Ash and Serena, and the two noticed Calem from Viridian City as well as he approached them.

"Long time no see," Calem said waving hello.

"Calem," Serena said in a greeting way.

The two gave Calem a handshake, and Pikachu and Rotom Dex gave them a high five. Calem was the boy that used to be Serena's neighbor in Vanillie Town until she moved to Pallet Town. Calem showed Serena Pokémon Contests, and after having fun in the Viridian City Contest, Serena decided to be a Pokémon Coordinator.

"So how have you two been? I haven't seen you since Viridian City," Calem asked knowing what's up.

"Well everything has been fine since we last met. Let me show you something," Serena told Calem as she pulled out her ribbon case.

Serena showed Calem her ribbon that she won from the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest. Serena also mentioned that she competed in the Pewter City Pokémon Contest, but she didn't win.

"Well I'm happy you got your ribbon, and I take it you're going to enter the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest in three days? Calem asked.

"You bet I am, and I'm going to get my second ribbon," Serena said with enthusiasm.

"Not so fast Serena, I'm going to be winning that contest I'm afraid," Calem responded with an enthusiastic tone.

"Well see about that," Serena replied as she went into thought, _"Actually, I haven't faced Calem in person. Now I can actually get a taste of what he's like as a coordinator."_

"Enough with the little pre-contest competition, Ash how have you been?" Calem asked changing the subject.

"Me, well I'm doing better than I have the last time I met you in Viridian City," Ash answered revealing his two badges from his jacket, "I've beaten the Pewter Gym and the Cerulean Gym, and tomorrow I'll be challenging the Vermillion Gym."

"That's great, so you'll be getting your third badge I see," Calem said looking at his jacket.

"That's right, and I'm going to win!" Ash exclaimed pumping his fist.

As they were talking, the Pokémon Center doors opened and coming in was a boy acting all frantic with his Pidgey in terrible condition. It looked like the Tiny Bird Pokémon was electrocuted by something. Ash, Serena, and Calem all noticed the boy and the Pokémon that came in.

"Hang in there Pidgey!" the boy cried.

"What happened?" Ash questioned himself.

"Either that Pidgey was playing with electrical wires near a kitchen sink, or there was a powerful electric Pokémon that did that to Pidgey," Rotom Dex said.

Then Nurse Joy came in and just sighed. She's been used to all these trainers coming in. It was a good thing that the Vermillion City Pokémon Center was a big Pokémon Center.

"That's the 15th Pidgey this month," Nurse Joy muttered to herself.

"15th Pidgey?" Calem questioned as he turned to Nurse Joy, "What's been happening to the Pidgeys?"

"It's not the Pidgeys, its almost any Pokémon that has been coming from the Vermillion Gym," Nurse Joy said.

"The Vermillion Gym!" Ash exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, a lot of the trainers that have come to this Pokémon Center come after losing to Lt. Surge," Nurse Joy explained.

"Lt. Surge, I bet he's the gym leader," Ash said.

"He is, I actually advise people that the Vermillion Gym is not for hobby trainers. Some Pokémon Gyms like the Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym are good for beginner trainers, but the other gyms here in Kanto they really up their game," Nurse Joy explained, "I don't know about the Viridian Gym since that gym is barely open."

"Whoa, so now Ash could potentially face a tougher gym leader than Brock and Misty," Serena said.

"Yeah, that's why I recommend that you probably should have at least two badges before you enter that gym," Nurse Joy stated.

"Hah, you're in luck, I already have two badges," Ash said showing off his Boulder Badge and Cascade Badge.

"Well that's good, it means you might be ready to take on Lt. Surge," Nurse Joy said as the dinger went off, "Well your Pokémon are done with their checkups."

As Nurse Joy went to get their Pokémon, Calem took a good look at Ash who just showed his two badges.

"I'm going to make a good guess that Lt. Surge specializes in electric types looking at that Pidgey," Calem said, "Have you decided who you're going to use?"

"Well I was going to use Froakie, and well I don't know about my second choice yet," Ash said rubbing his chin with his finger.

"Ash, I hate to break it to you, but Froakie is a water type and if the gym leader does use electric-type Pokémon, you're in for a disadvantage," Calem explained.

"I would agree with Calem Ash. Maybe you could use one of your other Pokémon like maybe Bulbasaur or Charmander. Neither of them had a gym battle yet, so this would be the perfect opportunity," Serena stated.

As Ash listened to Calem and Serena, he wanted to stick with his gut. Froakie was considered his best friend and his ace, and Froakie wanted to do everything to get tougher for Ash. Froakie was getting better, and he came through two gym battles one in which he had a type advantage, and another where he was somewhat average. Ash is considering that coming out on top against a type disadvantage will move him one step closer into becoming a great Pokémon trainer. As Nurse Joy brought his Pokémon back with Pikachu on the tray, Ash may have decided who his second Pokémon will be.

"Froakie has always been my Pokémon so I'm going to have Froakie in this gym battle, and as for my other Pokémon…Pikachu!" Ash announced.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Hey Pikachu, if you help me and Froakie win I'll buy you a big bottle of ketchup," Ash said to the yellow mouse.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily exclaimed.

Serena didn't like the fact that he was going to use Froakie. Ash did get better as a trainer, but it wasn't time for him yet to go up against the disadvantages. However, as Ash's close friend, Serena had to agree with Ash's decision. She just hopes he can learn from his mistakes, after all Serena is learning from her mistakes too.

"Well if you're going to use Froakie, I'll be rooting you both on," Serena said with a tint of worry, "I'm just worried for Froakie that he could be going up against an electric type."

"I understand," Ash said, "But don't worry, me and Froakie along with Pikachu will win!"

"Pika!" Pikachu responded.

"I can't argue with you, either it will be a learning experience for you or you're knowing how to overcome obstacles. That's something I tend to do, and I get better," said Calem.

"That's good," Ash said in an awkward tone.

It's true that Calem may have been Serena's old neighbor and Serena didn't speak with many people in the past, but sometimes Ash feels like he could be competition. Ash though doesn't want to put his face into other people's business, maybe Team Rocket, but not anyone else.

"I was thinking Ash; do you think it's okay if I watch your gym battle tomorrow, so I can get pointers from your battle?" Calem asked, "If that's okay, because whether you're a Pokémon trainer or Pokémon Coordinator, you can take tips from other trainers, so you can understand techniques or learn from their mistakes."

"Sure, not a problem," Ash said.

"And Serena, did you think about who you're going to use for the upcoming contest?" Calem asked.

"Yeah, I got a Squirtle recently and I was considering using him for the appeal round, and then I go to Fennekin for my contest battles," Serena stated.

Serena has gotten some training in with her Pokémon. While Magikarp has played a key role into bringing down Damien and getting Ash's Pokémon back, she still hasn't figured out how to use her in contests, and the same went for Abra. Fennekin has been improving on Flamethrower ever since she learned it, and Beedrill has been getting stronger.

Squirtle on the other hand as shown grace in his abilities that he can compete in Pokémon Contests. Squirtle also knew Bubble to go with Water Gun and Rapid Spin, and Serena was figuring out how she could have Squirtle showcase his moves. There have been those moments that Squirtle has been a bit affectionate towards Serena. Ash has been noticing that, and he figures this could make Squirtle look bad, or Serena look bad.

The truth was Squirtle and Fennekin could benefit an amazing contest display the most as of right now, and better if Squirtle can get his act together. He has been listening to Serena, but the Tiny Turtle Pokémon's behavior needed some work.

"That sounds great, I like to see how they're doing up close," Calem replied.

"You will when we compete in the contest," Serena told Calem.

Serena was determined to beat Calem, and Ash looked around at all of the Pokémon in the Pokémon Center who have been defeated by Lt. Surge. A certain boy from Pallet Town refused to be the next victim.

"Yeah, but first, Lt. Surge needs to look out for Ash Ketchum because I'll be coming for that badge," Ash declared.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino & Hotel**_

A great night was taking place in Team Rocket's hotel. People were gambling in the casino and right now the ladies were at the table playing poker against each other while Chu Chu (Pikachu), Mimey (Mime Jr.), and Happy (Happiny) were playing while being watched by Yellow who didn't feel comfortable gambling at the moment. Right now, there was the ladies were in a fierce poker battle.

Rose had a glazed look in her eyes as she looked over at the girls in front of her holding a 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of diamonds, Delia showed a little smirk on her face holding a 4 of diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades with a jack of clubs, Grace kept a calm composure with a jack of spades and hearts along with a queen of hearts, diamonds, and clubs, Jade looked back and forth as she held just a 2 of clubs, a 6 of clubs, 7 of hearts, 3 of spades, and king of hearts.

The ladies then presented their cards.

"Well, I got myself a straight flush," Rose said with a triumph tone.

"Man, I got a full house," Grace muttered, "But you had the better hand."

"Four of a kind, curse you Rose," Delia said.

"Fine with me, my cards are all crap," said Jade.

Rose was ready for the ladies to pay up until someone jumped in out of nowhere presenting a 10 of spades, jack of spades, queen of spades, king of spades, and an ace of spades. This guy wasn't even playing with them.

"ROYAL FLUSH! YOU…ALL…LOSE!" the man out of nowhere said, "Now pay up!"

No fair, this guy wasn't even legally part of the poker table. He must've picked some cards out and presented them at the last minute. He can't do that. Also looking at how he was looking at the four moms, did he have a feeling this may have been strip poker?

With that Delia, Grace, Jade, and Rose all glared at the man and began to gang up on him. Rose grabbed him into submission while spreading him out, and the ladies started to each kick him in the crotch. Delia's was a bit hard, Grace's seemed more powerful since she did have strength from Rhyhorn racing, but it was Jade's kicked who had the most power causing the man to fall to the ground grasping his junk.

"Jackass," Jade muttered as they all walked away.

Yellow saw the scene and just giggled. Her sister, Rose, and the Gabenas were tough and sometimes she wished she could have that toughness as well. Well after all, they were mothers.

As Yellow was enjoying her time tending to the ladies Pokémon, someone came up to the blonde woman. Yellow took a good look into his eyes and she recognized those dopey looking eyes. It was Petrel who she ended up sleeping with.

"Good evening," Petrel said.

Yellow had an awkward look. She ended up having drunk sex with him. Was there something he wanted to request? After sleeping with someone you just met, things can get a little weird.

"Hello there Petrel," Yellow said in a nervous tone.

"Um, how are you feeling from last night?" Petrel asked.

"I'm alright, it just felt very weird having sex with someone you don't even know," Yellow said.

"I know what you mean, um what's your name?" Petrel questioned.

"It's Yellow," Yellow answered, "Well Rose looked like the one who pushed me to drinking so much that we ended up…getting crazy like that."

"Yeah, I know how that felt. I barely knew you and I get dragged into a make-out session followed by sex," Petrel said rubbing his hand behind his head.

It felt like an awkward meeting between Yellow and Petrel. Granted Yellow had no clue that Petrel was a Team Rocket Executive disguised as a bartender. Then Petrel looked over down at the Pokémon where he saw Pikachu, Mime Jr. and Happiny.

"You got quite a collection of Pokémon there," Petrel kindly said.

"Why thank you," Yellow said looking at the happy Pokémon, "Pikachu is actually mine, Mime Jr. belongs to my sister and Happiny belongs to her friends."

"Well I still think they're quite cute," Petrel said.

Why was Petrel being kind to Yellow? This man was the executive of a terrorist organization. He was supposed to be evil to the bone, so why was he acting like this in front of Yellow? Was it to play the charade so she wasn't on to him working for Team Rocket, or was it something else?

"Well I got to go, it was nice talking to you," Petrel said nervously as he quickly walked away.

Yellow was wondering what was going on with Petrel's behavior? Did he feel like that he could connect with him because of a night that she was drunk as hell? It had to feel like a one-night fling, but why did it feel like more?

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Vermillion City-Vermillion Gym**_

Ash, Serena, and Calem all had a good breakfast together and made their way to the Vermillion Gym. When they arrived, they saw a blue building with lots of lightning bolt designs in front where it read gym. This had to be the Vermillion Gym.

"So, this must be the Vermillion City Pokémon Gym," Ash said looking at the gym.

"Pika," Pikachu said looking at the building.

"Lets go in," Ash said as he, Serena, and Calem walked into the gym.

When they arrived, they saw that the inside of the gym had blue walls and a battlefield in the middle. They were greeted by a muscular woman with brown hair and a man with really short black hair wearing a leather jacket. Those two looked down at the Pokémon trainer, two Pokémon Coordinators, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex and they looked intimidating.

"Hello there, I'm Ash Ketchum and I'm here to challenge the Vermillion City Gym Leader," Ash told the two as the man looked behind with a menacing look.

"Hey boss, we have another victim for the emergency room!" the man shouted.

Then coming out of the shadows was a big man with spiky blonde hair. He wore a camouflage jacket, army pants, and black combat boots. This man frightened the three as they were tiny compared to him.

"Which one?" the man questioned.

"Whoa, he's huge," Calem said terrified.

The man in front of them was Lt. Surge the Vermillion City Gym Leader, and he was a giant. This man proved he could kick the crap out of you in combat, but you would only have a Pokémon battle thankfully. Judging by those Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, who knows how strong his Pokémon are. Surge was looking down at the three trainers along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex, and he ended up laying his eyes on Serena.

"Aww, my next challenge is a cute one," Surge said giving Serena a big hug as the honey blonde gasped, "Just because you look sweet doesn't mean I will go easy on you."

"Actually, I'm the one who wishes to challenge you," Ash told the Vermillion Gym Leader.

Surge stopped hugging Serena as she fell to the floor taking heavy breaths. Surge looked towards Ash with a big smirk on his face. He looked like he was ready to kill him.

"You wish to challenge me?" Surge questioned.

"That's right, my name is Ash Ketchum and you must be Lt. Surge," Ash said introducing himself.

"That's right, and you are the little baby who wants to try and fight the big bad Lt. Surge!" Surge exclaimed as he stomped his foot on the ground which shook the floor a teeny bit, "You look here baby, I served in the army and my electric Pokémon saved my ass. The least I could do for those electric Pokémon is to start making them powerful and make all of my foes cower like I did in the war. You little baby are my next victim!"

"No, he isn't, Ash will electrify you and your Pokémon you giant meanie," Rotom Dex told Surge.

Lt. Surge then looked down and saw Rotom Dex who had a fierce looking face on its screen. Rotom Dex could tell that the gym leader was clearly a bully.

"Wow, the baby has a TV as a friend," Surge said laughing along with the other two.

"I'm technically Ash's Pokedex, and I go by the name Rotom Dex!" Rotom Dex argued, "I will be analyzing whatever Pokémon you throw at Ash."

"Go ahead and do whatever you want, soon you get to watch baby Ash get his Pokémon fried like barbeque Mandibuzz!" Surge roared to Rotom Dex as the Pokedex cowered back a little bit, "Let's make this interesting, most of my battles lately have been one on one, and I want to do something different today."

"Something different?" Ash questioned.

"Right baby, ever heard of a double battle?" Surge asked with a smirk on his face.

"Double battle?" Serena questioned.

"I have. A double battle is when two trainers have a Pokémon battle and bring out two Pokémon at the same time, which means the two Pokémon have to know how to work together," Calem explained.

"Exactly," Surge responded.

Well this was going to be something new for Ash, he was going to have a double battle with Lt. Surge. Now instead of using Froakie and Pikachu taking turns in the battle, they were going to be battling together. This is something Ash should try out as he may be taking more parts in double battles in the future.

"A double battle, I'd be happy to have a double battle you!" Ash exclaimed pumping his fist.

"Alright," Surge said looking at a Pokeball, "You've been kicking Pokémon butt a lot lately, but I'd figure I need to give the others a chance. You will have a friend to battle alongside with you."

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

The lights turned on in the Vermillion Gym as Ash and Lt. Surge were about to engage in a double battle. Ash stood on one side with Serena, Calem, and Rotom Dex on the sidelines. Pikachu was with Ash as the Mouse Pokémon was going to be partaking in the battle. Lt. Surge was on the other side with his tough buddies on the side also acting as the referees.

"Will both the challenger and the gym leader send out their Pokémon!" the man announced.

"Alright, Raichu and Voltorb, go to the front line!" Surge roared bringing out two Pokémon.

Two Pokeballs flew across the room and two Pokémon came out. One Pokémon was a big orange mouse with a white belly, yellow cheeks, brown and yellow ears, eyes that looked like Pikachu, and a long tail with a lightning bolt at the end. Pikachu looked at this Pokémon, and he was terrified. That Pokémon had to be Raichu who happened to be Pikachu's evolved form. He was big and powerful just like the gym leader himself.

The second Pokémon that came out looked exactly like a Pokeball only it had eyes. People definitely could mistake this Pokémon for a Pokeball. This had to be Voltorb.

"Rotom Dex, can you do an analysis on those two Pokémon," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"I most certainly will, who know how these Pokémon could short circuit these Pokémon," Rotom Dex said as it began to analyze Raichu and Voltorb.

 _#026-Raichu: Mouse Pokémon_

 _As electricity builds up inside its body, it becomes more aggressive. One theory is that the electricity buildup is actually causing stress._

 _#100-Voltorb: Ball Pokémon_

 _Voltorb was first sighted at a company that manufactures Poké Balls. The link between that sighting and the fact that this Pokémon looks very similar to a Poké Ball remains a mystery._

Ash was gripping his blue Pokeball, and Serena picked out her red Pokeball. If Ash was going to bring Froakie out in the battle and Serena felt like Ash was making a bad move bringing Froakie out, then it would be best if Fennekin came out to give Froakie support.

"For my Pokémon, I will go with Pikachu and Froakie," Ash announced as he threw his blue Pokeball revealing Froakie.

Froakie came out of the Pokeball ready for Ash's gym battle, and Pikachu came up with Froakie. Since Froakie was going to be competing with Pikachu on his side, Serena knew she could bring out the Fox Pokémon.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said.

"Hey Fennekin, Ash is having a gym battle and Froakie is going to be battling," Serena told her Fennekin, "I was wondering if you want to watch?"

"Fenne," Fennekin said until she froze.

"Oh look, the baby Pokémon trainer is using baby Pokémon. Even those babies are frightened of me," Surge mockingly said with his hands on his hips.

"They're not afraid of you," Ash told Surge.

"Really," Surge mocked.

Ash looked at his two Pokémon and he didn't notice that the two Pokémon looked frightened. Pikachu was feeling intimidated by his evolved form, but as for Froakie it wasn't the Pokémon that scared him even though they were both electric types, it was actually the gym leader himself he was frightened about.

"Whoa, what's the matter with you two," Ash said looking at his Pokémon.

"I think Ash's Pokémon seemed scared," Calem said looking at his Pokémon.

"Um Calem, I don't think Pikachu and Froakie are the only ones scared," Serena muttered.

Calem noticed something that Serena saw on Fennekin. The Fox Pokémon wasn't ready to cheer Froakie on, she was standing there looking terrified like a car was about to come at her. Fennekin's terrified glare was on the gym leader.

"Fennekin, are you alright?" Serena asked.

"Fennekin," Fennekin weakly responded.

Sure, he looked intimidating, and he was, but this was the first time in her life that she has seen him. Why was she frightened for her life? Froakie was feeling the same way about Lt. Surge.

"Guys listen, I know you two seemed scared, but you got to try and keep your composure. If you two stop being scared and turn that fear into courage, you'll be able to win. Do you guys think you can do it," Ash said with encouragement.

Pikachu heard Ash's words and heard that if he just tried, he might actually come through and win. Froakie on the other hand was a different story, the Bubble Frog Pokémon was just frozen in place. Froakie didn't even look like he was going to move. Pikachu tried toughening up, but Froakie on the other hand wasn't even budging.

"Come on Froakie, like I say, never give up until the end," Ash said with encouragement.

Froakie just continued standing there completely zombified. Ash decided to back out and maybe the sweet taste of battle will bring Froakie to his senses. Pikachu was now focused to take on Raichu despite being powerful along with Voltorb, but Froakie didn't look like he was ready. For Froakie, the type disadvantage where the electric Pokémon completely zap him looks like will be the least of his problems.

"The gym leader Lt. Surge will be using Raichu and Voltorb while the challenger Ash Ketchum will be using Pikachu and Froakie! There is no time limit, let the battle begin!" the man announced.

With that, Raichu and Voltorb were on the move while Pikachu had to be ready to attack. Froakie on the other hand still stood there pale as a ghost, and Fennekin on the sidelines wasn't doing any better either.

"Pikachu use Thundershock on Raichu! Froakie use Quick Attack on Voltorb!" Ash called out.

Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock on Raichu, but it didn't look like it was doing anything. Froakie on the other hand was standing so much in terror that he didn't even hear Ash's command. Raichu was still standing strong after the Thundershock.

"What's going on?" Ash questioned as he saw what just happened.

"Pikachu's Thundershock didn't do a thing," Rotom Dex said.

"Rotom Dex, I think that might be the least of Ash's problems. Did you happen to see the state Froakie is in," Calem told Rotom Dex.

"Yeah, Ash called out a Quick Attack, and Froakie didn't even move," Serena said looking worried, "I don't know what's wrong with Froakie."

After seeing that Pikachu's Thundershock didn't even do a thing and Froakie not moving, Lt. Surge smirked at Ash and his Pokémon.

"Looks like one of the baby Pokémon is weak while the other baby Pokémon is scared probably wanting to cry for his mommy," Surge mocked, "Alright boys, we'll worry about the baby frog later. Right now, Voltorb tackle that Pikachu!"

Pikachu just stood there not believing his Thundershock didn't work, and then Voltorb charged at Pikachu with a Tackle attack. Surge was now going to make his next move.

"And now Raichu, show that Pikachu a real Thundershock," Surge commanded.

Raichu's cheeks started to electrify and then he unleashed a powerful Thundershock right at Pikachu. It almost looked like Pikachu was getting electrified despite being an electric type Pokémon. Then Pikachu fell to the ground, but Froakie didn't even give a response as he still stood there terrified.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Pikachu no," Serena muttered.

"It's over for that baby," Surge said.

Despite the powerful Thundershock Pikachu just took, the Mouse Pokémon was able to get back up. Pikachu was groaning, but it looked like he wanted to keep on going.

"You're still up for it?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied weakly.

"Ash, I would highly recommend that you forfeit the match. Pikachu is no match against Raichu and Froakie isn't doing anything except standing there," Calem called out.

Calem made a vague point to Ash. Pikachu was outmatched by Raichu and he had no idea what Voltorb's strengths were, and Froakie stood there completely traumatized. Why was Froakie so scared of Lt. Surge? With Froakie unable to do anything, it was Pikachu all by himself taking on that powerful Raichu along with Voltorb.

"I'm not giving up," Ash declared.

"I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson then," Surge sternly said, "Voltorb use Swift!"

"Dodge it and use Shock Wave!" Ash retorted.

Pikachu got out of the way and unleashed a wave of electricity onto the battlefield. Pikachu unleashed a Shock Wave at both Pokémon and the attack hit both Voltorb and Raichu. However, neither of them were affected by the attack.

"More like giving my Pokémon a charge," Surge said, "Now Voltorb use Sonic Boom!"

"Come on Froakie help Pikachu out, use Ice Beam on Voltorb!" Ash cried.

Voltorb was prepared to fire a Sonic Boom at Pikachu, and Froakie was supposed to use his Ice Beam attack. Froakie didn't do anything at all, and Voltorb did what he pleased in hitting Pikachu with a massive sound wave. Pikachu was knocked to the ground, and Froakie couldn't help his best friend at all.

"Froakie!" Ash cried with worry, "What's wrong Froakie?"

"Raichu, Thunder Punch!" Surge shouted.

Raichu's hand started to electrify and in just moments, he struck Pikachu with a Thunder Punch and knocked him to the wall. Then Raichu walked on over to the weakened Pikachu and was ready to finish him off.

"Pikachu," Serena muttered.

"Call the match Ash!" Calem yelled.

"And now for the finale…Raichu…Thunderbolt," Surge said darkly.

Raichu's cheeks started to electrify again, only now he had a lot more electricity running through. Then in an instant, Raichu unleashed an even more powerful Thundershock which happened to be Thunderbolt. Pikachu was being zapped by Raichu's Thunderbolt and the Mouse Pokémon screamed in pain.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

Pikachu collapsed to the ground after Raichu's Thunderbolt. Pikachu was no match for Raichu, and the worst part, he had to deal with both of Lt. Surge's Pokémon all by himself because Froakie couldn't budge.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" the man announced.

After being declared unable to battle, Serena ran over to Pikachu and grabbed him. She cradled him in her arms, and then looked back at the battlefield that Froakie was now all alone. A big factor of Pikachu losing wasn't just the fact that Raichu was powerful and Voltorb came in as his sidekick ganging up on him, but the fact that Froakie was scared. Serena looked down to see Fennekin was scared too. Why were they scared?

"Well, looks like your baby Pikachu can't battle anymore. What a shame that the little froggy couldn't help him because he is scared of big bad me and my big bad Pokémon!" Surge shouted, "And now he gets to be barbequed Froakie!"

Surge smirked at the scared Froakie and the Bubble Frog Pokémon just looked at Lt. Surge in terror. Looking at what he wore with his army jacket, cargo pants, combat boots, there was a reason he was scared of the Vermillion Gym Leader. Fennekin saw Lt. Surge at his attire and knew why she was scared, and now trying to root for Froakie or help him out.

The one thing Froakie saw on the battlefield and Fennekin saw on the sidelines was the big man wearing the camouflage jacket, army pants, and black combat boots who was ready to beat the crap out of them. There was one other person who wore an outfit like that, and it was the one person the two Kalos starters feared the most.

Siegfried.

While Siegfried had brown boots, sunglasses, and was bald, the gym leader almost seemed to resemble him. Lt. Surge wasn't physically identical to Siegfried since the gym leader had hair, it was still enough to bring the two Pokémon to a traumatizing state. Ash and Serena have heard the story about Froakie's and Fennekin's eggs being found after their families were killed by the sadistic hunter, but they never got a description of what he looked like, so the two don't likely understand.

"Let's gang up on that Froakie and call it a day," Surge told his Pokémon, "Voltorb use Tackle and Raichu use Thunder Punch!"

"Froakie look out!" Ash called out.

Froakie now knew that Lt. Surge was going to attack him. Fennekin saw what was happening, but only one thing was on her mind. She started to see Siegfried in front of her.

* * *

 _Fennekin started to see an image of Voltorb and Raichu bashing on Froakie breaking his bones with their attacks. Blood was coming out and bone spurs were popping out of his skin, broken. Then Lt. Surge replaced by Siegfried was laughing at Froakie's state. Froakie was dead._

" _Shit frog is dead! Now kill that fucking excuse of a fox, and then I'll shoot her dead body!" Siegfried shouted while manically laughing, "That's right, you're fucking shit who's going to get her fucking head blown off after you're fucking dead!"_

 _True Siegfried wouldn't use Pokémon to murder Pokémon because he would kill those Pokémon, unless he wanted to kill those Pokémon after he did his dirty work._

* * *

Then the image went back to Voltorb and Raichu attacking Froakie. Fennekin's hallucination got to her and she did something no one expected her to do.

"FENNEKIN!" Serena cried as she saw Fennekin act.

The Fox Pokémon engulfed herself in a Flame Charge and attacked both Voltorb and Raichu. Froakie broke out of his scared trance and saw Fennekin save him, and Raichu and Voltorb were knocked back a bit. However, this was completely against the rules.

"What's going on with Fennekin?" Rotom Dex asked.

"HEY, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!" Surge screamed.

Serena just stood there in shock holding Pikachu to see that Fennekin actually jumped onto the battlefield to attack Voltorb and Raichu, and Calem and Ash were just as shocked as well. While Fennekin did just save Froakie, this was illegal, and Lt. Surge immediately called back his Pokémon.

"This match is over! That Pokémon interfered with the battle and that results in an automatic disqualification!" Surge shouted as he pointed to Fennekin who came to Froakie's side and the other two people who worked with Surge began to get up, "The victory goes to me! NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

Surge pointed to the door and angrily walked away along with the man and woman. The sad truth was that Ash was likely going to lose no matter what, but now he looked bad in front of the gym leader. Calem was right, Ash should've forfeited the match because he was at first going to suffer a humiliating defeat, instead it lead to an unintentional rule breaking that he didn't plan that could now damage his reputation as a Pokémon trainer.

"Come on everyone, lets go," Ash grimly said as he called back Froakie and looked over at Pikachu, "We do need to get Pikachu to a Pokémon Center."

Serena called back Fennekin and they hurried out of there after the terrible scene that was created to get Pikachu medical attention. Two things were on Ash's mind as he left the gym, how was Pikachu doing, and what was going on with Froakie? Serena also wanted to question Fennekin's similar behavior, and what caused her to send out a Flame Charge to Surge's Pokémon?

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Pokémon Center**_

About an hour after getting away from the Vermillion Gym and quickly getting to the Pokémon Center, Pikachu was now resting in a bed recovering. It would've been worse, but thanks to the fact that electric attacks weren't very effective against electric Pokémon (despite the power Raichu's Thunderbolt had) Pikachu would be out by morning.

Ash, Serena, Calem, and Rotom Dex were all next to the bed with Pikachu. Ash was holding with hat in his hand gripping it hard. Pikachu wasn't strong enough to beat Raichu, and to make matters even worse, Froakie wasn't doing anything.

"Pikachu, I'm so sorry," Ash said with tears in his eyes, "I didn't except this to happen."

"Pikachu," Pikachu weakly said but with a positive tone noting that it was okay.

"You did your best Pikachu, don't feel bad about it," Serena told Pikachu comforting him.

While Pikachu was getting better, he just couldn't help feeling nothing but weakness on the inside. That Raichu was out of his league, and Pikachu just couldn't do anything to stop it, even if Froakie were to help. Calem then turned to Ash.

"I thought Froakie was going to be your downfall against Lt. Surge because he was a water-type, but it turned out it might have been something else that was preventing Froakie from battling," Calem said.

"What are you talking about?" Ash questioned.

"Ash, there might have been something in the Vermillion Gym that made Froakie stand there looking like he was going to be run over by a semi," Calem told Ash.

Calem made a vague point, throughout that whole battle until Fennekin panicked and attacked the Pokémon, Froakie was on the battlefield completely mortified. Pikachu was left hanging all because something was getting to Froakie. Ash then looked over at Pikachu and then turned over to Serena.

"Serena, I'm going to have a talk with Froakie. Can you keep Pikachu company?" Ash asked Serena.

"Sure Ash," Serena responded.

Ash then got up and left his hat on the chair. He walked out of the room and gripped his blue Pokeball. Pikachu knew that Ash was going to talk with Froakie about what happened in the Vermillion Gym.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Ash opened up his blue Pokeball revealing Froakie. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was looking much better as he was feeling completely normal again, but when Froakie saw Ash's concerned face, he knew that something was wrong. With that, Ash sat down and had Froakie in his lap and began to talk.

"How are you feeling Froakie?" Ash asked.

"Froakie," Froakie mumbled as he sounded like he was apologizing.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad, I mean I know we were forced into a disqualification because Fennekin tried to save you, but I'm more worried about you Froakie," Ash said with concern.

Froakie felt very bad for Ash. When he let him down, he blames it on because he wasn't strong enough, but this was different. Froakie didn't even budge during the gym battle once. When Ash called out an attack, Froakie just stood there terrified. Was he afraid of electric type Pokémon? No, it can't be, he can get along with Pikachu, heck he was even supposed to work with Pikachu.

"Froakie, what happened in there? Why were you so scared?" Ash asked.

Froakie didn't say a word, he wished Ash could understand his language, so he could truly listen.

"Froakie I'm trying to help. Was it Lt. Surge's Pokémon? Was it Lt. Surge?" Ash questioned.

"FROAKIE!" Froakie cried as he began to tear up and cry on Ash's lap.

So, Ash heard it from Froakie, it had to be Lt. Surge. True the gym leader seemed to be acting like a bully, and they were intimidated by him, but Froakie wanted to be brave for Ash no matter what. Froakie was able to fight Brock's Onix, Misty's Gyarados, but couldn't bare to look at the gym leader and lost his ability to fight.

"Froakie, I know they gym leader was big and bad, but he was just going to have a Pokémon battle with you," Ash explained, "It was probably just in his nature."

Froakie shook his head acting like it was a no. Ash had a confused look on his face. He wasn't afraid of Lt. Surge because of how he was acting or how big and tough he looked. There had to have been something about Lt. Surge that was getting to Froakie.

"So why were you so scared of Lt. Surge? He may be a tough guy, but he's nothing compared to that Siegfried guy I've been hearing about," Ash said.

"FROAKIE!" Froakie screamed.

Froakie's scream was so loud that the entire Pokémon Center heard. All of the patrons in the Pokémon Center heard Froakie's scream, and back in Pikachu's room, Serena and Calem heard Froakie's scream.

"That sounded like Froakie," Serena said as she got up.

People were looking at Ash and Froakie and so was Nurse Joy. Froakie's scream was loud when Ash said that. The Bubble Frog Pokémon started to ball up and cry even harder on Ash's lap. Ash knew what triggered Froakie to scream like that. He mentioned Siegfried.

"Did Lt. Surge remind you of Siegfried?" Ash asked with lots of concern.

"Froakie," Froakie answered muffled in Ash's stomach meaning yes.

Ash could notice that everyone was looking at the two of them. Their eyes were on them in complete shock. They must've been surprised by the loud scream.

"Sorry everyone, Froakie just having some trouble coping with something," Ash assured everyone as Serena and Calem came in, "What are you guys doing here? Aren't you keeping Pikachu company?"

"Sorry Ash, we heard Froakie scream thinking something was wrong," Serena said in worry.

"Yeah, I was trying to talk to Froakie about what happened in the Vermillion Gym why he couldn't battle, and then I said something about him not being compared to Siegfried, and then he screamed and cried," Ash explained.

"Wait, are you talking about that sadistic Pokémon murderer you were told about?" Calem asked.

"Yeah, I even asked if Lt. Surge reminded him of Siegfried and nodded yes," Ash answered.

"Huh!" Serena gasped, "If Lt. Surge reminded Froakie of Siegfried, then that could've explained Fennekin's behavior."

Serena did not like what Fennekin did as it was irresponsible, but at least now maybe she could understand. There was just one question though, even though Ash and Serena have heard of Siegfried, how come they never got an image of what he looked like? How are they supposed to know what Siegfried looks like if they ever come across him? Just then, the group was confronted by Nurse Joy.

"I just wanted to know is your Pokémon okay?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Um yeah, Froakie's fine," Ash responded.

"Are you sure? I don't understand why your Pokémon screamed like that. It even startled all the people in the building," Nurse Joy stated.

Ash took some deep breaths and he realized everyone was looking at them. People were wondering if Froakie was crazy or something? There were some people who wanted answers on why Froakie freaked out like that. Ash noticed the scene and walked back to Pikachu's room along with Serena and Calem.

When they returned to Pikachu's room, they saw Rotom Dex was hovering over the bed watching Pikachu. It may be a Pokedex, but it still had a heart and Rotom Dex was keeping Pikachu company. Nurse Joy followed them into the room and they all sat down with Ash still carrying a crying Froakie in his hands.

"Nurse Joy, have you ever of a hunter named Siegfried?" Ash asked in a shaken tone.

Nurse Joy gasped when she heard that name. It was clear Professor Sycamore has heard of him along with some people in Kalos's government, but a Nurse Joy in the Kanto Region.

"I have," Nurse Joy answered, "He's a horrible human being who just goes around killing Pokémon. There have been evil poachers out there who hunt Pokémon for profit or their bodies carry some sort of resource, but that person just kills Pokémon for no reason and leaves them to die. Why do you ask?"

Nurse Joy had a solemn expression, and so did Serena and Calem. They turned to Froakie who was crying and then turned to Nurse Joy who still had tears in his eyes.

"I heard a story from Professor Sycamore. When Froakie was an egg, Siegfried came and killed his family along with his potential brothers and sisters along with destroying their eggs. Froakie's egg was somehow spared and was taken to Professor Sycamore. Froakie felt his presence before he hatched, and it took a massive toll of trauma. Froakie has only been able to open up to me, but as time went by, he's been getting a little better with other humans including Serena," Ash told Nurse Joy.

After a brief pause, Serena took out Fennekin's Pokeball and looked at it and then she spoke.

"The same thing happened to my Fennekin," Serena said looking at Fennekin's Pokeball, "She was affected by Siegfried too."

It just hurt Nurse Joy to hear stories about what happened to Froakie and Fennekin. Fennekin came out of her ball and they told them the story of what happened in the Vermillion Gym of how Froakie was petrified of Lt. Surge and left Pikachu hanging, and when he was about to get attacked, Fennekin jumped in and attacked.

"He had every right to disqualify you for what Fennekin did, but I can see where the roots of their problems are," Nurse Joy commented.

"Nurse Joy, do you have a picture of Siegfried?" Ash asked, "We don't know what he looks like."

Nurse Joy walked out of the room leaving Ash, Serena, Calem, Froakie, Fennekin, Rotom Dex, and Pikachu alone. They all looked over at Pikachu who was in a weak state. The one person or thing who took a good look at him was Rotom Dex.

"Pikachu? How are you feeling?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered.

"Not doing good," Rotom Dex replied.

"But Pikachu, you'll be fine by morning," said Serena, "You may feel achy and full of pain in your body, but by tomorrow you'll be good as new."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

"I don't think Pikachu means psychical pain, he feels more emotional pain after losing to Raichu," Rotom Dex assured, "Pikachu, do you want to talk about it? I'll translate so Ash and Serena along with Calem can understand."

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

"Go ahead Pikachu," Calem said.

"Pikachu, if something's bothering you, go ahead," Ash confirmed glancing at Froakie, "I know I'm having issue's with Froakie, but I want to know the well being of all my Pokémon. You can talk to us Pikachu."

With that, Pikachu took a deep breath. Pikachu did have some past trainers which gave him a sour behavior towards Ash when he first met him at the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Pikachu has opened up to Ash and even started to open up to Serena. Rotom Dex then turned with a serious look and began to speak as it looked like Pikachu was telling a story.

"When Pikachu had his first trainer, he was being used in a few Pokémon battles, but down the line the Pokémon were getting stronger and his trainer wanted Pikachu to evolve. The trainer got a Thunder Stone, but Pikachu didn't want to evolve. The trainer then said that he was his master and had to do what he said. Pikachu was happy as a Pikachu and refused to evolve, and then proceeded to use Thundershock to destroy the stone. The trainer put him back in his Pokeball and went to get another Thunder Stone. He came back out and tried to evolve him again, but this time he didn't just Thundershock the stone, but his Pokeball as well. Pikachu ran away," Rotom Dex told.

Ash, Serena, Calem, Froakie, and Fennekin were all hearing Rotom Dex telling Pikachu's story. This was the first time they were hearing out from Pikachu.

"Then Pikachu came across another human who became their trainer. They had a few battles until the trainer decided to evolve him. Pikachu was reliving the events of his previous trainer that they wanted him to evolve. When the trainer brought out a Thunder Stone, Pikachu destroyed it along with the trainer's Pokeball and ran away like the last trainer," Rotom Dex told.

So, Pikachu was betrayed twice into having to be forced to evolve by his previous trainers. Why didn't those trainers ever think about what Pikachu wanted?

"Then Pikachu met another Pokémon trainer who seemed nice and was captured by him. Unfortunately, the cycle repeated itself. After Pikachu destroyed the Thunder Stone, the trainer called Pikachu back in his ball by force. Then Pikachu was brought out of his ball only to be abused by the trainer's Pokémon for destroying the Thunder Stone. Witnesses saw the act and the trainer was arrested. Pikachu would then be taken into care at the Viridian City Pokémon Center," Rotom Dex told.

They now understood Pikachu's behavior from the past of why he has been not so trusting of humans. The third trainer went into abuse and Pikachu feared the cycle would repeat itself.

"So that's why Pikachu doesn't like to go into a Pokeball, because those make it seem like a prison for him until they begin to evolve him," Ash said.

"That's right," Rotom Dex confirmed, "And at first Pikachu didn't stand you, but when he saw you fight Team Rocket, he decided to help you knowing you seemed like the kind of people who aren't seeking power."

"And it looked like Pikachu was afraid of Raichu for a little bit," Serena said, "Is it because that's what they wanted Pikachu to evolve into?"

"That's right, the reason Pikachu feared Raichu was because that Pokémon reminded him of his past, of what his past trainers wanted Pikachu to become. Pikachu thought if he could beat Raichu as a Pikachu, it would help him conquer his demons of the past. But Pikachu is ashamed that he couldn't match up to Raichu's level," Rotom Dex explained.

After hearing everything Rotom Dex said from Pikachu's translation, Ash came up to Pikachu and rubbed him on the head and had tears in his eyes. The one thing Pikachu's previous trainers didn't think about was what made him happy. Pikachu could see that the battles were getting tougher with Ash and Serena on his side, but not once did a Thunder Stone cross their minds. Pikachu was happy as a Pikachu, and what Ash and Serena want to do is make sure their Pokémon are happy.

"Pikachu, I'm sorry for what you went through. You take great pride as a Pikachu, and I never will make you evolve no matter how tough things get," Ash said.

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

"Tell you what, if I can ever go back to the Vermillion Gym and have a rematch with Lt. Surge, I'll use you and help you win," Ash told Pikachu with determination.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"Yeah, you want to help me and Serena, well were here to help you too," Ash said drying his tears and bringing a little smile on his face.

Pikachu could hear the words coming from Ash's mouth, and from his heart. He cares about all of his Pokémon, and having Pikachu evolve was never on the agenda.

Then Nurse Joy came back into the room with a photograph in her hand. She looked over to Ash, Serena, Calem, Froakie, and Fennekin. Though the Pokémon were feeling a little better, Froakie still had those cold vibes in him.

"Nurse Joy?" Calem questioned.

"Everyone, I have a photo of him. He is considered extremely dangerous, and you have to avoid him at all costs," Nurse Joy said giving Ash the photo.

Ash took a look at the photo and got Serena and Calem to come on over. When they looked at the picture, they could see a bald man wearing sunglasses and had lots of muscles. He was wearing a camouflage jacket, green cargo pants, and brown boots. He had a menacing smile on his face and was seen clubbing a Pokémon to death. This was him, this was Siegfried.

"So, this is Siegfried," Ash sighed.

"It is," Nurse Joy confirmed.

Ash looked closely at the photo and he did look a bit like Lt. Surge just without the hair. No wonder Froakie and Fennekin were frightened of Lt. Surge when they were in the Vermillion Gym, he nearly resembled that sociopath.

"He almost looks like Surge if he were bald," Calem said.

"The man, no the thing is very sadistic. It's just horrible he wants to kill Pokémon like that and finds joy in that," Nurse Joy said shedding a tear.

Serena then turned over to Fennekin and Froakie with sympathy. She now understands what the motive of Fennekin's Flame Charge. Serena showed them the photo of Siegfried, and they had a look of terror in their eyes along with tears. They didn't scream like Froakie did a moment ago, but now they saw the demon in front of them and Ash and Serena now know what he looks like.

"So, this is the guy who's traumatized you both," Serena asked showing them the photo of Siegfried.

Both Pokémon gave a nod and confirmation that it was Siegfried. The two Kalos Pokémon were shaken after seeing that photo. This was the monster who killed their families that they never got to meet. They understood the presence around when they were eggs, and they clearly remember this hunter and how sadistic he was.

"So that's why you interfered with the battle and Froakie was scared, Lt. Surge nearly resembled that monster who killed your family and you thought Froakie was going to get killed," Serena said solemnly to Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin confirmed.

So Fennekin was trying to save Froakie from Surge's Pokémon thinking he was going to have them kill Froakie. If Ash knew about this, he would've never used Froakie in the first place. This has taken a psychological toll on Froakie and Fennekin, and they have each other to comfort themselves. While Pikachu came clean about his past, he now deeply wished even more to be stronger and help out. Despite run ins with the Spearow and Team Rocket, Siegfried took a severe effect on both of those Pokémon more than them combined.

" _Why, why did this person have to come into Froakie's life and bring nothing but fear and pain to him. He'll never be a normal Pokémon as long as he's around. Froakie, I'll never give up on you, but I'm going to take it easy on you and we can work our way up," Ash thought to himself._

Ash Ketchum wanted to do everything to help Froakie, but he didn't want to rush him or else it could make things worse. After understanding what happened in his gym battle, Ash knew not to have Froakie coming in for a rematch. Besides, he needed to give his newer Pokémon a chance. With that, Ash got down to Froakie's level and spoke to him again.

"Hey Froakie, I was thinking that maybe if I get a chance to challenge Lt. Surge for a rematch, I won't use you after seeing how he nearly resembles Siegfried. I really want you to toughen up and try to move on, but I want us to take baby steps. I'm not going to throw you into the inferno like that," Ash said, "Besides, it might get a bit repetitive if I keep using you in all of my gym battles and I should give my other Pokémon a chance. Do you understand?"

"Froakie," Froakie confirmed as he hopped into Ash's arms for a hug.

"I want you to move on," Ash said nearly starting to cry.

When Serena saw Ash and Froakie sharing an emotional hug, Serena got down to Fennekin's level and looked at her in the eyes.

"Fennekin, I don't want you hurt anymore," Serena said looking at Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin cried as she jumped into Serena's arms for a hug.

Pikachu could look at the scene between Ash and Froakie along with Serena and Fennekin. Like Ash and Serena, Pikachu was willing to do whatever it takes to get them past this, without ever evolving.

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

"You want to help Froakie and Fennekin too?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu confirmed.

"Well once you get out, we can get started on that," Rotom Dex responded.

It truly was a grim day with Froakie and Fennekin getting traumatized, getting kicked out of the gym after an illegal Flame Charge from Fennekin, and Pikachu feeling like his pride has taken a huge blow. It would take some time for Froakie and Fennekin, but Ash and Serena knew one thing, they were going to help out Pikachu.

"Hopefully they can get past this," Calem said looking at everyone.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino & Hotel**_

Inside the Celadon City Casino and Hotel was a luxurious spa where everyone could get pampered. No one knew that the masuses were rockets in disguise. Rose and Yellow along with Chu Chu were getting massages. Things were running through Yellow's head like what the heck was going on with her and Petrel.

Delia, Grace, and Jade were all in the pool playing with their Pokémon giving them some fun pool dippings like they did with their kids when they were little. Mimey and Happy were having a blast.

Little did they know, a tall man with neatly brown hair combed was looking at the ladies. Giovanni glared at those ladies knowing that they were the mothers of those two meddling kids who keep interfering with his business. Afterwards, Giovanni walked into the sauna.

When he entered, he saw a red headed woman with a towel covering her breasts and vagina. It was his wife Ariana and he had a seat right next to her.

"We're waiting for Cassidy, Bumper, Petrel, Proton, and Archer," Ariana told her husband.

"Let's make this quick, we can't keep headquarters unsupervised much longer," Giovanni said, "This is a serious operation."

Then right on que, Cassidy and Butch walked in along with the three executives Archer, Proton, and Petrel. Petrel had a strange look on his face as he walked past Yellow on the way over.

"Is something wrong Petrel?" Ariana asked.

"Oh no, it's nothing," Petrel answered, "So what's this meeting about."

"Okay, let's get started. There are two things that need to be addressed as I do need to return to headquarters," Giovanni announced.

The rockets had to make sure no one was hearing. Team Rocket was very good at being undercover, but they couldn't make one mistake or else everything would go down in flames.

"First off is our plans on killing their mothers, tomorrow night we're going to serve them a free dinner and they can have whatever they want," Giovanni announced.

"And I'm going to stay around for my reasons to watch it unfold," Ariana said.

"Great, and who's going to be cooking, Biff?" Cassidy questioned.

"It's Butch! Please get my name right!" Butch ranted.

"No, we're going to let Jessie and James handle the cooking," Proton told everyone whose faces went into shock, "And don't worry I got some rockets torturing them into cooking the perfect food and getting it right."

Then Proton pulled out a vile with a cross-bone symbol. This had to be poison.

"Then the bastards will put a drop of poison onto their food which will blend in. The effects will take place in approximatively 18 hours after they have eaten. They won't see it coming," Proton explained with a menacing glare.

"You can't be serious, you're putting those two morons in charge of the killing process?" Archer questioned.

"It's a simple job and if they find a way to screw this up, they'll get what's coming to them," Proton said smacking his fists.

"Very well thought of Proton, hopefully this goes through," Ariana said, "Now for the second cause which will be reported by Cassidy."

Cassidy stood up while holding her towel to make sure she was completely covered. She had to deliver the second bit of information to her superiors.

"We want to let you know that we have maybe hitting the near low supply on Pokémon in the casino. People are buying Pokémon like crazy, and hell even the mothers of Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena have purchased Pokémon from us," Cassidy announced.

"Whoa, you sold Pokémon to their mothers?" Archer asked.

"Yeah, but that's not the case. While were getting a great profit on the Pokémon and loser losing their money, we also have to take in fact that we can't run out of Pokémon," Cassidy announced.

"And that's why I'm going to begin another operation to help us get more Pokémon into the casino. Have any of you ever heard of the world-famous S.S. Anne?" Giovanni asked his subordinates.

The S.S. Anne, what would Team Rocket want to do with the S.S. Anne?

"The famous cruise liner that travels the world, it's a beauty," Butch said to himself.

"Alright well here is the mission, after we put the assassination process in action, Proton will take some of our agents and send them to the S.S. Anne. It has been reported that the ship will be reaching port in Vermillion City in a couple of days. We will host a party for Pokémon trainers, and then we will steal their Pokémon and bring them here to our hotel to continue selling. Hell, Pokémon from trainers are meant to be stronger and we can get an amazing profit off of them," Giovanni explained.

"And I might bring Jessie and James to the S.S. Anne, depending on how they handle the meal of death," Proton said crossing his arms with a grin.

"Knowing on how you scare the shit out of them, failure will be the last thing on their minds," said Petrel.

So that was it, Team Rocket was planning on seizing the S.S. Anne to obtain Pokémon from trainers all over the world. Just think of it, outside of Kanto they could have Pokémon from Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola.

"Alright, so are we all set?" Ariana asked her subordinates.

"Yes, Giovanni and Ariana!" the rockets exclaimed giving a salute.

"Good, now Giovanni will be returning to headquarters as I hope to see things unfold with the dinners," Ariana said, "Now lets get on with our assignments."

"Subordinates, I shall return to headquarters," Giovanni said as he stood up, "Ariana my dear, make sure things are going according to plan."

With that Giovanni walked out of the sauna with Proton and Petrel following him followed by Cassidy and Biff.

"It's Butch!" Butch yelled to me breaking the fourth wall.

However, Ariana remained in the sauna and she wasn't the only one inside. The Team Rocket executive Archer was also still inside the sauna. Their meeting was over so what was the deal with still being in the sauna? Something had to be going on.

"So, shall we?" Ariana questioned.

"With pleasure," Archer confirmed.

Without any warning, Archer and Ariana began to make out. Ariana, one of the Team Rocket bosses, was having an affair.

* * *

 **Ariana is cheating on Giovanni with Archer! Wonder what will happen when he finds out? Now we have the stage set for the S.S. Anne which will begin soon.**

 **Ash didn't win his gym battle, but it was going to be a lost cause anyway even if Fennekin didn't illegally step in. Froakie and Fennekin have lived a tough life until uniting with Ash and Serena, and now they know what Siegfried looks like.**

 **I was going to have Serena discipline Fennekin for her actions, but I don't know if I would have her be too hard on Fennekin on the life she lived, or I ended up having her be soft on Fennekin. Tell me what you think.**

 **I also did my best to explain Pikachu's backstory and reasoning for joining Ash and Serena, and I just hope it's good enough.**

 **Well, it may have turned out to be a trick question, and congratulations to JxA fan 2000 who was the first one to get it correct. It was the mayor of Trovitapolis, and he's actually a boy in this story.**

 **If you recall back in Kanto Starter Trilogy Part 1, there was a flashback of the boy releasing Bulbasaur into a white box on a river because it wouldn't evolve. That was what the mayor did in the anime. As of now, I do not plan on him appearing in the story.**

 **I will introduce in Johto**

 **Ash: Male Tyrunt (I already know how I'm going to bring him into the story)**

 **Serena: Female Alolan Raichu**

 **The next chapter is going to involve Pikachu trying to redeem himself from his beating from Raichu, and I think I know how I'm going to do that. See you next time.**

 **Chapter 21: Pikachu's Shocking Comeback**


	22. Pikachu's Shocking Comeback

**I originally was going to have a cliffhanger planned at the end of the last chapter, but it was getting too long. With that being said not only will the planned cliffhanger take place in this chapter, but also what happens afterwards.**

 **WARNING: There will be a really gross scene somewhere in this chapter, and it will reference a scene from a movie. Remember this is an M rated fanfiction.**

 **Also I can explain about what Jade does in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, in this chapter, Pikachu is going to try and redeem himself for his rematch against Lt. Surge, and I think you'll know I plan to help Pikachu. That's right, this is Pikachu's contest debut.**

 **I hope you guys like it, and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Park**_

It was the day after Ash's humiliating defeat to Lt. Surge where Froakie was traumatized and Pikachu couldn't match up against Raichu. Ash has vowed not to use Froakie in his rematch after how much in shock he was, so if he was going to be given a chance at another double battle, he would probably go with Bulbasaur or Charmander.

Ash decided to let Froakie sit out for the day after the events of yesterday. Right now, he just wanted Froakie to just sit down and breathe in the fresh air. Ash would probably use Froakie in a future gym battle, but for right now he will keep him away from Lt. Surge.

Bulbasaur and Charmander have been getting some more training in now that Ash is going to give Froakie a small break. Ash's best bet would be to use Bulbasaur since electric attacks aren't strong against grass types. Ash knew better not to have Pidgeotto or Butterfree since they were flying types. Both Pokémon made remarkable progress and one of them would join Ash in his rematch.

Ash has also been training with Serena to help her get ready for tomorrow's Vermillion City Pokémon Contest. Serena knew she was going to have a chance to go up against Calem, and maybe she can see what his style is like. Serena was working on an appeal with Squirtle and despite doing such a great job, Squirtle still seemed wanting to cuddle up with Serena.

Pikachu just sat there and watched the two trained after being discharged from the Pokémon Center. Pikachu was wondering what could he do to make himself stronger? How could he beat Raichu, and Voltorb as well, but most importantly Raichu? Then Pikachu stood up and looked at Serena, and then he called out to her.

"What, you want to practice with us?" Serena asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu confirmed.

Pikachu wanted to do everything he can to be ready to take on Raichu again, but he ended up going with Serena. Serena was working on her appeal with Squirtle, but she figured why not give Pikachu a chance. Then a certain Squirtle tried to but in by tackling Pikachu and running up to Serena's leg giving it a hug.

"Squirtle, Squirtle," Squirtle angrily said to Pikachu wanting Serena to himself.

"Squirtle, Pikachu wants to train with us," Ash told Squirtle.

Squirtle fired off a Water Gun attack right at Ash's face, and then proceeded to continue to hug Serena's leg. Serena gave Squirtle a stern look.

"Squirtle, you can't hit people like that because they get in the way with me. They're my friends too," Serena said.

"Squirtle," Squirtle muttered as he continued to hug.

Then someone was walking over to the two kids and their Pokémon, and it was the face they remember from yesterday. Calem was walking over and he saw the training scene that was going on.

"I see Squirtle there is an affectionate one," Calem said giving a chuckle.

Ash and Serena saw Calem and they both had smiles on their faces. Pikachu and Rotom Dex greeted him, but Squirtle didn't know who this boy was.

"Hi Calem, we were just getting ready for tomorrow's contest," Serena said as she tried to shake Squirtle off, "It seems Squirtle loves spending time with me."

"Squirtle," Squirtle groaned as he refused to let go of Serena.

"Sigh, I'm sorry Squirtle," Serena said pulling out Squirtle's Pokeball.

Serena returned Squirtle and though he did a great job presenting his appeal, Serena can't help but wonder how she's going to handle Squirtle.

"Why did you return Squirtle?" Calem asked.

"He wouldn't let go so that was my only option," Serena said, "I'll let him out later."

After that Pikachu was walking over to Ash, but then Pikachu was then stopped by Bulbasaur and Ash had a better idea.

"Hey Pikachu, why don't you work with Serena and go up against Bulbasaur," Ash suggested.

"Pikachu," Pikachu happily nodded.

"Well I was going to have Fennekin go in and battle, but why not Pikachu," Serena said.

Pikachu went over to Serena and the two Pokémon trainers were ready to go at it with a nice friendly training session. Charmander sat next to Froakie and Rotom Dex. Calem just stood there and watched, and he did remember that Pikachu was both of their Pokémon. It was a good way to see how Serena improved since he last saw her in Viridian City.

"Alright Bulbasaur use Vine Whip!" Ash called out.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Serena called out.

Bulbasaur sent out a Vine Whip, and Pikachu was able to get out of the way. Pikachu showed that he was feeling 100% after that battle with Surge.

"Now Iron Tail!" Serena told Pikachu.

Pikachu slammed an Iron Tail attack on Bulbasaur and the Seed Pokémon was knocked back. Pikachu then proceeded to do a somersault and land back on his feet.

"Nice going you two, now Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf!" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur fired off a whole bunch of leaves and Pikachu was trying his best to dodge them. A few did hit Pikachu, but he was able to toughen it out, especially knowing that there was something more powerful than a Razor Leaf. As Bulbasaur continued to fire leaves, Serena sent out the next move.

"Pikachu, use Shock Wave!" Serena called out while spreading out her arms.

Pikachu unleashed a Shock Wave to disintegrate the leaves in the middle of the air.

"Followed by Quick Attack!" Serena exclaimed.

Pikachu brushed through the debris of the leaves and rushed right at Bulbasaur with a Quick Attack. While Pikachu did hit Bulbasaur, the sight of Pikachu running through those disintegrated leaves looked a bit breathtaking. Almost like something you could pull off in a contest.

The two Pokémon continued to spar with each other and Calem seemed impressed that Pikachu has put his defeat behind him. Bulbasaur was showing some strength learning Take Down along the way and Pikachu also was able to create an electric sphere thus that Pikachu learned Electro Ball. The attack hit Bulbasaur, and after that they decided to call it a day.

"Well done Bulbasaur," Ash said to his Bulbasaur patting him on the back.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied as he started to glow.

"What's going on?" Ash asked in shock.

The glow stopped, and Ash saw what just happened. Bulbasaur rid of himself of any damage he took from his training session going up against Pikachu. Rotom Dex took a look at it and analyzed what Bulbasaur did. Rotom Dex gave out the confirmation.

"Ash, Bulbasaur learned Synthesis!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"Synthesis?" Ash questioned.

"Synthesis heals the Pokémon that uses that move, but the weather can change how much the Pokémon heals. Rain, Snow, or possibly a sandstorm won't have the Pokémon heal as much, but they heal a lot when it's really sunny out," Rotom Dex explained.

"Wow, that's amazing so also knowing Take Down, Bulbasaur also got to learn Synthesis," Ash said in excitement.

"And Pikachu learned Electro Ball," Serena praised.

"Pika," Pikachu happily responded.

Calem was impressed with how those two improved since the last time they met. The first time he met them, they were just rookies trying to understand what to do, and now they've gotten themselves to a new level. The Vermillion Gym was uncalled for, but now Calem got to see how much Ash and Serena improved, but most importantly Serena.

"I got to say, Pikachu has really improved since his last battle. I didn't expect him to come back so strong," Calem complemented.

"Really, why thanks Calem," Serena replied.

"You're welcome. You really know how to handle Pikachu," Calem said rubbing the back of his head.

Ash for one bit was a little rattled by what he said. He was the one who found Pikachu and he volunteered to assist Serena along with Ash. Ash had to clear his head and remember that those two are rivals and Pikachu's training session looked more like something he could do in a contest. Ash then stepped in and spoke.

"We're just trying to help Pikachu become stronger when I challenge the Vermillion Gym again," Ash said.

"Are you sure Lt. Surge will allow you back in, after all he threw us all out after Fennekin's stunt," Calem reminded Ash.

Ash remembers well that he was about to lose, but instead he suffered a disqualification because Fennekin ambushed Raichu and Voltorb to protect Froakie. Ash was hoping Lt. Surge would accept a rematch from him and try to explain what happened the other day was wrong. He didn't to bring Siegfried into this.

"I'll reason with him," Ash said, "But I won't challenge the gym again until Pikachu has his wish to being able to beat Raichu. I want Pikachu back in the gym, but I'm going to use another Pokémon in place of Froakie, and Bulbasaur and Charmander are my best bets."

"You're doing the right thing Ash," Calem commented as he then turned to Serena, "Serena, I see how you had Pikachu battle and that was impressive."

"Why thank you," Serena kindly said.

Serena loves to accept complements from Calem, but her heart has been fond on Ash. As Calem looked over at Pikachu, he remembers that they don't want Pikachu to evolve as he wanted to beat Raichu as a Pikachu. So Calem had something to say.

"Ash, Serena, I have a little secret on how Pikachu can beat Lt. Surge's Pokémon at the Vermillion Gym." Calem told Ash and Serena as it caught their attention.

"Really, what is it?" Ash asked as Pikachu listened.

"Hold on, you have to earn this from me and here's how it's going to work out," Calem told the two.

"What is it?" Serena asked.

"Serena, since you and Ash are sharing Pikachu, you're going to be the one who tries to earn this secret from me and here's what you have to do," Calem said turning to Serena.

" _Really, Calem is asking Serena to do something to know what Pikachu can do to beat Lt. Surge? I'm the one challenging the gym so why are you going to Serena?"_ Ash questioned himself in thought, _"I just hope you two…don't get close."_

"You have to win the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest, not beat me, but win the whole contest. Here's the catch, you can use any Pokémon you want for the appeal round, but you have to win the contest battle portion of the contest with…Pikachu," Calem explained to Serena.

"What! But I was planning to enter Fennekin in the contest battles," Serena stuttered as Pikachu tugged her sock.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu begged.

"Serena, I got some valuable information on how Pikachu could beat Surge's Raichu without evolving, and Pikachu wants to know what it is," Calem said looking at Pikachu begging with Serena.

Serena saw Pikachu's look on his face as he wanted to learn the secret of beating Lt. Surge. Ash felt a little distraught that he wouldn't be able to do much to help.

"Serena, Pikachu wants to know what he could do to beat Raichu. He's willing to jump on the contest stage and win a Pokémon Contest for you. Besides, like Ash said with Froakie, wouldn't using Fennekin become a bit repetitive?" Rotom Dex explained, "And also, Pikachu hasn't had a chance in a Pokémon Contest yet."

Rotom Dex was right, Pikachu was registered for contest battles in the Viridian City Pokémon Contest, but Serena did not make it past the first round. So, this would be a great opportunity for Serena not only to help Pikachu win against Surge, but also get her second ribbon. It would be cool to see what Pikachu is like in Pokémon Contests.

"You really want to do this Pikachu?" Serena asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu confirmed.

"Alright Calem, Pikachu is going with me. I'll use Pikachu in the contest battles in my next Pokémon Contest," Serena told Calem, "Just promise you'll tell me if I win."

"Deal," Calem said giving a thumbs up.

" _Well Pikachu, if this is what you want to do, I'll be rooting for ya. I know you'll be in good hands with Serena,"_ Ash thought to himself.

Agreeing to using Pikachu in the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest, Serena spent the rest of the day working on Pikachu's attacks and how he can present them well in a Pokémon contest, and Ash was still willing to help.

Of course, afterwards, Serena would work more on her appeal with Squirtle after her training session with Pikachu, and of course when that happened, Squirtle continued to be extra affectionate towards the honey-blonde coordinator. This was something that concerned Calem why her Squirtle was acting like that. Calem had no idea that Squirtle was abandoned by his trainer. Right now, the main focus was on the contest.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Night time came in Celadon City, and at a big fancy dinner table in one of their restaurant areas, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, and Rose all sat down looking at their menus while they had Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy in booster seats. They were awarded a free 5-star dinner, but the strange thing is they didn't enter any contest or anything. It was just given to them for no particular reason.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-Afternoon**_

 _The moms and Yellow were all relaxing in the pool with their Pokémon in inner-tubes floating around. They were having a great time in Celadon City from winning big in the casino, getting new Pokémon to take home, and having Yellow get loose a little. Well not the part of having intercourse with the bartender._

 _Delia, Grace, and Jade were in a good mood as they had a chat with their kids in the morning as they talked about what happened recently with the Pokémon they caught, and meeting up with Leaf and Daisy, and how they were able to take down an abusive Pokémon trainer. They also mention what happened in the Vermillion Gym and mentioned Serena's upcoming contest, but nothing on Team Rocket. They didn't want their moms to worry too much._

 _Then a man with teal hair wearing a bellboy outfit came into the pool area. Little did they know, that was the high-ranking Team Rocket Executive Proton in disguise._

" _Excuse me is there a Delia Ketchum, Grace Gabena, Jade Gabena, Yellow Presley, and Rose Green in the presence!?" Proton announced grabbing all the pool goers attention._

 _The five women heard their names being called and noticed that it was the teal hair man who made the announcement. With that, the mothers and Yellow all got out of the pool, and they made sure the Pokémon were out too._

" _I'm Delia Ketchum," Delia said introducing herself._

" _Yeah and I'm Grace Gabena," Grace told Proton._

" _I'm Jade Gabena, right here," Jade confirmed._

" _Yellow Presley," Yellow said in a quiet tone._

" _And I'm Rose Green!" Rose exclaimed giving a thumbs up._

" _Well, it's a pleasure that you're all here. I want to say congratulations you ladies have won a free dinner tonight in our dining area. We will serve you whatever you want, and the meal is on us," Proton announced handing Delia a certificate._

 _The certificate was in cursive letters reading that they have won a dinner for five in the dining area of the hotel. One thing though was running through their minds, how the hell did they win a free dinner?_

" _Wait, we didn't enter anything," Delia said feeling confused._

" _Yes, you did," Proton told them._

" _What did we win?" Jade asked._

" _Girls don't question the man! We got free food and we need to enjoy it! Kapesh!" Rose yelled to the ladies._

" _Great, dinner will be served at 7:00 PM tonight. See you then," Proton said walking away waving them goodbye._

" _Wait! Can our Pokémon be part of the dinner?" Grace asked._

" _Sure, not a problem," Proton answered as he walked away again._

 _So, the five ladies were given a free dinner along with their Pokémon. As Proton walked away, he gave out an evil grin on his face. He couldn't believe that the ladies didn't know that the meal they were going to have would probably be their last. That was the one thing the ladies did not notice._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

That was how they ended up getting their free dinners. The ladies were then greeted by their waiter who happened to be Butch in disguise ready to take their orders. As the ladies kept getting his name wrong, they made their orders along with the food their Pokémon were going to have.

Butch then took the menus and have the written order taken over to the kitchen. When Butch walked in to give the order, he was feeling disgusted. He saw two familiar faces that he and his partner Cassidy didn't like, Jessie and James. Proton put them in charge of cooking up the dishes that would poison them to death.

"Order up," Butch said in disgust handing the order to the trio, "I thought Proton hates them, why is he letting them do the killing?"

* * *

 _ **Kitchen**_

Meanwhile in the kitchen there were two familiar faces along with a Meowth. Jessie and James along with Meowth got the order from Butch of what they were going to serve them. Proton has tortured them to make sure they cooked whatever they could be serving them well. There was also the vile with the skull and crossbone on their which was going to be the poison they put into the food.

"Okay lets see, two beef wellingtons, roasted chicken, a garden salad, and fried shrimp," Meowth said looking at the order.

"Oh, this is going to be too easy. The twerps parents are about to have their last meals," Jessie said.

"This is what they get for messing with Team Rocket," James said as he got the ingredients out.

With that, the trio began to start working on their dishes. They did not want to fail Proton as he would clearly kill them if they messed up. The man was a true threat to them. There was no way they wanted to deal with his wrath.

"You know, I know our superiors and mostly everyone in Team Rocket hates us because we are the so called, fuck ups," Meowth said as he was preparing to cook, "But do you know the one person who truly hates us, Proton."

"Oh yeah, he punches me in the faces every time I see him," James said remembering the abuse he has put him through.

"And not to forget when he does something wrong, he gets us blamed for it," Jessie said in fear.

They remember Proton's actions on the trio very well. A while back, Proton threw Meowth at the boss causing him to spill his red wine on his white suit staining it. Giovanni clearly raged on them, even though he knew Proton was the one who threw Meowth. They couldn't even forget the time Proton left the bathroom a mess and Giovanni blamed them, even though he knew Proton caused the mess. The last thing they want to do is for him to make their lives more miserable, so they knew they had to get this right.

"The only thing we can do is make sure we get this dishes unknowingly deadly, so the twerp's mothers can gag to their death," Jessie said.

Jessie, James, and Meowth continued to cook for the mothers and Yellow. Knowing that they didn't want to deal with Proton's wrath, the trio hoped that Delia, Grace, and Jade along with Yellow and Rose bit the dust.

* * *

 _ **Dining Area**_

While they were waiting for their food, the ladies were talking about what's been going on lately and how they were enjoying themselves. Eventually, the topic was then going towards one thing. Their children as in how they were doing on their Pokémon journey.

"Well as you may have heard, tomorrow Serena is going to be entering the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest," Jade told the ladies.

"How did she tell you?" Rose questioned, "She knows that you two aren't home."

"Actually Rose, we gave Ash and Serena the number of the place that we were staying in just in case of an emergency. We had a talk with them this morning," Delia explained, "Just because we're on vacation doesn't mean we can't be available for anything,"

"Do they know about Mimey and Happy?" Yellow asked.

"Not yet, we're going to surprise them," Grace answered.

Just because Delia, Grace, and Jade were away in Celadon City having fun didn't mean they were going to lose touch with their kids the entire time. It's a mother's responsibility to know that their children are okay when traveling no matter where you are in the world. They heard about what happened the other day in the Vermillion Gym and even talked about the incident that Fennekin caused during Ash's gym battle.

"We really hope Serena wins this contest, she was going to use Fennekin at first but now she's going to use Pikachu instead to help him get over his loss at the Vermillion Gym," Jade said.

"Well I'm wishing Pikachu the best of luck," Yellow said.

"And I looked on the TVs in our rooms, and apparently they don't have the channel where the contest is going to be held," Grace groaned crossing her arms, "But at least we can go shopping tomorrow."

"Yeah, there's the famous Celadon Department Store where we can buy some new duds for ourselves and things for your new babies," Rose said looking at Mimey and Happy.

They were a little disappointed that the hotel didn't offer all the channels on their TV including the one where the Vermillion City Contest would be held. This disappointed Grace and Jade a bit as they wanted to watch her compete, but at least they can shop tomorrow.

Then, Butch was coming out of the kitchen with their food. Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose were all served their respective plates while giving food for Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy.

"Enjoy your meals," Butch kindly said.

"Thank you, Biff," Delia complemented.

"It's Butch, and your welcome," Butch replied accepting the complement.

As Butch made their way back to the kitchen he ended up meeting with the trio who cooked the disastrous meals. Butch took a good look at Jessie, James, and Meowth. He didn't like them one bit along with his partner Cassidy, but their dislike was nowhere near what Proton thought of them.

"So how did the dishes turn out?" Butch questioned.

"The twerps will now pay the price for messing with Team Rocket," Jessie smirked.

"This has got to please the bosses, but most importantly it pleases our superior Proton," James said.

"Soon those twerps mommies will bite the dust! That's what they will get for getting in our way," Meowth declared.

"Yeah, I saw those dishes and they looked delicious," Butch said, "This is what Proton said would be a sign of the apocalypse, you three may have pulled it off."

"We sure did, and if we're lucky Proton might let us on board the S.S. Anne for our operation of stealing trainers Pokémon," James happily said.

"Lucky you, we have to stay here and work in the casino," Butch said in disbelief, "But at least those twerps we've been hearing about will pay the price for messing with our plans."

The four rockets watch with menacing smiles on their faces as they saw what Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose did along with Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy. They ate the food.

Elsewhere in another room, there was security footage of the five ladies and the three Pokémon having dinner. Watching the footage was a woman with red hair who happened to be the second rocket leader, Ariana who was now taking Giovanni's place as he returned to headquarters. Ariana was watching in disgust, but also with joy as she saw the ladies eat the poisonous food.

"Well ladies, enjoy the rest of your night because it will be your last," Ariana sternly said to herself.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

Today was the day of the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest. Many people were gathering into the Contest Hall as they were going to get ready for the contest. Serena was coming off a victory at the Cerulean City Contest, and now she was aiming for her second ribbon, but most importantly, she needed to win in order for Calem to share her and Ash the secret for Pikachu to beat Lt. Surge, and Serena needed to win the contest battle portion of the competition with Pikachu.

A huge crowd was gathered inside the building as Lillian was now taking center stage ready to host the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest is about to begin!" Lillian announced.

The crowd was going wild as the contest was about to begin. Ash was sitting by himself with Rotom Dex with him. Rotom Dex was all that Ash had with him since Pikachu was going to be on stage with Serena.

"Alright Rotom Dex, let's make sure he root hard for Serena and Pikachu," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"You got that right!" Rotom Dex exclaimed as it danced and showed a picture of pom poms on its screen, "Go Serena go! Go Pikachu go!"

" _Alright Pikachu, Serena is going to help you right now, and if you win Calem will share a secret with us on how to beat Surge. You just have to give it your all,"_ Ash thought to himself until he thought about Calem, _"I just hope Serena sees Calem as just a friend."_

In the waiting area, Serena was making the finishing touches on her outfit as she was wearing her contest outfit. Pikachu looked in awe at Serena. Sure, Pikachu did see Serena in that beautiful dress, but not up close like that. Then Calem walked in and noticed Serena.

"I got to say Serena, you look mighty fine in that dress," Calem complemented.

"Oh, why thank you Calem," Serena replied giving a bow towards Calem, "Ash's mom made this dress for me."

"Ash's mom made that dress?" Calem asked.

"Yeah, because my moms wanted to learn how to sow from Ash's mom. So, when I get into the Grand Festival, they can make a dress for me when I get there," Serena explained.

"Ah, amazing. It still looks fancy on you," Calem said giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Calem," Serena said giving a little blush.

Pikachu laughed at the blush Serena had for Calem, but all due to respect, Pikachu was hoping that Serena wouldn't let him get to her head because that wouldn't be good for Ash.

"Pika pika," said Pikachu.

"Don't worry Pikachu, he's just a friend," Serena commented.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose all made their way to the Celadon City Department Store. The store sold all sorts of different things from clothes, fragrances, electronics, accessories for Pokémon, along with items for trainers. Since they weren't able to get the channel featuring Serena's contest, they decided to spend the day shopping.

In addition to doing some shopping for themselves and their Pokémon, the ladies have also realized that Ash's 11th birthday is coming up and this would be the perfect opportunity to get him a birthday present.

"This place is amazing," Yellow said.

"Yeah, there's a whole bunch of things we can get here," Rose said showing the women all around the store.

As the women ventured the store, there were a whole bunch of things the Celadon City Department Store could offer. Then in a matter of time Delia noticed the trainer's section of the store where there were many things for Pokémon trainers.

"You know Delia, since Ash's 11th birthday is coming up, you should get him something that he would love to use to support him as a Pokémon trainer," Grace suggested.

"You might be right Grace," Delia happily commented.

The trainers section showed all sorts of things from different kinds of Pokeballs, Evolutionary Stones, and items they can give their Pokémon. With how Delia knows her son, she didn't think he needed any items to boost his Pokémon's power since he wants to train the honest way, she had no clue if Ash had a Pokémon that could evolve with a stone except Pikachu, but she wasn't going to get a Thunder Stone after what Ash talked about in the Vermillion Gym. So, her mind was set, Delia was likely going to get him some special Pokeballs.

"I might get him some Great Balls and Ultra Balls," Delia kindly said.

"Well that's a good idea, what do you think Rose?" Jade asked trying to get her opinion.

"Oh yeah sure, not a problem," Rose commented who was looking at some strange marbles, "Hey Delia, do you know what Pokémon Ash has besides Froakie?"

"Well he told me he has a Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Bulbasaur, and Charmander," Delia answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Rose replied as she continued to look at the marbles.

While they were looking Delia was holding Mimey and picked out 4 Great Balls and 2 Ultra Balls for Ash. After she got what she needed, she got in line only being right behind a boy with purple hair who was making a purchase himself. The boy got up to the counter and presented the clerk a Water Stone.

"So, I take it you want to purchase this Water Stone?" the clerk asked.

"That's right, my Poliwag earned it after defeating Erika, not to forget it also evolved into Poliwhirl during that battle," the boy responded as he took out Poliwhirl's Pokeball, "And once it has achieved its full potential as a Poliwhirl, I will grant it the Water Stone."

The clerk rang up the Water Stone and the boy paid the full price of the stone. He thanked the clerk and put the Water Stone in his bag. Delia was happy to see a boy buying a Water Stone for his Pokémon after winning in the Celadon Gym. It had to please her that he too was entering the Pokémon League.

"I see you're rewarding your Pokémon for their hard work," Delia kindly said, "I take it you're entering the Pokémon League?"

The boy with purple hair turned around and saw Delia. Though Delia has never met this boy, she had no idea that the boy who was in line was none other than Paul Aggrot.

"Yes, I am, and Poliwhirl definitely earned this Water Stone for winning in the Celadon City Gym Leader Erika who specializes in grass-types," Paul answered as he then went into thought, _"Better than that other sorry excuse of a water-type Pokémon."_

"Well this is amazing to hear; my son is also aiming to qualify for the Pokémon League like you. He has two badges, and he's in Vermillion City right now trying to earn his Thunder Badge," said Delia.

"Well that's great to hear, maybe we might cross paths," Paul commented in a little bit of a monotone mood, "Well I'm going to get moving, my next destination is the Fuchsia Gym where I can get my Soul Badge."

"Good luck," Delia said kindly.

With that, Paul left the store with his Water Stone. So, Ash had no clue that he has a Poliwhirl, and he also has no clue that his mom just met him. With that, Delia made her purchase and was about to join the other ladies until she unexpectedly farted. Delia blushed out of embarrassment after passing gas.

"Excuse me," Delia said to herself out loud.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

After Lillian introduced the judges and explained the rules, the contest would finally be underway. A total of seven coordinators took the stage and some of their Pokémon presented great appeals while others were alright. Then the eighth Pokémon Coordinator took the stage, Calem.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, lets give a round of applause to our eighth coordinator!" Lillian announced, "Calem, the stage is yours!"

Calem was wearing the same outfit from his Viridian City Contest which he won, a royal blue uniform top with blue pants and black boots. He was now standing in the middle of the stage holding his Pokeball in his hand.

"Graveler, it's showtime!" Calem announced throwing his Pokeball up in the air.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a big grey rough rock with four arms and a face. The Pokémon landed on the ground giving a small shake in the building, but not enough to damage the structure to the building. Graveler roared out spreading his arms out as the crowd cheered. Serena was watching from the waiting room seeing his Graveler.

"Wow, he has a Graveler," Serena said in astonishment.

Ash and Rotom Dex saw Graveler and Rotom Dex wasted no time scanning the Rock Pokémon that was on stage.

 _#075-Graveler: Rock Pokémon_

 _It climbs up cliffs as it heads toward the peak of a mountain. As soon as it reaches the summit, it rolls back down the way it came._

"Let's begin Graveler! Use Mud-Sport!" Calem yelled out.

Graveler burst mud out from his body and the mud ended up in the air. Calem saw the mud and quickly called out the next move.

"Now circle around the stage with Rollout!" Calem quickly exclaimed.

Graveler started to ball up and roll around the stage catching the mud in the air and having it land on his body. Calem and Graveler have done an amazing job with delivering the mud-shot and timing the Rollout. Graveler was now covered in mud, and then he jumped onto his feet.

"Now use Rock Polish!" Calem yelled out.

It was amazing that Graveler caught the mud without having to boost his speed with Rock Polish, and when he used Rock Polish, the effect of the move caused the mud to go from brown to a shimmering bronze making it look like Graveler was covered in bronze.

"Self-Destruct," Calem calmly said.

Graveler spread his arms out and began to glow white unleashing his Self-Destruct. When Graveler blew himself up, the explosion was well controlled and gave out a bronze dust like feeling into the air. As the smoke cleared, Graveler was still standing in his same pose when giving out his attack. The crowd cheered not only to the beauty and well controlled explosion that was magnificent, but also to the fact that Graveler was still standing.

As the crowd roared with applause, Calem gave a bow and Graveler bowed to the audience before he finally fell on his face. It didn't matter though, because the fact Graveler was able to toughen it out a couple of seconds longer to get an ovation from the audience was remarkable.

"That is just absolutely amazing, Graveler not only used Self-Destruct to give us that bronze feeling, but Graveler also managed to stand up for a few more seconds to get reconginization from the audience. That shows how tough of a Pokémon Graveler has proven to be," Lillian announced.

"Wow, Calem raised that Graveler well. Having him withstand that Self-Destruct for a couple of extra seconds paid off," Ash said in amazement.

"Serena is going to have some competition with Calem," Rotom Dex said crossing its arms.

" _Man, this Calem guy is good. I'm glad I'm not a coordinator because I almost feel like I want to go out there and compete for Serena,"_ Ash thought to himself.

Back in the waiting room, Serena and Pikachu watched from the TV. Serena was amazed by how Calem raised his Graveler. She saw in the Viridian City Pokémon Contest how well Chespin did his appeal, and how he managed to have Sandshrew demonstrate well in contest battles.

"Calem and Graveler were amazing," Serena said solemnly looking at Pikachu, "Pikachu, I wonder how we're going to match up to him?"

Serena may not know, but Calem would likely use another Pokémon for the battle portions of the contest. Graveler may not be continuing since he is worn out from Self-Destruct, but Calem has to have other Pokémon. What Pokémon would Pikachu be facing should Serena come across Calem?

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

Back in the department store, Delia, Grace, and Jade were finding things for their Pokémon. Delia brought a little feather duster for Mimey as she one day could have him help do work around the house like cleaning. Grace and Jade got Happy a blue ball that she loved to play with. Yellow was seeing them interact with their new Pokémon and thought it was kind of cute. There wasn't anything Chu Chu was interested in, just being with Yellow made her happy enough.

"You like that ball don't you Happy," Jade happily said.

"Happiny," Happy responded happily as she got the ball back.

Meanwhile Rose was in the electronics department which was near women's clothes and the Pokémon toy section. Rose was watching the TV and noticed that the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest was airing on the display TVs. Sometimes the TVs display things going on around the world, and in her luck, the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest was on right now.

"Hey Grace, Jade, your daughter is up," Rose called out to the two mothers.

"We're coming," Grace said as she put down Happy near Yellow, "Yellow, could you look over Happy for us."

"I'd love too," Yellow responded with a smile.

Yellow didn't mind the presence of other Pokémon around her as she was being fond of Mimey and Happy. Yellow let Chu Chu play with Happy, and Chu Chu could see the blue ball Happy was enjoying. Happy was bouncing the ball up and down, and Chu Chu smiled at how Happy was enjoying herself with the ball Jade got her.

The timing could've not been better for Grace and Jade as Serena was actually the next coordinator to take the stage. The two mothers were extremely happy to see their daughter coming up.

"Next up is entry number twenty-two, Serena!" Lillian announced on the TV.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

With a smile on her face, and a whole crowd right in front of her. Serena gripped her Pokeball and began her appeal.

"The spotlight is yours Squirtle!" Serena announced sending out Squirtle.

Squirtle was coming out spinning in his shell and then popping out presenting himself which got a crowd cheering, and then Squirtle came down onto Serena's shoulder giving her a big hug. The crowd was loving how Squirtle was hugging Serena, but it looked like he was hugging her pretty hard.

"Alright Squirtle, let's get started," Serena told Squirtle.

However, Squirtle wouldn't budge as he continued to hug Serena and wouldn't let go.

"It looks like Serena's Squirtle is really an affectionate one as Squirtle just won't let go of Serena," Lillian said as she chuckled a little bit.

Squirtle refused to stop hugging Serena, and while it did look cute for Squirtle to show his affection, people were expecting him to perform as well.

"Squirtle just won't let go of Serena, I know he's very affectionate of Serena but Squirtle has to give his appeal," Ash said to himself.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

"That Squirtle really loves our Serena doesn't he Grace," Jade happily asked who was witnessing Squirtle hugging Serena on TV.

"Yeah," Grace happily said with a tad of concern coming in, "Maybe a little too much."

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

"Squirtle we got a show to give," Serena told Squirtle.

Serena did what she could to get Squirtle to budge. While some people found the fact that Squirtle's affection was cute, some people may have found it a bit creepy. Squirtle was stubborn to run back to Serena and hug her, but Serena showed a serious look meaning that Squirtle had to give his appeal to the audience. Squirtle walked to the center of the stage.

"Alright Squirtle, fire one bubble into the air," Serena told Squirtle.

Squirtle wanted to run back towards Serena, but the appeal had to come first. Squirtle held back and blew one bubble into the air.

"So Squirtle brings one bubble out. What does Serena have planned for Squirtle?" Lillian questioned.

"Now use Water Gun on that bubble lightly and then slightly raise the pressure," Serena told Squirtle.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle responded.

Squirted launched a light Water Gun into the bubble putting water into it. However, the bubble was getting bigger and Squirtle starter to raise the power slightly of his Water Gun. The bubble was getting bigger and bigger as the little bubble was now taking up a third of the stage.

"Amazing, Squirtle used Water Gun lightly to make that bubble bigger, and then raised the power when the bubble got bigger so that way the bubble wouldn't pop when it was small. What a great effort of combining attacks and power control," Lillian announced.

"Now jump into the bubble and use Rapid Spin!" Serena shouted.

Squirtle then jumped into the water filled bubble and began to use Rapid Spin. Squirtle was stirring up the water to give it control and then Squirtle spread his arms out to blow the bubble up.

As the bubble pop, it created a rain of small bubbles and rain drops as well. The bubbles were falling onto the stage and Squirtle landed on his feet as the crowd witnessed that the stage looked like a nice bubble bath.

"Wow, just amazing! Squirtle used that water and bubbles to create more bubbles and rain making an on-stage bubble bath!" Lillian exclaimed.

The crowd was giving a round of applause, but instead of Squirtle giving a bow, he just ran back to Serena and jumped up to her to hug her again.

"Nice job Squirtle," Serena complemented as she was getting crushed, "You're crushing me."

"Squirtle!" Squirtle happily squealed as he continued to hug her.

Squirtle sure a strong one as his hug was hard. While people were applauding, some people were starting to feel like Squirtle's affection towards Serena was a bit creepy. Sure, it was great and all, but people were wondering why Serena didn't get that under control?

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

Grace and Jade along with Rose saw on the TV how Serena did with her appeal, and the two were pretty happy, despite Squirtle's over affection.

"Squirtle did great, I just hope he can give Serena her space," Grace said.

"I know what you mean Grace, but like what they said, Squirtle's trainer abandoned him and found new trust in Serena, and I guess this is a way to try and forget about his last trainer," Rose explained coming up with a theory about Squirtle's affectionate behavior.

"Well, hopefully she'll make it to the next round," Jade said as she looked over to the other ladies and their Happiny, "Let's check in on Yellow and Happy."

Grace, Jade, and Rose rejoined Yellow and Happy. Happy was enjoying the ball Grace and Jade gave them, and she was even playing with it with Yellow and Chu Chu. Yellow looked like someone who can watch over your Pokémon for you.

"I think we should get Happy that ball," Grace said.

"Well then let's go," Yellow said.

"Yeah, let's get Delia and Mimey and then we can get to the good part, the clothes," Rose said eyeing the women's clothing section, "And it's right next to the TV so Grace and Jade can continue watching the contest."

As the ladies were ready to purchase the toys for Mimey and Happy, Grace was feeling some tightness in her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was something she ate or being near someone contagious.

"Is something wrong sweetie?" Jade asked.

"I'm fine," Grace answered.

Little do they know, there was a store attendant who was watching the women. That store attendant had a video watch recording the women and their Pokémon, but there was also a small red R on it. It was a Team Rocket spy inside the store.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Inside the manager's office of Team Rocket's money-making operation was Ariana. The rocket spy was recording the women along with others they have in the store, but they weren't ordered to attack.

"A couple more minutes and the show will end for all of them," Ariana said with venom in her voice with Archer behind her.

"Well Ariana, it looks like we're not only going to be getting Team Rocket's wish, but your wish too," Archer said, "Any minute now, the poison will fully take effect."

Archer was stroking Ariana's back like she was a Persian. Making sure she was here for the demise of the mothers of Ash and Serena with Archer in the room had to be the best feeling for the rocket boss. Also, she did not want her husband Giovanni to know about her affair with their high-ranking executive or he would kill them both.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

Serena made her way back to the waiting room with all of the other coordinators. She was then greeted by Pikachu and Calem who was alongside Pikachu.

"That was amazing, you and Squirtle were just great," Calem praised.

"Thanks, Calem, but I got a little work to do with Squirtle," Serena said, "Squirtle has been a little stubborn to not leave my side."

Squirtle has shown to be a great Pokémon in contest, but Serena may want to work on Squirtle's affectionate antics because it may have hurt her chances. Then Lillian appeared on the TV screen in the waiting room.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the opening round! Here are the eight coordinators who will be advancing to the next round," Lillian announced on TV.

A giant screen came down and revealed the coordinators who were going to be moving on to round two. A boy came in 1st, a man came in 2nd, Calem came in 3rd, a woman came in 4th, another woman came in 5th, a girl came in 6th, a boy came in 7th, and in 8th place was none other than a girl with honey blonde hair. Serena saw herself in the eight spot.

"I made it," Serena said to herself giving out a huge sigh.

It looked like Serena may have gotten a 2nd or 3rd place finish, but the fact Squirtle was overly stubborn to not leave Serena's side and just keep hugging her may have docked her some points. Thankfully it was just enough to squeeze into round two.

Ash and Rotom Dex saw the board and were relieved that Serena got into the second round of the contest.

"Sigh, Serena made it," Ash said in relief.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

The ladies were now in the women's clothing department which was next to the electronics, and Grace and Jade along with Happy were watching the contest on the display TV, and they were happy to see their daughter in the next round.

"Serena…made it," Jade said with tightness in her stomach.

"Are you alright?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jade answered.

Grace and Jade were still looking at the TV to now know where Serena was going to be in her upcoming contest battle.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, here is the setup for the contest battle portion of the competition," Lillian announced on TV.

The pictures were being moved around and it showed that Calem was going to be in the first match against an unknown woman, and Serena would be competing in the third match against an unknown boy.

"Serena will have the third match," Grace said looking over towards Rose, Delia, and Yellow, "Let's join the others, but we got to keep close to the TVs."

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

Serena was now going to turn to Pikachu with the contest battles. She and Pikachu were looking over at Calem as he had a secret that would help Pikachu defeat Surge but remembering the deal, she made to win the contest. That even included beating Calem if they should meet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, its time for the contest battles. Each coordinator has 5 minutes to take out all of the other coordinator's point while presenting their attacks with grace and style. Our first two coordinators will be Calem and Stephanie!" Lillian announced.

Calem was coming up on stage looking at who he was going to be facing. It was a woman with blue hair wearing a fancy blue dress and white heels. This was going to be Calem's first opponent.

"I wonder what Pokémon Calem is going to battle with?" Ash questioned.

"We're about to see," Rotom Dex said zooming in onto the stage.

"Please put five minutes on the clock as the battle starts now!" Lillian announced as the clock began to operate.

"Come on out Poliwag!" Stephanie yelled out sending out a blue tadpole with a counterclockwise swirl on its white belly and had adorable eyes and a small red mouth.

"Let's go Quilladin!" Calem yelled out sending out a bulgy brown and green chipmunk with red tops on his ears and red on his snout.

Serena saw the Pokémon Calem was going to use on TV in the waiting room. She never recalls ever seeing that Pokémon, and Pikachu hasn't even seen that Pokémon either.

Ash and Rotom Dex saw the Pokémon Calem was going to be using in his contest battles. So, if Serena we're to face Calem, which would likely be in the finals, Pikachu would have to go up against that.

"That has to be a Poliwag, but what's that Pokémon Calem using?" Ash questioned himself.

"I'll do an analysis on both of them," Rotom Dex said happily scanning both Pokémon.

 _#060-Poliwag: Tadpole Pokémon_

 _The direction of the swirl on their stomachs differs depending on where they live. Poliwag aficionados can tell them apart at a glance._

 _#651-Quilladin: Spiny Armor Pokémon_

 _It relies on its sturdy shell to deflect predators' attacks. It counterattacks with its sharp quills._

"Quilladin, so that's Calem's Chespin. It evolved," Ash said in shock.

"That's right Ash, so Calem must've been keeping his game up as a coordinator since we last saw him in Viridian City," Rotom Dex said.

"Alright Poliwag use Water Sport!" Stephanie commanded.

"Quilladin, counter with Vine Whip!" Calem responded.

Poliwag squirted water out into the air, and when the water was coming down, Quilladin used his vines to whiplash the water and then jump into the remains to get himself sprinkled.

"And now follow it up with Needle Arm!" Calem called out.

"Poliwag look out!" Stephanie yelled out.

Quilladin began to have his arm glow green with spike around, and the next thing that happen was that the Spiny Armor Pokémon swung his arm upwards with Needle Arm to send Poliwag flying up into the air taking points away from Stephanie.

"Poliwag, get back at Quilladin with Body Slam!" Stephanie yelled out.

"Quilladin use Seed Bomb," Calem calmly told Quilladin.

Poliwag was going to come crashing down with a Body Slam, however Quilladin fired off a Seed Bomb which hit Poilwag. In a dazzling effect, Poliwag was now falling to the ground and the Tadpole Pokémon was knocked out cold. The three judges gave out red Xs.

"Poliwag cannot continue, which means Calem and Quilladin will be moving on to the next round," Lillian announced as the screen showed pictures of Calem and Quilladin with the words WINNER underneath.

The crowd erupted with applause and cheers as Calem and Quilladin prevailed. The two gave out a bow to the audience and all Ash could do is watch in astonishment.

"Looking at the power of Quilladin and the training Calem has given him, Serena and Pikachu will have their hands full," Rotom Dex said.

"Man, that is one tough Quilladin," Ash said.

Serena on the other hand was in the waiting room wondering how Pikachu would fare against Calem's Quilladin. Serena turned around and looked over at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, are you up for the challenge?" Serena asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu confirmed.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

The women's clothing department felt like heaven for any woman who went shopping. Delia and Yellow were trying on different blouses while Rose was trying on dresses. Grace and Jade have been trying few clothes on as they wanted to keep an eye on the contest in the electronics department.

"Aren't you going to try some clothes on ladies," Rose questioned Grace and Jade.

"In a minute, Serena is up," Jade said feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, let us know how Serena did," Rose told the couple.

"Will do," Grace said with small tightness in her stomach.

The ladies were somewhat enjoying their time shopping getting things for Ash's birthday, buying toys for their Pokémon, and now they were treating themselves checking out the women's clothes hoping to buy something. The great thing for Grace and Jade was that the display TVs near the women's clothes was showing the contest since the hotel wouldn't give them the channel consisting of the contest. The one strange downside for all five women has been the uncomfortable feeling they've had since they came in. Something must be wrong with them, but as for Grace and Jade they were focused on Serena's contest battle.

"Our next two coordinators who will be demonstrating their beauty in battle are Johnny and Serena!" Lillian announced on the TV as Serena and a boy with brown hair wearing a white uniform came on stage.

"Our baby girl is up!" Jade squealed in excitement.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

Serena was on stage and alongside was Pikachu. Pikachu was standing right next to Serena as he was ready to go at it. If he wanted to gain that secret from Calem, Pikachu needed to win the contest, especially getting past Quilladin. Right now, the focus was on whatever Pokémon Johnny would send out.

"Alright, start the clock!" Lillian announced.

"It's time to shine Nidorino!" Johnny yelled out sending out a Nidorino.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a purple rabbit like creature standing on four legs with a horn on his head. This happened to be a Nidorino and Rotom Dex began to analyze the Pokémon in front of them.

 _#033-Nidorino: Poison Pin Pokémon_

 _Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might._

"Are you ready Pikachu," Serena asked turning to Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded.

"Nidorino use Poison Sting!" Johnny yelled out.

Nidorino began to fire off poisonous pins right at Pikachu, and the Mouse Pokémon stood his ground. Pikachu and Serena weren't nervous one bit, in fact they were completely confident. Pikachu was determined to win no matter what.

"Pikachu deflect Poison Sting with Iron Tail!" Serena yelled out.

Pikachu then jumped up and his tail began to glow white. Pikachu slammed his tail at the oncoming attack and sent them right back to Nidorino. The Poison Pin Pokémon was hit by his own attack and Johnny lost some points.

"Amazing, now use Shock Wave!" Serena commanded.

Pikachu got back on the ground and unleashed a Shock Wave attack right at Nidorino. Pikachu completely electrified the Poison Pin Pokémon and the pins were starting to glow yellow. An explosion was made, and yellow needles were flying into the air like a fireworks display. Wow, for Pikachu's first contest battle, he made a great impression.

As the smoke cleared, Johnny saw Nidorino and fell to his knees as the Poison Pin Pokémon was out cold. The three judges gave out red Xs meaning Nidorino was down for the count.

"Nidorino, no" Johnny muttered.

"And that is it for Nidorino, Pikachu's stunning Shock Wave created a fireworks display that amazed the crowd and judges, but also ended Nidorino's day! And for that, Serena and Pikachu will be advancing to the semi-finals!" Lillian announced as pictures of Serena and Pikachu appeared on the screen with the word WINNER underneath.

"Way to go Pikachu," Serena said praising Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu replied giving out his victory pose.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

"Way to go Serena," Grace said giving out a small fist pump.

"Give praise to Pikachu too honey, she won that round because of Pikachu," Jade said smiling at her partner.

"I know," Grace replied.

While the two were happy, they couldn't help but feel a little nauseous. To be honest, the women have been feeling like that for most of the trip to the store, and it's only been getting worse.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

 _ **20 minutes later**_

The rest of the contest matches have come and gone. Calem had a tough going with a coordinator's Dodrio, but Quilladin came up on top at the end, and Serena and Pikachu had an arduous battle with another coordinator and their Machoke. Serena managed to get the most points at the end barely setting up the final stage which would be Calem against Serena. Serena Gabena was now going to have her first official contest battle with Calem Anderson.

"It was tough for them both, but Serena and Pikachu have been splendid so far," Rotom Dex said.

"Yeah, but Pikachu had a tough time in his last battle," Ash stated, "But he's done a terrific job, and judging by how he's doing, they might win this whole thing."

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

At the fragrance department, there was a woman with short blue hair and a red headband wearing a green dress and red flats. This woman made her own perfume and was presenting it to a group of people in the department store. She presented the perfume and sprayed it in the air, so the group could smell it, and it left a sweet aroma in the room.

"I call it Vileplume's Bloom, and it's available right now in this store and soon in all other perfumes shops in Kanto," the woman announced.

The people were applauding and we're now insisting on buying this woman's perfume. As people were now lining up to purchase the new brand of perfume, the woman stepped aside and looked over to her sponsors.

"That was an amazing presentation Erika," one of the woman said revealing the woman to be Erika.

"Thanks, well I'm going to freshen up, so I can meet with the people who purchase my new brand of perfume. I want to get their opinion," Erika said as she was heading for the bathroom.

"It's amazing that not only is she part of the most successful perfume line in the Kanto Region, but she also serves as the Celadon City Gym Leader," another woman said.

So, this was Erika, she ran a perfume business in Celadon City and she also serves as the Celadon City Gym Leader. Erika took pride in her business and her grass-type Pokémon.

Meanwhile back at the electronics department, the women were watching the contest on the display television sets. They decided it was best to put aside their shopping and get ready to see Serena in the finals. The ladies already purchased some new clothes, and Chu Chu, Mimey, along with Happy were all together playing with Happy's new ball.

"I'm so proud of your daughter," Yellow said, "It would be amazing if she won this contest."

"It would, after all she already has a contest win under her belt," Jade said giving a wink.

"Thank you everyone for your patience, it's now time for the final contest battle of the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest! Calem and Serena!" Lillian announced on the television set.

They saw Calem and Serena approach each other and the two gave each other a friendly handshake as a way of good sportsmanship to wish each other the best of luck in their battle.

"Is that the boy Serena met that got her into Pokémon Contests?" Rose asked feeling queasy.

"It (gulps) is," Grace answered as she threw up inside.

Something was now going right with these ladies. They were feeling a little under the weather and now the five women were starting to feel completely nauseous. Delia was breathing heavily with tightness in her stomach and it didn't feel much better with her sister as she now had her hands pressing against her heart almost hyper-ventilating. Grace felt like a dagger was being stabbed in her chest as she crunched down while still standing, and Jade tried to toughen up even though she was feeling uneasiness inside of her.

"Is something wrong?" Rose asked as she started to shake.

It was now looking clear that these five women were sick to their stomachs. Was it something they ate, or they did get too comfortable on a cool night that they caught something? Whatever it was, all five women were feeling completely ill. Elsewhere in the store, a shelf stocker who happened to be a rocket in disguise witnessed what was going on and radioed Ariana.

"Boss, the show is about to end," the rocket spy said with a venomous tone.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Ariana was watching the surveillance video from the rocket spy who was recording the women getting sick. There were other cameras from rocket spies inside the store just in case they were somewhere else.

"Well ladies, it was nice knowing you," Ariana said with a smirk on her face.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

"Delia, I feel queasy. I've been feeling like this since we came in," Yellow said weakly.

"Me too sis, me too," Delia replied.

It wasn't just the women who were getting sick, Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy stopped playing and were feeling weak tummies. It was a horrifying scene on their getaway from Pallet Town, all five women were sick. They were all looking back at what they did that could lead up to them feeling like crap. Everyone was recalling the events and then one thing hit them. The dinner they had last night, and it must've caught up to them.

"Ladies," Rose said in a grim tone, "I think we all got food poisoning from our dinner last night."

"And it catches up to us now, right before Serena's battle!" Jade cried in agony.

They were on to something that they weren't feeling well. Then the ladies were uncontrollably vomiting inside while the Pokémon fell on the floor beginning to cry. It was starting to get intense for the four moms and Yellow as they also had an uncomfortable feeling in their digestive systems.

"WHERE'S THE BATHROOM!" Rose screamed as she ran off looking for a bathroom.

Delia and Yellow picked up Chu Chu and Mimey as they were feeling sick too and followed her quickly as they were now starting a scene. Grace and Jade on the other hand were also feeling sick and Grace was about to head for a bathroom.

"Where are you going!" Jade called out to Grace who picked up a sick Happy.

"I need to use the bathroom and so does Happy," Grace said looking at her partner, "Don't you need to vomit as well?"

"Our daughter is about to duke it out for the Vermillion City Contest Ribbon, my support and love for Serena is stronger than a fucking stomach bug," Jade angrily said to Grace.

"I want to support her as well, but I don't want to make a scene," Grace said breathing heavily.

* * *

 _ **Bathroom**_

Yellow was the first in the women's bathroom as she scurried to a stall and found an open stall just in time. Yellow dashed on over and vomit came out of her as she began to vomit in the toilet. She had Chu Chu with her who was also vomiting. Yellow was screaming in agony and then Delia charged in looking for a stall but was out of luck. She found Yellow at the same toilet and she and Mimey joined her along with Chu Chu vomiting in the toilet.

"What the hell is going on!" Yellow screamed.

"I don't know Yellow," Delia cried as she was vomiting too.

Rose was looking for an open stall as well but was out of luck as she just threw up on the floor. There were other patrons in the bathroom as well as they shrieked in disgust. Not being able to find a toilet, Rose had no option but to pull up her dress and pull her underwear down and use the bathroom sink as a shitter.

This was truly an abomination that no stalls were available, and Rose had violent diarrhea. Rose began to shit into the sink and Delia and Yellow were looking at Rose with alarming eyes. What the hell was Rose doing blowing shit out of her hole like that in a sink?

"Look away! Look away!" Rose screamed.

With that the ladies and the two Pokémon continued to vomit, and Rose continued to unleash uncontrollable diarrhea. This was an unsettling scene in the bathroom.

* * *

 _ **Electronics Department**_

"You go ahead and use the bathroom and I'll stay here and watch Serena. I'll tell you what happened afterward," Jade told Grace, "Trust me I can hold my own, especially for our daughter."

With that, Grace made a run for it with Happy in her arms. People were witnessing the sick Pokémon, and the women who were also sick, especially Grace who was dashing for a bathroom.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

Serena and Pikachu was on one side while Calem was on the other. Calem got his Pokeball out and Pikachu was taking his battle stance. While Serena did look focused on her match, something else came to her head.

" _I don't know why, but I feel like there's a disturbance going on somewhere?"_ Serena thought to herself unaware of the fact that she subconsciously may have gotten a sense that her moms got sick.

Ash and Rotom Dex were watching from the stands, and Ash had that same uneasy feeling as Serena. Was it him, or was it the case something didn't feel right?

"Is something wrong Ash?" Rotom Dex asked, "Are you worried about Serena and Pikachu?"

"I am a little, but I also feel like something bad is going on somewhere," Ash answered.

* * *

 _ **Bathroom**_

Staff were now attending the bathroom and screamed when they saw Rose using the sink as a toilet. Meanwhile Delia was now starting to feel like her intestines were about to blow, but she didn't want to shit all over her sister, or the two sick Pokémon. Without thinking, Delia recklessly ran out of the stall and barged into another stall with someone inside.

The woman screamed as Delia grabbed the woman off the toilet, and Delia quickly pulled down her undies, unfortunately shit blew out of her uncontrollably and it hit the woman. Delia was able to turn around and get on the toilet safely to get the rest out, and the woman looked at her in shock.

"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS!" the woman screamed.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking! I got fucking food poisoning!" Delia screamed.

Then Grace ran into the bathroom with her and Happy ready to throw up and possibly unload at the same time. Unfortunately, she saw all the stalls were taken and staff were in there horrified. Grace wasn't going to wait so she did something crazy, she ran out of the women's bathroom and charged into the men's bathroom. Didn't matter, she needed to get to a toilet and fast.

"This is the men's bathroom!" one of men cried as he saw Grace charge in.

"I know, there aren't any toilets in there, and I fucking need one and so does Happy!" Grace screamed as she found a stall she could use.

Grace got on the toilet and started shitting while vomiting at the same time. While she was hitting the toilet, she was getting vomit on the floor. Happy on the other hand was just vomiting and taking an uncontrollable crap like her new mommy. Could've been worse, she could've used a urinal. A male staff member ran into the bathroom as he saw Grace come in.

"This is the men's bathroom!" the staff member yelled.

"Then have a stall open in the women's!" Grace yelled, "And I'm missing my daughter's contest because of this crap!"

This was a complete nightmare, and as the rocket spies were watching, they were not showing evil smirks, but more of shocked faces. They weren't expecting the women to have this case of diarrhea, they were expecting them to just collapse and die.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

"Each coordinator will have five minutes, go!" Lillian announced as the clock began to wind down.

"Quilladin it's time for the grand finale!" Calem yelled out sending out Quilladin.

"Pikachu, showtime!" Serena yelled out as Pikachu jumped on.

Quilladin and Pikachu were ready to face each other on the final stage. If Pikachu can beat Quilladin in a contest battle, Calem will share the secret of how Pikachu can beat Lt. Surge as a Pikachu. There was only one way to find out, and that was to battle.

"Pikachu use Thundershock!" Serena yelled out.

"Counter with Mud Shot!" Calem retorted.

Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock towards Quilladin, but the Spiny Armor Pokémon sent out a Mud Shot to neutralize the Thundershock and hit Pikachu.

"Pikachu tries to show off a shocking Thundershock, but Quilladin Mud Shot leaves Pikachu in the mud," Lillian announced as Serena lost some points.

"Come on Pikachu, lets get back at Quilladin with Quick Attack," Serena told Pikachu.

Pikachu was ready to come in with Quick Attack, but the mud that was on the ground from Quilladin's Mud Shot ended up slowing Pikachu down a little which Calem took advantage of.

"Quilladin, Rollout!" Calem called out.

Quilladin started to roll around the stage and he hit Pikachu sending him up in the air before Pikachu could land that Quick Attack. Serena continued to lose more points.

"Now use Vine Whip to grab a hold of Pikachu!" Calem yelled out.

Quilladin unleashed vines from his body and grabbed a hold of Pikachu with the vines. Pikachu was in Quilladin's grip and he couldn't move.

"Well, it looks like Pikachu is caught in a bind with those vines Quilladin has brought out, will Pikachu be able to break out of this one?" Lillian questioned to the audience as Serena lost more points.

"I was expecting more out of Pikachu, but now I might have to add some style points," Calem said to himself, "Quilladin throw Pikachu into the air and use Pin Missile…while running around the room."

Quilladin hurled up Pikachu like a bouquet and started to keep Pikachu in the air by repeatedly hitting Pikachu with Pin Missile. Quilladin was also running around making it look like a Pokémon attack juggling act.

"Astounding that Quilladin is now keeping Pikachu in the air with Pin Missile like were watching some kind of talent performance. Serena better think of something quick or Calem will walk out with the ribbon," Lillian announced as more and more points were being docked from Serena.

"Pikachu try using Thundershock again!" Serena cried out.

Pikachu was about to send out a Thundershock, but he couldn't conduct electricity in time because Pin Missile kept hitting him.

"Let's finish this Quilladin, use Take Down in the air and send Pikachu up…and then down," Calem said smirking.

Quilladin was now ready to deliver the final blow as the Spiny Armor Pokémon came jumping up ready to deliver an aerial Take Down. Serena couldn't believe she was about to lose. Calem had a secret of what Pikachu could do as a Pikachu to beat surge and he would never share it with her and Ash because Pikachu can't top Quilladin.

Despite the state Pikachu was in, there was a look on his face showing that he didn't want to quit. Pikachu would do anything to beat that bully in the Vermillion Gym, and he was going to lose out on it because of Quilladin. Serena noticed the look Pikachu had and then those words rang into her head once more.

" _Never give up until the end,"_ Serena thought to herself, "Pikachu use Iron Tail!"

With that, right when Quilladin was about to make contact, Pikachu did a quick backflip with a glowing white tail striking Quilladin. Quilladin was falling down, but the Spiny Armor Pokémon fell to his feet.

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

"Amazing! Just when Quilladin was about to end it, Pikachu came right back with Iron Tail!" Lillian announced as then something else happened.

Quilladin started to feel a shock effect around his body. Quilladin was feeling a little less mobile with the static forming around his body. With two minutes left, Calem finally lost a couple of points and a few more thanks to that shock effect while Pikachu landed on his feet.

"And it looks like Quilladin is feeling like he went through an electric fence," Lillian announced.

"Whoa, what happened to Quilladin? Pikachu didn't use any electric attacks, but Quilladin looks like he's feeling paralysis from Pikachu's Iron Tail," Ash told Rotom Dex, "Do you know what that is Rotom Dex?"

"I got Pikachu's data so let me analyze," Rotom Dex said processing Pikachu's data, "Ash, that's Pikachu's special ability Static! If an opposing Pokémon makes contact with any Pokémon with that ability, they could get paralyzed and lose tons of speed."

After seeing what has happened to Quilladin, Serena now feels as if the contest battle is now in her favor.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

Jade was the only one in the electronics department as all of the other women and their Pokémon were in the bathroom vomiting or taking an uncontrollable crap. Patrons were witnessing her standing all alone looking uncomfortable and sweating.

Most of the staff along with security guards were in the bathrooms getting a hold of the situation with Delia, Mimey, Yellow, Chu Chu, Rose, Grace, and Happy. It was a mad scene over there and Jade was by herself rooting for her daughter while holding in her digestive flow.

"Come on Serena!" Jade exclaimed as it felt like she was about to pass a kidney stone.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

"Quilladin looks like is paralyzed, I guess this is our chance now," Serena said to herself until turning towards Pikachu, "Pikachu use Electro Ball!"

With that Pikachu created an electric sphere up in the air, and then fired it right at Quilladin, but not until Serena had more up her sleeve.

"Now use Agility to jump into the Electro Ball, and then use Quick Attack," Serena told Pikachu.

Pikachu began to use Agility to dash into the Electro Ball while it was being fired, and when Pikachu got in withstanding the power, he used Quick Attack and struck Quilladin. The Spiny Armor Pokémon took a big blow from the attack which not only showed a great combination of power and speed, but amazing timing as well.

"Pikachu just used Electro Ball and then jumped inside with his speed to use Quick Attack in the same pace as his own attack, leading to perfect timing and synchronization with the attacks," Lillian announced as Calem lost a huge chunk of points with a minute left.

"Quilladin use Pin Missile!" Calem retorted as Quilladin unleashed a Pin Missile at Pikachu.

"Deflect them with Iron Tail!" Serena called out.

Pikachu jumped up and whipped the Pin Missile attack back at Quilladin, but in an artistic style. In Serena's view, the directions and placements of the attack formed a heart coming right at Quilladin who got hit by his own attack. To add to the misery and more points Calem lost, Pin Missile was also a bug attack so that did a number on Quilladin.

"It looks like Pikachu is making a charge, will Serena be able to come back," Lillian announced.

Quilladin was trying to hang in there with almost thirty seconds left now. He was paralyzed, he took damage from his own attack, and Serena was now catching up as Calem's lead was shrinking. Looking at Pikachu on how he did in this contest and coming close to beating Quilladin to redeem himself from his previous battle against Surge, Pikachu was about to make a shocking comeback.

"Now use Thundershock!" Serena yelled out.

Pikachu jumped up and he began to shock Quilladin. As the clock ticked, Pikachu's Thundershock was doing a number on Quilladin, and Calem couldn't believe it. He had control of this battle and now Serena was making a furious charge. Pikachu finished the Thundershock and Quilladin fell to the ground, but just a second after the clock hit zero so the judges couldn't give out the red Xs.

"Times up, and Quilladin is down. However, since the knockout came just a second after the clock hit zero, it doesn't count which means Calem can still if he has the most points," Lillian announced, "Now let's see who are winner is!"

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Department Store**_

Jade was standing there sweating holding it in her stomach and her intestines. The television screen showed pictures of Calem and Serena and it looks like a single point separates them from victory.

"Come on Serena," Jade said nervously as she was holding her stomach.

"The winner of the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest is…. Calem!" Lillian announced as Calem's and Quilladin's picture is shown with the words WINNER underneath.

"NOOOOO!" Jade cried as it happened.

Jade just lost control of herself and everyone was watching as the worst just happened. Jade was completely shocked and was still sick at the same time and everyone covered their eyes and looked away after seeing what happened to her. Jade noticed what happened as well and just fell to her knees.

"It happened didn't it?" Jade questioned to herself.

Jade just took a shit in the middle of the store.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Contest Hall**_

Serena just stood in shock that she lost. If Quilladin was defeated a second earlier, she and Pikachu would've won. She was also a point short of catching Calem, and despite finishing strong, her early moments from the battle came back to bite her. This shows how close she came to beating Calem, where every little thing ended up mattering in the end. That's sometimes how close a battle can be.

Calem walked over to his fallen comrade, however Quilladin was able to get up in just a moment. Calem got him up to his feet and gave him a hug.

"We, got lucky in the end Quilladin, but still great job," Calem said giving his Quilladin a hug.

Serena broke out of her shock and then turned over to Pikachu. Pikachu was looking gloom as his near comeback fell short, but Serena gave out a warm smile when she approached the Mouse Pokemon. Serena gave Pikachu a big hug.

"We almost did it, but I'm really proud of you. And I can tell you Ash is proud of you too," Serena told Pikachu as she hugged him.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

"Man, Serena was so close," Ash muttered, "If there was just one more second on that clock, she would've won by knockout or maybe by having more points."

"Yeah, but I think that big surge Pikachu gave out at the end can show how strong he has become. If Pikachu is able to beat Quilladin like that, then maybe he can go up against Lt. Surge's Raichu," Rotom Dex explained.

The crowd was giving both coordinators a round of applause. After comforting their Pokemon, Serena and Calem reached the center of the stage and shook hands.

"You put up a good fight Serena," Calem said.

"Thanks," Serena replied.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

The six coordinators and Serena were standing together as Calem was being awarded his ribbon with Graveler and Quilladin by his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to award Calem the Vermillion City Contest Ribbon!" Lillian announced as she gave him the ribbon.

"Thank you, and I'm pleased to tell everyone especially Serena that this is my third ribbon," Calem announced to the audience.

Serena was amazed that this is now his third ribbon. Along with the Viridian City Contest Ribbon and another ribbon he must've gotten along the way, Vermillion City was his third one. Serena had to feel a bit down as she was going to be leaving with just one Kanto Ribbon, but then again it's the Grand Festival that matters not who gets the five ribbons first.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Outside the Contest Hall**_

Ash and Rotom Dex were waiting outside the contest hall waiting for Serena and Pikachu. Just then Serena came outside back in her usual clothes with Pikachu following her.

"Great job Serena, you almost won," Ash said patting her on the back.

"I know, I came very close to pulling off a stunner, Serena said, "But in the end, Calem was the better coordinator."

"You almost pulled a buzzer beater Serena, but great job," Rotom Dex said patting her on the back.

Then another familiar face came out of the contest hall, and he was back in his original attire. It was Calem. Serena had a great battle with him, and she couldn't believe she almost won.

"Hey there everyone," Calem said greeting everyone.

"Hey Calem, once again congratulations," Serena told her friend, "And I don't care about the time limit or not, you earned that ribbon."

"Thanks, you were great too. That was amazing that you gave me a huge scare at the end," Calem said.

"I know," Serena said with Ash now looking over at Pikachu.

"Well since I didn't beat you, I guess we're never going to know what your secret is to beating Surge with Pikachu," Ash said picking up Pikachu.

Ash was a bit disappointed that Serena didn't win, but at the same time Calem had an expression on his face telling that he was hiding something. Did he really know what Pikachu could do against Raichu?

"The truth is, I actually lied to you," Calem confessed, "There is no secret in beating Lt. Surge with Pikachu."

"What!" Ash exclaimed.

"Let me explain, the reason I told Serena to win the contest with Pikachu is so that Pikachu would get some sort of encouragement to push himself harder against whoever he was going up against. If anything, the battle that showed that determination the best was against me. When Pikachu felt overpowered by Raichu, he just somehow felt defeated, but when it looked like Quilladin was going to finish the job and Pikachu felt like he would never know how to beat Surge, he changed gears and started to take control. When things got tough for Pikachu, he finally understood to just look for a new angle and a sense of strength and in the end, he would've won if it weren't for the clock," Calem explained.

"So all of this was to help Pikachu in showing that it can get tough, but things can turn around," Serena stated.

"Exactly, and you even learned that Serena," Calem said turning to Ash, "And Ash, I think you can understand that too, can you?"

"You bet I can. I'm going to challenge Lt. Surge again and Pikachu will get another go at it, won't you buddy," Ash said looking over at Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu happily responded.

Looks like Calem was actually saying that stuff just to see if Pikachu can find a new fond strength to go up against his tough opponents. Pikachu, Ash, Serena, and the rest of the Pokemon are going to have to realize that it will only get tougher on their journey especially after Lt. Surge. The road to being a Pokemon Master and top coordinator was not going to be easy.

"Well I like your attitude Ash, I think you can do it," Calem said as he was ready to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Serena asked.

"I've already spent all my time here in Vermillion City. It's time for me to get to my next contest," Calem said giving Serena a thumbs up, "Serena, we'll meet again soon."

"Alright, you take care Calem," Serena said.

Calem was walking out in the distance and Serena was waving goodbye to him. Despite taking the path of being a Pokemon Coordinator, sometimes Ash wonders if Calem could get in the way of him being with Serena. Calem sometimes nearly resembles him, and it worried Ash sometimes.

"Ash, are you alright?" Serena asked.

"I'm fine," Ash answered, "He's just your friend right?"

"Not only my friend, but a great rival," Serena answered.

"That's it?" Ash questioned.

"Yep," Serena confirmed as she suddenly went to though with what Ash said, _"Wow, I wonder if Ash has any jealously for Calem? Maybe it's a sign that he likes me. Should I tell him?"_

Ash and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex made their way back to the Pokemon Center, and when they arrived they were greeted by Nurse Joy. In an unfortunate turn of events, Nurse Joy called the two Pokemon trainers up to the front desk.

"Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, am I correct?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yeah, were Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Ash confirmed.

"Alright, you have a phone call," Nurse Joy stated.

"From who?" Serena asked.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Hospital**_

Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose were all in the Celadon City Hospital with severe case of food poisoning. Still, none of them were even aware that it was Team Rocket who poisoned them like that. The good news was that it was just vomiting and shitting and they weren't going to die, so they were going to be fine after a few nights in the hospital. Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy were all taken to the Celadon City Pokemon Center for treatment.

Ash and Serena were on the phone with Delia and Grace as they were together ready to talk to their kids. They were wondering what happened and Delia confirmed that they got sick from their dinner.

"Food poisoning," Ash said on the phone to her mother as she was in the ER.

"Yeah, we all had this special dinner and it tasted good, but when we went shopping we started to feel really sick and we think it was the food," Delia told her son, "And don't get me started on what happened to us in the department store."

Delia didn't want to mention the fact that they ran into a toilet, or the fact that she had to barge into another stall to only let some crap get on the woman who was in the stall.

"What happened?" Serena asked on the phone

"We're not talking about that," Grace answered as she then had a concerned look, "And I'm sorry I couldn't watch your contest. I've heard from your mother that you almost pulled one out."

"Yeah, I came very close. Speaking of mom, how is she doing?" Serena asked referring to Jade.

"She'll be fine," Grace answered as she did not want to bring up anything about her using the men's room or the fact that Jade shitted in the electronics department, "Well were going to get some rest, be careful and stay well both of you."

"We will, goodnight and I love you mom," Ash said on the phone.

"And I love you and my other mom too," Serena said on the phone.

"We love you too," Delia and Grace said as they hung up.

Back in the ER, Delia was resting peacefully. A nurse was on the phone and got papers for Delia from the doctors letting them know where Delia will be taken for the next few nights. The nurse then walked into the room

"Delia Ketchum?" the nurse questioned.

"Yes," Delia responded.

"We'll be taking you up to your room," the nurse said, "But there is something that we need to tell you."

"What's that?" Delia questioned.

"While we were on the phone with the people in the store telling us what happened, we found something out. That woman you have barged in on in the bathroom over at the store, happened to be the Celadon City Gym Leader Erika who also is in charge of the best fragrance chain in Kanto," the nurse explained.

"Oh," Delia responded, "Is she angry at me?"

"Yeah, for violating her bathroom privacy and of course…you know," the nurse said.

Delia just had to feel bad. She ended up tackling a gym leader and a fragrance designer so she could take a number two all because she was sick. She wasn't thinking at the moment, but Delia knew amends had to be made.

"Thanks for letting me know," Delia replied as she went into thought, _"I owe that woman an apology, especially if Ash is going to be coming here."_

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Ariana was sitting at the desk growling with anger. In fact, nearly every Team Rocket member was feeling livid about what happened in the department store. The mission was to terminate the mothers of Ash and Serena, not to give them uncontrollable diarrhea. It just made them angry that they were still alive.

"That poison was supposed to kill them!" Ariana screamed, "What the fuck happened?"

"Ariana, we are speaking with every rocket in the hotel. Proton ordered Jessie, James, and Meowth to cook up what was supposed to be their last meals and in about eighteen hours, the poison would go into effect killing them. We don't know how they got sick like that instead of dropping dead," Archer explained.

No wonder Ariana was pissed. Those three stooges were just supposed to cook and drop poison into their food. In her thoughts like everyone else, she thinks they found a way to fuck that up too.

"Archer call those three over here now! And bring Proton in here too, he hates those three and would love to do something to them," Ariana ordered Archer.

* * *

 **Well Serena just came up a second and point short of winning the contest, but Pikachu is now feeling confident ready to face Surge again.**

 **Looks like Team Rocket thought they poisoned the mothers and Yellow to death, but instead we get a Bridesmaid moment. (Movie scene I tried to reference) Wow, Delia had her episode in front of the wrong person. Wonder how that can affect Ash's chance of battling Erika?**

 **In case if anyone was wondering about Jade staying around trying to watch Serena's contest on the TV in the store rather than going to the bathroom, it was more of being a supportive mother. She risked her bowel movements to watch her contest, like in Aladdin and the King of Thieves when Aladdin's dad risked his freedom to watch his son's wedding. It's just a crazy way to show how much she supports her daughter.**

 **Well coming up next is Ash's rematch against Lt. Surge and then it's time for the S.S. Anne.**

 **Chapter 22: Surging Forward**


	23. Surgring Forward

**Here it is, the Vermillion City Gym rematch followed by Team Rocket's preparations for the S.S. Anne. I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Pokémon Center**_

That night in the Pokémon Center, Ash and Serena were sitting together following Serena's defeat in the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest. The two were glad to know that their moms were going to be okay and will feel 100% in a few days. They also heard that the hotel was going to be offering them another two weeks free of charge along with paying for their hospital stay as an apology for the badly cooked dinner they got. Ash and Serena felt that if they got lucky, they might actually run into their moms in Celadon City.

Right now, Ash was getting his mind set for returning to the Vermillion Gym to challenge Surge again. After seeing how Pikachu kicked it up a notch in the Pokémon Contest, he was going to use Pikachu in his rematch. Pikachu was determined to face off against Lt. Surge again, especially his Raichu who annihilated him. Ash was not going to bring Froakie back and decided that he would use one of his two new Pokémon, and after giving it some thought, Ash was going to use Bulbasaur since he was strong against electric-types.

Speaking of not using Froakie, Ash wasn't so sure if he would even be getting a rematch after what Fennekin did during his previous match with Lt. Surge. He was livid with the two when Serena's Fennekin unexpectedly used Flame Charge on his Voltorb and Raichu, but it was only for defensive purposes. He'll have to wait until morning when he tries going to the gym again.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, he crushed me the last time but now I'm going in with a better game plan," Ash told Serena.

"I'm glad you're going with Bulbasaur this time over Froakie," Serena said, "After what happened and what we learned the other day, I think it's best for Froakie and Fennekin to stay out of that gym."

Ash and Serena still remembered that moment the other day when Froakie was petrified of Lt. Surge because he nearly resembled that sadistic psychopath who went around killing Pokémon. Not only was Ash's team set for strategic reasons, but personal reasons as well.

"Let's just hope Lt. Surge will let you in tomorrow," Rotom Dex said in a serious tone.

"I know, I'll explain about what happened that day," Ash said.

Ash and Serena can still remember the incident from the Vermillion Gym and then got the in depth on Siegfried to know what he looks like. The Pokémon trainer and Pokémon coordinator hope that Siegfried is taken care of and their Pokémon can move on with their lives.

"Hey Ash," Serena called out which drew Ash's attention, "Just want to let you know, I'll be rooting for you like always."

With that comment, Ash smiled. Sure, he had his unsure intentions on Calem, but Serena was all about being with him. Hearing that coming out of her mouth made Ash more confident about going up against Surge.

"Thanks Serena," Ash said giving out a big smile as the two got up and decided to call it a night, "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight," Serena responded.

Ash and Pikachu went into one room while Serena went into another room with Rotom Dex following her inside. Now all Ash had to do was get a good night's sleep, so he can be ready for tomorrow's rematch against Lt. Surge. Ash already had two badges and there no knowing how many badges Gary might have, or Paul. Right now, he needed to only focus on himself.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Ariana was sitting at the desk in the manager's office with Archer on her side and Petrel on another side. Proton was standing in front of the desk with an angry look on his face. Knowing that the trio was responsible for delivering the blow, he looked like he was ready to kill them.

Outside the office, Jessie, James, and Meowth were being shoved in by Cassidy and Butch to where Ariana and the other two executives were.

"You three are going to be in so much trouble Jessie," Cassidy said to Jessie.

"Hey, you had a part in it too!" Jessie ranted.

"And so, did Biff!" James retorted.

"It's Butch, and you three did all the cooking!" Butch ranted.

Cassidy and Butch opened the door to the manager's office where Ariana and the rest of the executives were. They shoved Jessie, James, and Meowth inside and slammed the door shut behind them. The three looked intimidated by their superiors especially Proton. Boy was that executive ready to break their necks.

"Jessie, James, Meowth," Ariana calmly stated addressing the trio.

"Miss Ariana," Jessie, James, and Meowth all said nervously.

The trio looked like they were in great trouble judging by the looks their boss and the executives were giving them.

"The mission was for you three to cook up the meals and feed them to the mothers of Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, and then they were to die from those meals within 18 hours," Ariana addressed.

"Yes ma'am!" Jessie, James, and Meowth all addressed.

"And it turned out they didn't die, they actually ended up getting violent diarrhea and were sent to the hospital," Ariana addressed.

"We had to send them an apology for what our chefs have done for serving them food that got them sick and pay for their medical bills, because we did not want them knowing that it was Team Rocket who sent the poisonous meals where they could end up getting on to us," Archer explained.

"Not only are they still alive, but Team Rocket has lost over twenty-thousand Pokedollars in our revenue from this casino, and now we're going to offer them a longer stay here for free as an apology," Petrel explained.

The executives were angry at the trio and they were shaking to the bone. After hearing from their boss and the two executives, Proton walked closer to them with an angry glare. He hated them with every fiber of his being, and he smacked his fists in front of the scared trio.

"You're lucky Giovanni is not here hearing about this, because you be in more turmoil than you already are in," Proton growled as he came closer, "Now, what the hell happened?"

"Allow us to explain, we followed the recipe in the dishes we made for them and their friends. We cooked them making it look like they were well cooked, and we secretly undercooked them. Then we added some sauces in to make them taste like they were cooked well only not knowing the food was undercooked. So, while the food looked finished, it was unfinished," Meowth explained.

"I don't know in Arceus's name where it went wrong," James told Proton.

Proton got angry and proceeded to punch James in the jaw. Proton's punch was so powerful that some of James's teeth were knocked out, and Team Rocket does not give their team members dental insurance. Hell, they would never give insurance to these guys.

"Did you guys notice the vile I had in my hand," Proton growled.

"Yeah, it was supposed to be a way to present what we were," Jessie said.

"YOU BASTARDS! You were not supposed to undercook the food! This was poison, and you were supposed to put it in the food, and it would blend in! When the fuck did, I tell you retards to undercook their food!" Proton angrily screamed.

Then the three cowered in fear to the executive's wrath. Ariana, Archer, and Petrel along with Giovanni knew that this executive could give the trio hell.

"You never told us," Jessie stuttered.

"Never told you, I showed you the vile! Didn't you get the gist!?" Proton angrily questioned.

After another outburst from Proton, James nervously walked up to the executive.

"Why are we trying to kill the twerps mommies?" James asked nervously.

"Because that's what those kids get for messing with our business, and anyone else can get that same punishment as well," Proton answered.

"No, I mean why should we kill the twerps mommies? Their mothers never did anything wrong to us. It was those two twerps we should be going after, not their relatives unless they get in the way," James addressed.

Proton heard the words that James said, and proceeded to punch him in the face again. It's clear, this organization hates the trio, but it's a mystery how these fools got hired in the first place.

"I have my reasons for wanting to kill those ladies, and it's not just because their kids are meddling with our affairs," Ariana explained.

"Did, the twerps mothers actually do something to you?" Jessie asked.

"It's none of your business," Archer answered.

It looks like Ariana might have more to do with those women than the fact their kids get in the way. There has to be a good reason for her attempted action of killing them?

"Well I have to get going to Vermillion City. I'm going to bring a battalion of men with me for our operations on the S.S. Anne," Proton announced as he was now leaving the room.

"Well I know this, after we failed you, this has now cost us to be part of the mission," Meowth said as Proton looked over at them, "Can you give us a ride back to headquarters and we can train harder?"

The strangest thing happened when Proton looked at them which confused the trio. Proton gave a smirk at the group, and he was pissed off at them for their failed assassination attempt.

"Actually, you three are going to accompany me?" Proton said in a now friendly tone.

"WHAAA!" all three said with their jaws dropped.

"Proton? These three have failed like always. You're going to bring them to the S.S. Anne?" Petrel questioned.

"Yes, I am," Proton confirmed.

"You mean we screwed up and you're pissed off, and you're going to let us be part of the mission on the S.S. Anne to collect Pokémon from trainers all around?" Jessie questioned.

"What's with the change of behavior?" James asked.

"I told you depending on how you handle the assassination attempt, I will let you be part of the mission," Proton explained.

"Proton, what are you doing?" Ariana asked.

"There going to come with us to take Pokémon on the S.S. Anne," Proton said, "And tell Giovanni I'm bringing them with."

"So, you're giving us another chance?" Meowth asked in shock.

This had to be some sort of cruel joke. Proton was going to let the trio be part of the operation on the S.S. Anne, and they failed like always. He hates them, and he is inviting them? Something didn't seem right.

"Under one condition! You will do everything I say, you will follow every detailed order I give you, and by no means necessary you're to try something else! You follow everything under my command! Every action, every movement, and every thought! Do you understand?" Proton questioned the trio.

"Yes sir," the trio stated in a shocked tone.

Proton smiled at the Team Rocket trio. Despite failing them, he was going to have them on the S.S. Anne. Ariana, Petrel, and Archer were feeling puzzled about the fact that the one executive that hates their guts is going to invite them on a mission planned by Giovanni and Ariana, his bosses and their bosses. Maybe he was going to use them as a crash dummy or something.

"Alright then, grab your things you three. We're heading for Vermillion City," Proton said darkly.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Vermillion City-Vermillion Gym**_

It was morning and Ash and Serena approached the Vermillion Gym. Ash was feeling very nervous about entering the gym after what happened last time when Fennekin attacked Lt. Surge's Pokémon. Would the gym leader allow Ash to have a rematch, or would he order him to leave and his dreams of entering the Pokémon League come to an end?

"I'm very nervous Serena, do you think he'll allow us in after what happened last time?" Ash asked.

"There's only one way to find out, and that's to go in," Serena told Ash.

Serena grabbed Ash's hand and gave him a sincere smile. Serena always brought strength to Ash when he needed it. She was there for him at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City when Team Rocket nearly killed him, she was there for him after Damien took his Pokémon, and now she was going to be there for him to confront Lt. Surge.

Ash nervously opened the door and walked in. Pikachu followed along with Serena and Rotom Dex. When Ash entered the gym, he saw that Lt. Surge was in there along with his two companions. He approached the Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town with a stern look on his face. Was the gym leader going to throw him out? Did he really have a grudge over Fennekin jumping into the action?

"Well, looks who back," Lt. Surge said with his arms crossed.

Ash felt like he had no words for the Vermillion Gym leader. However, Ash wanted to prove himself to Lt. Surge and get his third badge. Ash looked over to Serena who gave a serious look at him, and with that, Ash began to speak.

"Hello there Lt. Surge, I would like to say that I'm sorry for what happened the other day. That wasn't my fault, I wasn't even expecting Fennekin to do that. She was just going to root for Froakie, and Froakie was Fennekin's closest friend," Ash spoke.

Lt. Surge, the man, and the woman were just silent. It didn't look like Lt. Surge showed any anger, but more of uncertainty. Ash didn't like where this was going, and then Serena stepped in to speak.

"Lt. Surge, if there's anyone you want to blame for that incident the other day, it's me. I should've called Fennekin back when she attacked your Pokémon, I didn't know she was going to over react like that. Fennekin was trying to protect Froakie, not go after your Pokémon," Serena told Surge, "I'm sorry for what Fennekin did."

Lt. Surge had that look on his face. Did this man really forgive them for what happened in their gym battle.

"Listen here, when I fought in the war, I had enemies approach me and I knew I had to man up and face them or take the hits like a true soldier. What that Fennekin did the other day represented…what a true soldier does," Surge said now showing a smile on his face, "They look out for their comrades."

Ash and Serena along with Rotom Dex gasped at what Lt. Surge said. He wasn't angry, he was happy. What happened, did a brick fall on the gym leader's head causing him a change in his behavior?

"While I was angry for my Pokémon getting blindsided like that illegally, you showed us what a true war hero does. While they make sacrifices for the good of others, they also have to look out for their fellow soldiers. How Fennekin saved Froakie the other day in our gym battle was almost like when the electric Pokémon saved me in the war. Who knows, those soldiers could have families or their own, and they don't want to hear that they died in combat. You had a helpless Pokémon, and another Pokémon was coming to their rescue," Lt. Surge said, "I'm sorry I reamed at you all like that, are we cool?"

Lt. Surge took out his hand offering Ash and Serena a handshake. It looks like they were ready to put the past moment in the gym behind them.

"We're cool under one condition," Ash said.

"What's that?" Surge questioned.

"We have a rematch," Ash told the gym leader.

"Challenge accepted," Surge replied shaking Ash's hand and then Serena's hand.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later**_

Ash was standing on the challenger's side while Lt. Surge was standing on the other side. Serena was standing behind Ash with Rotom Dex next to her, and Pikachu was with Ash since he was going to be in the battle.

"Ash, Pikachu, I know you guys can do it," Serena called out.

"You guys now have a power surge! Take it to him!" Rotom Dex cheered.

Ash was encouraged by the fact that Serena was cheering him on. He was more than ready to take on Surge again. The referee was the man in the leather jacket.

"This will be a double battle between the gym leader Lt. Surge and the challenger Ash Ketchum! The two Pokémon you will be sending out will be your only Pokémon, the battle goes on until both Pokémon on one side can't continue! Let the battle begin!" the man announced.

"I'll be using the same two Pokémon from before, Voltorb and Raichu to the front line!" Surge exclaimed sending out Voltorb and Raichu.

Lt. Surge brought out his Voltorb followed by the one Pokémon that Pikachu was victimized by the most, Raichu. Thanks to the battle against Calem's Quilladin, Pikachu was now even more determined to take on Lt. Surge's Raichu, but he knew that Voltorb was going to be aiding the Mouse Pokémon too.

"Alright then, I'll be using Pikachu once again, and for my second Pokémon, Bulbasaur!" Ash exclaimed having Pikachu go on the battlefield and Ash sending out his Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur was ready to take on the two Pokémon in front of him, and as for Pikachu it was nice to have Bulbasaur on his side. Ash got some training in with Bulbasaur, and the Seed Pokémon was ready to take on Lt. Surge's Pokémon.

"So, you're bringing the Pikachu back, and a new Pokémon this time," Surge said smirking while crossing his arms.

"I was completely unprepared last time, but this time I'm ready and I'm going to win!" Ash said pumping his fist.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied seriously in a battle stance.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied ready to battle.

"Let the battle begin!" the man announced.

"Alright Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf, and Pikachu use Shock Wave!" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur fired off leaves at Voltorb and Raichu while Pikachu unleashed a Shock Wave towards both Pokémon. Both Pokémon were hit, but Raichu was affected very little.

"So, this is all you got, let me show you something," Surge said darkly, "Voltorb use Rollout, and Raichu use Thunder Punch on Voltorb sending him right to those two baby Pokémon."

Voltorb was beginning to speed up on the ground with Rollout and then it jumped into the air with Raichu coming in unleashing a Thunder Punch on the Ball Pokémon. Voltorb was more electrified and came in like a bullet towards Bulbasaur and Pikachu. Pikachu was able to get out of the way, but Bulbasaur was hit.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash cried.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur weakly moaned.

"Hurry and use Synthesis!" Ash retorted.

Bulbasaur showed a white glow to heal the damage he took from that powerful combination. Though Bulbasaur healed himself, it didn't fully heal him. He still felt a little weakness, but the Seed Pokémon could still fight.

"Voltorb use Swift!" Surge yelled out.

"Dodge it!" Ash retorted.

Voltorb sent out a Swift attack right at Pikachu and Bulbasaur, but the two were able to get out of the way.

"Raichu use Slam!" Surge called out.

Raichu was closing in on Pikachu and as Pikachu's face widened, Raichu pinned him down with Slam. Pikachu was trapped and Raichu got him in a grip like some sort of wrestling move.

"Bulbasaur use Take Down on Raichu!" Ash called out.

"Voltorb use Sonic Boom on that pesky Bulbasaur!" Surge retorted.

Bulbasaur managed to hit Raichu with Take Down to free Pikachu but wasn't quick enough to evade Voltorb's Sonic Boom which hit him from behind. Pikachu felt a little numb in his lower body, and Bulbasaur felt pain from behind with Voltorb's Sonic Boom.

"Pikachu, Bulbasaur," Serena said clasping her hands.

"Lt. Surge seems to be man handling Ash's Pokémon," Rotom Dex said with concern.

Surge then smirked at Ash. Man, this guy was putting up a fight with his two Pokémon. How could Ash pull off a win?

"Alright, let's put an end to this," Surge said, "Voltorb, use Self-Destruct, and Raichu use Protect!"

Voltorb was glowing white as it was about to explode and Raichu was ready to use Protect to shield himself from Voltorb's explosion. Ash had to act quickly or else it would be all over. Then he thought of what he could do at the last second.

"Hurry Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to hurl Pikachu in the air!" Ash yelled out.

If Bulbasaur wouldn't make it, Ash would make sure Pikachu was still around. Bulbasaur used his vines to grab a hold of Pikachu and throw him in the air at the precise second Voltorb used Self-Destruct. Pikachu was airborne, Raichu shielded himself with Protect, but Bulbasaur was caught in the explosion. Serena and Rotom Dex shielded their eyes from the blast.

Pikachu landed in the smoke right after Voltorb's Self-Destruct. As the smoke cleared, Raichu was still standing as if he didn't suffer a scratch thanks to Protect, Pikachu was still in his battle stance, as for Voltorb and Bulbasaur…they weren't so lucky. Voltorb was clearly going to be a goner, but Bulbasaur wouldn't be able to withstand the blast as he was knocked out cold.

"Both Voltorb and Bulbasaur are unable to battle!" the man announced.

So, it came down to this, Pikachu versus Raichu. Ash's third badge relied now heavily on Pikachu taking down Surge's Raichu. Both trainers pulled out their Pokémon calling back their respective Pokémon.

"Return Voltorb," Surge said calling back Voltorb, "Well done soldier."

"Bulbasaur return," Ash called out returning Bulbasaur, "You were great Bulbasaur, take a nice long rest. I'll leave this to Pikachu."

"That was a super awesome strategy by Ash. He knew Bulbasaur was a goner, but at least he got Bulbasaur to keep Pikachu airborne long enough not to be affected by Voltorb's Self-Destruct," Rotom Dex said as he then gave out a victory pose, "That's what I call looking out for your Pokémon."

"Come on Ash," Serena said to herself hoping for Ash to win.

It was now time for Pikachu to overcome his demons facing Raichu. The good news was that Pikachu didn't have to worry about Voltorb anymore, the bad news was now Bulbasaur wouldn't be there to back him up. Pikachu would give props to Bulbasaur for looking out for him. Like what Lt. Surge said, Bulbasaur was looking out for his comrade Pikachu.

"Good strategy Ketchum, you remember what I said, soldiers look out for their comrades," Surge said now with a smile on his face, "But that little Pikachu isn't going to be a match for my Raichu."

"We'll see about that," Ash told Surge, "Pikachu use Agility!"

Pikachu began to speed up around the gym and started to run around the gym. Raichu had his eye on Pikachu, and that Raichu wasn't going to let Pikachu go around so easily.

"Raichu use Thundershock!" Surge yelled out.

Raichu unleashed a Thundershock at Pikachu, but Pikachu was able to get out of the way with his speed.

"Pikachu use Quick Attack!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu came crashing into Raichu's stomach at blazing speed with a Quick Attack. Raichu was holding his gut in from the impact of Pikachu's Quick Attack, but Raichu wasn't going to take it.

"Alright use Thunder Punch," Surge told Raichu.

"Counter with Iron Tail," Ash responded.

Raichu's fist gained electricity and the Mouse Pokémon was ready to punch out Pikachu, but Pikachu deflected Raichu's Thunder Punch with his own Iron Tail. Pikachu's tail was conducting electricity from the effects of Iron Tail. If anything, it looked like Pikachu gained electricity rather than get hurt.

"Now use that extra electricity and give Raichu an Electro Ball he'll never forget!" Ash called out to Pikachu.

Pikachu jumped out and started to form an electric sphere and threw it down at Raichu. Raichu was too slow to move and got hit by Pikachu's Electro Ball. Wow, despite Raichu being big and powerful, it sure wasn't fast. When the smoke cleared, Raichu was feeling a good amount of pain. Surge couldn't believe how powerful that Electro Ball was.

"Nice job Pikachu," Ash told Pikachu.

"Wow, Pikachu's Electro Ball did a number on Raichu," Serena said looking at Raichu.

"Ash doesn't realize this, and you probably don't either Serena, but Electro Ball tends to be more powerful when the Pokémon has more speed, and Pikachu has pretty high speed," Rotom Dex explained.

Surge was getting angry, Pikachu was starting to become a menace. The other day, Pikachu was being pummeled by Raichu and now here he is trying to be mister big shot. Well Lt. Surge had enough.

"Alright, it ends here," Surge told Ash, "Raichu, full power Thunderbolt, shut it down!"

Raichu gathered a whole lot of electricity and blasted a powerful Thunderbolt all over the gym. Windows started to shatter and Serena and Rotom Dex ducked for cover. Ash was also ducking as electricity was going all over the place. Then Raichu's attack stopped and the Mouse Pokémon was panting.

Raichu was clearly exhausted from using so much electricity against a Pikachu. The smoke cleared, and Surge thought it was over until he saw something he couldn't believe. Pikachu was standing on his tail using it as a ground conductor to not be affected by the attack.

"But…how?" Surge questioned while stuttering.

"Nice thinking Pikachu," Ash called out.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

"I'll show you, Raichu hit it with another Thunderbolt!" Surge screamed.

Raichu was going to send out another Thunderbolt, but Raichu couldn't muster any electricity. Pikachu smirked at the now electric dry Raichu.

"Oh crap," Surge muttered.

"Pikachu, another Quick Attack to the gut," Ash told Pikachu.

Pikachu was closing in on Raichu as he hit him with another Quick Attack in the stomach. Raichu used up a lot of energy and the attack hurt more than the previous one. Raichu fell onto his back and he was unable to get up. Pikachu landed on his feet and gave out the victory pose.

"Unbelievable!" Surge exclaimed in shock.

"Raichu is unable to battle, which means Ash Ketchum has won the match," the man announced with a bit of shock in his voice.

"Pikachu, you did it!" Ash called out as he gave Pikachu a big hug.

Pikachu did it, he beat Raichu. What Calem said was true, Pikachu just needed to find a new sense of strength to battle like he did against his Quilladin. Pikachu was happy to the fact that he beat Raichu without having to evolve. Ash and Serena accepted his wish, they did everything they could to help along with Calem, and today Pikachu was victorious against Lt. Surge's Raichu.

"Pikachu did it, he won," Serena said.

"Looks like Pikachu just overcame a big obstacle, and you guys were there to help him," Rotom Dex kindly said.

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Outside the gym**_

Ash and Lt. Surge shook hands for a great battle. Pikachu truly overcame his fear of Raichu. Though he couldn't win the contest for Serena, he won the gym battle for Ash.

"Well done Ash Ketchum, you had a small soldier come in and take out one of my powerful forces. Like your old man Red Ketchum, you are the real deal," Surge complemented.

"You…know my dad?" Ash asked.

"Well when I heard your last name, I'd figure you be the son of Kanto's former champion, and I guess his genes have rubbed off on you," Surge said.

Ash couldn't believe that he had to hear his father's name again. He still wonders what his father has been up to since he left the Kanto Region four years go.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," Ash said now rubbing the back of his head.

"Well anyway, since you have beaten me fair and square, please accept the Thunder Badge," Surge said handing Ash the Thunder Badge.

Ash looked at the badge and it was an orange octagon with yellow petals coming out like it was some sort of flower. Ash couldn't believe it, but he now had a Thunder Badge in his collection.

"Alright, I got the Thunder Badge!" Ash exclaimed holding out the Thunder Badge in his hand.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed giving a victory pose.

"Congratulations Ash, that's three badges," Serena happily said.

"Thanks Serena, and I feel like I can get those other five badges," Ash said with lots of confidence.

With that, Ash, Serena, and Rotom Dex bid farewell to Lt. Surge. It was an interesting time for Ash and Serena in Vermillion City. Learning more about the sadistic hunter that killed the families of Froakie and Fennekin, Pikachu falling down to the power of Raichu and then rising back up, Serena meeting Calem again and having an official contest battle with him, and Ash getting his third badge.

The only question now for Ash and Serena, where will they be heading next?

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Harbor**_

On the majestic harbor of Vermillion City was none other than the S.S. Anne. The S.S. Anne was one of the biggest luxury cruise ships in the world, and it visit Vermillion once a year. The ship was big and beautiful as many people would imagine. It would be amazing to take a ride on such a ship.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne**_

Inside the captain's cabin, there was a man in a white sailor's uniform wearing a white captain's cap. This man happened to be the captain of the famous S.S. Anne. In his cabin, there were books, a picture of the ship, and a desk to talk about his voyages. He looked out into the night sky admiring the beauty of Vermillion City.

"Vermillion City, it's so nice coming here every year," the captain said to himself as he was looking out the window.

The captain was admiring the night sky when suddenly the door opened. The captain had no idea who could be coming into his quarters. Could it be one of his crew members, or a noble resident of Vermillion City who was given special privilege to board the ship?

When the door opened, it was something the captain did not expect. It was a man with teal hair wearing a black hat, and he wore black with a red R on his uniform. It was the Team Rocket executive Proton. The captain was terrified of the man he was confronted by as he didn't know him, and he had an evil grin on his face.

"Hello captain," Proton said in a menacing tone.

"Who are you?" the captain questioned while stuttering in fear.

"Oh, I'm sorry to scare you like that captain, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Proton, and I work for Team Rocket," Proton said introducing himself, "Team Rocket is a criminal organization that has brought terror to Kanto for many years, hell people tend to call us a terrorist organization."

"What do you want?" the captain asked.

"I came for your ship, we're going to need it for business purposes," Proton told the captain.

The captain has now realized that this man is none other than Proton of Team Rocket. He can already tell by his voice and the fact he broke in that this guy is bad news.

"You're a ship hijacker," the captain said, "I will never give you my ship."

"Yes, you will," Proton said pulling out a knife.

"I will never give into the likes of you," the captain said.

Proton grinned at the captain and then he slit the captain's throat. Proton has killed the captain of the S.S. Anne and now this ship is under Team Rocket's control. This organization was purely evil, and the captain didn't ask for this.

"Sorry captain, but business calls," Proton said turning from the dead body and looking over to Jessie, James, and Meowth, "You three will dump the body into the water at least a couple of miles out, and then we will get prepared for our party."

"Yes sir," the trio responded.

Jessie, James, and Meowth took the corpse and stuffed it into a body bag. They were now going to go out into sea and back to the ship to get rid of the captain's body.

* * *

 **Looks like Team Rocket is now getting prepared to take over the S.S. Anne. Proton hates Jessie, James, and Meowth and he suddenly is letting them be part of the mission? What's up with that?**

 **This chapter was much shorter than the previous chapter, but we got to see Ash get his Thunder Badge. The next destination I have planned for Ash and Serena will be…Celadon City, and they will get to reunite with their moms along with Yellow and Rose and pay a visit to a certain casino. Don't worry, despite what their moms went through previous chapter, I will ensure you that I WILL NOT kill them or give them any permanent damage.**

 **Stayed tuned as coming up will be the S.S. Anne where Ash and Serena will have their next encounter with Team Rocket. Also, a surprise is in store for Serena and Rotom Dex.**

 **Chapter 23: Battles aboard the S.S. Anne**


	24. Battles Aboard the SS Anne

**Here it is, the first part of the S.S. Anne Arc. Change of plans, the chapter was originally called Shipwrecked Part 1, and this was supposed to be the chapter where Team Rocket attacks along with Serena getting something, and another feature of Rotom Dex. That will unfortunately be put off to the next chapter.**

 **I decided to make a little fun chapter for Ash and Serena, and I did put in some hints of Amourshipping in this chapter.**

 **Ash and Serena have not gotten their next destination set, but they will end up in Celadon City next. Enjoy the chapter, and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Vermillion City-Harbor**_

Ash and Serena were walking along the Vermillion Harbor just to have some fun. They were admiring the ships that were docked at the harbor. There were some pretty big cruise liners that they would love to go on, but Ash and Serena didn't have the money and they weren't going to call their moms to give them money for a cruise. No, Ash and Serena were going to Pokémon Gyms and Contest Halls, so they can get badges and ribbons.

Speaking of badges and ribbons, Ash already has three out of eight badges, but Serena remains at just one out of five ribbons. The two were going to just enjoy a walk along the harbor before finding out where they were going to go next. According to Rotom Dex's map, the closest city with a gym happens to be Saffron City which is up north, but they have no word if there will be a Pokémon Contest held there. Saffron City did have a Contest Hall, but it wasn't known if the next Pokémon Contest would be there. Serena would find out once they left.

For right now, they just wanted to walk around the harbor looking at the ships. For these two being alone on a beautiful harbor (even though there were other tourists around) it almost felt like a romantic walk for the two, except for the fact that Pikachu and Rotom Dex were present. Ash and Serena would love for that to be the case one day, but for right now they were still in the friend zone. They've known each other for over three years and still haven't found the courage to tell each other. Right now, they wanted to just enjoy the scenery.

"The harbor sure is beautiful isn't it?" Ash asked.

"It sure is," Serena answered.

"Wouldn't it be great if we got to go on a cruise," Ash said.

"Yeah, but we don't have the money and these cruises can be really expensive," Serena muttered.

Ash could imagine him on a cruise ship with Serena, as the ship was sailing, he would hold Serena up in his arms with the wind blowing at her like she was the queen of the world. Serena on the other hand could imagine being out on the ship deck where she and Ash would slow dance with each other and the moonlight would shine on them, and then she lean in for a kiss.

Both of them could imagine the romantic setting for their perfect cruise, but in reality, they didn't have the money to afford it.

"Sometimes it sucks to be in reality," Ash muttered and then sighed.

Then all of a sudden, two ganguro girls approached Ash and Serena shooting out confetti and streamers. The two girls seemed familiar, but Ash and Serena looked like they never seen them before.

"Congratulations! You two are very lucky because you can go on a super deluxe sea cruise!" the girls told them holding out tickets.

What was happening, did Ash and Serena win some sort of contest? Right now, these two girls were about to hand out cruise tickets.

"What contest did we win?" Rotom Dex asked in confusion.

"None, it's just like we have these incredible super cool tickets for you," one of the girls said.

"Cool!" the other girl said in a creepy admiring tone.

"These are tickets for the big Pokémon trainer party on the S.S. Anne cruise liner!" the girl said presenting the tickets.

"Cool!" the other girl said again in a creepy admiring tone.

"Are you talking about the world-famous S.S. Anne?" Ash asked.

"And another question, what contest did we win?" Rotom Dex asked.

"The coolest ship on the sea, and everyone is going to be together for the coolest party ever!" the girl exclaimed.

"Cool!" the other girl said once more in a creepy admiring tone.

"And this party is for Pokémon trainers only," the girl told Ash and Serena.

"Cool!" the other girl again said with the creepy admiring tone.

"Does that include Pokémon coordinators as well?" Serena asked.

"Pokémon coordinators too!" the girl answered, "So step this way, it will be a radical party and the most radical Pokémon trainers will be there!"

These girls were pretty energetic about giving them S.S. Anne tickets, and they almost felt like they were starting to kill trends, like saying the word radical.

"Ash, Serena, do people say radical anymore? And what contest did we win?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"Okay dude and dudette, here are your tickets!" the girl said ready to give Ash and Serena the tickets.

"We'd love to go on the Pokémon trainer cruise, but we don't have the money to pay for it," Ash said.

"Oh, whoa, like you don't understand," the girl told them.

"Cool!" the other girl once again said in a creepy admiring tone.

"They're totally free!" the girl exclaimed.

"Huh," Ash and Serena said in union.

"Totally free, to-ta-lly free," the girl said trying to get them to understand that these tickets were free.

"So, they really are for free?" Serena happily asked with sparkles in her eyes.

"Why are you giving them away?" Rotom Dex asked, "And what contest did we win?"

"Like we have to go out with our boyfriends, but we wanted to give our tickets to cool Pokémon fans," the girl answered.

"Cool!" the other girl said in a creepy admiring tone.

"We saw you and thought you looked really cool and cute together and loved Pokémon," the girl explained, "Just take these have a really cool time."

It was amazing to Ash and Serena that the girls who were going to give them their tickets called them cute. Ash and Serena blushed at the comment that the girl just gave them. Those two knew they couldn't hold it in forever. The truth is, people would think that those two would make a great couple.

"Thanks a lot," Ash said after he snapped back into reality and took the tickets.

"No sweat," the girl replied.

"Cool!" the other girl again said in a creepy admiring tone.

"Have a nice day, for sure," the girl said.

Then after giving them the tickets, the two girls sprinted off like they were playfully running. So, it was for real, Ash and Serena have just gotten tickets for the S.S. Anne and were going to be given the opportunity to enjoy a cruise with Pokémon trainers all over the world.

"This is really cool Serena," Ash said adding the tone of the other ganguro girl, "We get to enjoy a cruise after all!"

"I can't wait!" Serena exclaimed in happiness.

" _I wonder, if there is a beautiful sunset and the weather is nice, it would be the perfect setting to tell Serena that I've had a crush on her for some time," Ash said in his thoughts._

" _I can just imagine, the beautiful sea, the Pokémon we could be seeing in the water, and if the weather is perfect, then I could have my golden moment with Ash Ketchum," Serena said being lost in thoughts._

Ash and Serena thought that maybe this cruise would bring them closer. After all deluxe sea cruises can be romantic, and plenty of couples have enjoyed sailing all over the world in a cruise liner. While Ash and Serena could mingle with plenty of Pokémon trainers to know about their travels and all of the Pokémon they have gotten, could they have their romantic moment and come even closer?

"Seriously, what contest did we win?" Rotom Dex questioned.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

Ash and Serena were now on foot looking for the S.S. Anne. There were plenty of ships but weren't sure which one was the S.S. Anne. As they continued to look around, a sailor who was working on the docks pointed the S.S. Anne out to Ash and Serena. Needless to say, that the two were happy to finally find the ship.

"So that must be the S.S. Anne," Ash said happily looking at the majestic ship.

"Well what are you waiting for, lets get onboard," Serena told Ash.

Ash and Serena made their way to the S.S. Anne, but the two were not aware of the fact that those ganguro girls who gave them the tickets were on the ship. Didn't they say they were going out with their boyfriends?

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Captain's Cabin**_

Inside the cabin was Proton who was now wearing a captain's uniform. Proton killed the ship's captain and had the trio dispose of the body in the open water. With that Proton was now impersonating the ship's captain, and he sat on his chair awaiting for the mission to go along. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Proton said.

Opening the door were the two ganguro girls but wait there was a Meowth with them. Proton was disgusted to see the two girls because he knew that they were wearing a disguise. They were actually Jessie and James.

"What the hell do you want?" Proton questioned.

"We just wanted to let you know that we have handed off all the tickets to the S.S. Anne," Jessie said.

"And we were like the coolest girls ever," James said still acting like one of those cool girls.

Proton walked up to James and immediately left hooked him in the jaw and then kicked him in his crotch after he fell.

"You are a fucking embarrassment for acting like an ignoramus!" Proton growled, "Now take those damn clothes off, I'm going to be contacting Giovanni!"

James was weak to get up after yet another beating from Proton so Jessie and Meowth helped him up. The trio changed out of their disguises and back into their original uniforms. After the trio changed, Proton took them to the TV where they were going to use it to have a video contact with their boss.

"Come in Giovanni," Proton said to the TV.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket HQ**_

Giovanni was eating some Chinese take out at his desk while his Persian was eating her food. He was awaiting Ariana to return from Celadon City after hearing the plot to kill Ash's and Serena's mothers imploded in front of their faces in the most disgusting way possible.

Then he got a message that was coming from Vermillion City, and the boss rocket presumed that it was Proton. Giovanni answered the call and before he knew it, Proton appeared on the screen with Jessie, James, and Meowth behind them. Giovanni proved to be pissed when he saw those two.

"Proton, so nice of you to call," Giovanni said in an appraising tone.

"Yes sir, I just want to let you know that the mission is underway," Proton told his boss.

As Giovanni looked rather pleased on screen, he clearly was hiding the fact that he was angry that Jessie, James, and Meowth were with him. Giovanni did not like the fact that those two were taking part in the mission, but at the same time why were they with Proton? Didn't Giovanni know Proton hates them?

"What are those three failures doing with you? Did you invite them?" Giovanni questioned.

"Yes, I did sir," Proton confirmed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SMOKING PROTON?" Giovanni screamed as he slammed his fist onto his desk causing Persian to hiss, "These two fuck ups messed up the assassination plot back in Celadon City, and you're letting them work with you!"

"Sir," Proton responded.

"You listen, the fact that you have them near any mission is considered a major citation. I don't even know why they're still here when they clearly keep screwing up," Giovanni said clenching his fist, "It has now given me thoughts of possibly demoting you."

Jessie, James, and Meowth seemed thrilled that the boss was pissed off at Proton, maybe he was getting what was coming to him. Nah, it was because they were onboard the ship behind him which was bringing more torture to the three rockets.

"Giovanni listen, I told them depending on how they handled that assignment was going to determine if they were going to be part of this mission," Proton explained.

"And they screwed up," Giovanni informed.

"They screwed up because they decided to not put the poison in the food, but to go their own way of cleverly undercooking the food which only resulted in…you don't want to know about it," Proton explained.

Giovanni seemed to be calming down a little after hearing Proton's explanation. Though he was still pissed off at the executive for letting those two onboard the ship.

"Listen here Giovanni, Jessie, James, and Meowth are going to serve this mission as emotionless robots meaning they only do what I tell them to do. Every single world they will follow. They will not think of anything themselves, they will not come up with any strategies of their own, and most importantly I will be monitoring their every movement," Proton told Giovanni.

"Emotionless robots?" Meowth questioned.

"Meaning you don't think for yourselves, you only follow my orders and we won't have any problems!" Proton screamed at the trio and then calmed down and turned back to the boss, "Don't worry, I got them under control."

"Alright Proton, I'll spare you any harm. Besides I like you, I just don't like them," Giovanni said.

"I hate them more," Proton replied.

Giovanni has told Proton in front of Jessie, James, and Meowth that he doesn't like them. Maybe it was due to their constant failing. How the hell did they get admin rankings is barbaric to them.

"Now lets to business, have you issued all the tickets for the S.S. Anne?" Giovanni asked.

"Yes sir!" all four responded giving a salute.

"Alright now Proton has everything set up. We host a party for Pokémon trainers only and give them some fun activities while they're at it like maybe some Pokémon battles and other stuff. The ship will set out and once it's at least 10 miles out, our men who snuck onto the ship will come out and steal their Pokémon. Once the Pokémon have been taken, a group of choppers will arrive which will allow you to escape with the Pokémon which we will take back to the casino in Celadon City," Giovanni explained.

"There's more to this Giovanni, our scientists have constructed a bomb that will be placed on the engine that will blow up the structure of the ship that keeps it afloat and plunge it to the bottom of the ocean once we have escaped with the Pokémon. So, while we take the Pokémon back to the casino for more money in our revenue, the passengers on the ship will plunge to their watery graves," Proton explained with an evil smirk on his face.

"Good thinking Proton," Giovanni praised, "Since those Pokémon will belong to us, there is no point in having those trainers around anymore."

The plan for the S.S. Anne wasn't just a criminal action to take Pokémon for a profit at their casino and hotel, but also a terrorist plot to kill passengers aboard. Team Rocket's plan were sadistic that they don't even care about the life of a person or a Pokémon, they just want to have the job done for their own needs.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your posts. Don't let those three mess anything up," Giovanni told Proton.

"You have my word, as I said, they will follow my orders," Proton said glaring at the trio.

"Excellent, good day," Giovanni said as he signed off from Proton and looked over to Persian.

Then someone came into the office, it was Ariana.

"Hey there, I just returned from Celadon City," Ariana told her husband, "Archer is now in charge of the casino for the time being."

"I've heard everything that happened there," Giovanni said, "Proton has brought those bumbling fools onto the S.S. Anne."

"He told me in person that he was going to do that," Ariana responded.

"Why did you let him without consulting me?" Giovanni questioned.

"It confuses me too Giovanni, but I'm sure Proton has got something up his sleeve," Ariana answered.

Then, Giovanni stood up from his desk and walked up to his wife. He gave an angry glare and then proceeded to slap her in the face. Domestic assault, that was a heinous crime, but it doesn't matter, Giovanni is the man of horrible crimes.

"You let Proton take those three onto the S.S. Anne, and you didn't even bother to protest! Those three screw every fucking thing up! I was even threating to demote our most prized executive!" Giovanni roared.

"It didn't cross my mind," Ariana ranted.

"Get your head into the business, if you keep letting dumbasses do whatever they want then we're screwed!" Giovanni screamed.

Ariana had no response. Despite being an evil woman, sometimes Giovanni gets on her nerve with his anger. Even though Giovanni was her husband, the only romantic thing they ever seem to do was have sex. Other than that, it was just business of causing chaos in Kanto. They never seem to truly work together which has caused Ariana to have a secret affair with Archer. Right now, the only thing that mattered was running Team Rocket.

"I'll take more serious actions," Ariana said as she walked out.

Giovanni was fuming, and Persian was hissing, but the two eventually calmed down. Ariana rubbed her face angrily after her husband hit her. She wonders what could've happened to him that made her lose interest in him and caused her to cheat on him.

"This is why I love to spend time with Archer," Ariana muttered.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Captain's Cabin**_

"Um Proton," Jessie asked nervously, "I thought we only tried to kill those who get in the way or refuse to give in to us."

"We are a terrorist organization, remember," Proton questioned.

"I know but do these ship passengers have to die because we want their Pokémon," James asked.

"Absolutely, it's their dumb decision to come onto a ship where they have no idea a bomb is placed," Proton answered.

Jessie, James, and Meowth didn't like what Proton said. Sure, they were Team Rocket's greatest fuck ups of all time, and Cassidy and Butch are given the better luxuries, but they thought they should only kill people when they get in the way. Somewhere deep down, the trio knew that Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose did not deserve what they got. The three ladies were just their moms and Yellow and Rose were just innocent bystanders. Speaking of the moms, they just remembered something.

"Oh yeah, we never got to tell you this Proton. Guess who we just gave S.S. Anne tickets too," Jessie said trying to get her mind back in order.

"Who?" Proton asked.

"The twerps!" James answered.

"The twerps?" Proton questioned.

"They're talking about those Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena kids," Meowth confirmed.

Proton grew a big smirk on his face when he heard those names. Those two kids have been a thorn in Team Rocket's plans since they first interfered at the Viridian City Pokémon Center, and now they found out they're on the cruise liner.

"So, frog boy and fox girl are here," Proton said remembering Froakie and Fennekin, "Thank you for warning me about those two."

"You're welcome Proton and go Team Proton!" James exclaimed.

"It's Team Rocket, and we'll make sure they get their S.S. Anne experience, along with the rest of the trainers," Proton said with a smirk on his face.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne**_

Ash and Serena followed by Pikachu and Rotom Dex showed the man their tickets and were given access to the S.S. Anne. As the two Pokémon trainers walked in, they were amazed by what they saw inside.

They were in a giant room that looked fancy and there were a whole lot of people inside. Ash and Serena assumed that they were all Pokémon trainers, after all the ship was hosting a party for Pokémon trainers only.

"So, this must be the party is, look at all those people," Ash said in amazement.

"I know, and all of them have so many unique Pokémon," Serena said clasping her hands looking at all the trainers.

The people were showing off so many Pokémon they had, and they were even able to locate Pokémon that you couldn't find in Kanto. Some of the Pokémon were from Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola. Hell, Ash and Serena are traveling through Kanto and their first Pokémon were Kalos natives, so they could mistake them for being from Kalos.

"This has got to be amazing," Rotom Dex said, "So many different Pokémon I can scan."

"Well then Rotom Dex, let's mingle with these party goers," Ash said.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

For the past half-hour, Ash and Serena ended up meeting some of the trainers who were on the ship and showed off some of their Pokémon, especially Froakie and Fennekin since it was a great treat to see a Kalos Pokémon in Kanto. Rotom Dex took the time to get data from those Pokémon, especially since they were out of Kanto. The ship began to set sail, so the trainers could enjoy the sea life, and after meeting with some of the trainers, Ash and Serena hit the buffet.

Ash got himself a big plate of food for himself while Serena had a moderate amount. Pikachu got some of the buffet food, but not without his bottle of ketchup. If anyone comes across Pikachu and his bottle of ketchup, you'll go straight to hell. Ash was eating like there was no tomorrow while Serena paced herself with her dish.

"Ash show some table manners," Serena told Ash.

"What, I'm hungry," Ash responded with his mouth full.

Pikachu was happily enjoying the food he got on his plate along with his bottle of ketchup. Rotom Dex was floating over to look at the delicious food but wasn't able to eat though. Pikachu turned around and saw Rotom Dex and gave an angry look.

"Pi pi!" Pikachu angrily said holding his ketchup bottle.

"I was just looking that's all," Rotom Dex replied.

Pikachu knows better that no one comes between him and his beloved ketchup.

"Attention trainers, we want to welcome you to our Pokémon trainers only party as this cruise is now out on the water. Get your Pokémon ready, if anyone is up to take part in a battle tournament come on over to the center of the party room," the voice on the intercom said.

"Did you hear that Serena, a battle tournament!" Ash said in excitement, "Are you up for it?"

"If you're going to participate, then I'm in too," Serena replied.

"Great, let's go," Ash said as he got up and ran over to the center of the room along with Serena.

When they arrived at the center of the room, they could see that there were a bunch of trainers there willing to battle. These were trainers from all over the world so who knows what kind of Pokémon they could have. Then there were staff members who were coming towards the trainers, but no one knew that these were rockets in disguise as Team Rocket was secretly running the S.S. Anne.

While Ash and Serena could not only use tournament to have some fun, but it can be a great workout for their next gym battle and contest.

"Okay listen up, you will all draw a number and that number will tell you where you will be in the tournament. Every battle is going to be a one on one sudden death match, and if we have a draw or tie, both opposing trainers will be out," the staff member explained, "Please draw a number which will range from 1 to 64, and for the love of Arceus, no trading!"

With that, all of the trainers lined up with Ash and Serena being in the line. Ash and Serena each had five Pokémon, but Ash decided to let Serena use Pikachu since all five of Ash's Pokémon can battle and Serena only has three of five that can actually battle, unless she was willing to have Magikarp or Abra come in which was unlikely. As the line moved, Ash came up and drew his number.

"I got lucky number 7," Ash said showing Serena her number, "This has to be my lucky day."

"That's great, let's see what number I'm going to get," Serena said as she pulled her number out, "I got a 4."

Ash and Serena looked at the numbers and the brackets which meant Serena would get the second match while Ash got the fourth match. Rotom Dex looked at the numbers that Ash and Serena drew and where they were placed.

"Judging by your tournament placements, if you two were to win your first two matches, then you might end up facing each other!" Rotom Dex squealed with excitement.

"Yeah, it actually would be pretty cool if me and Serena went up against each other," Ash said looking at Serena.

The two have been traveling together for some time, and they have had some training sessions together, but an actual Pokémon battle against each other would be amazing. Then one of the rockets in disguise contacted Proton on their radio.

"Proton, this is rocket agent Darnell, we've set up a little tournament, so we can see how good these Pokémon are, so we can measure their values and get a good price on them," Darnell spoke on the radio, "And I also want to let you know that our two prime targets are going to participate so maybe we can get some scouting reports on them."

"Excellent work let's see what their Pokémon could be worth, and we can give them a high price," Proton said on the other end of the radio.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later**_

After the first match took place, Serena's match was next. She approached the battlefield where she was going to have her battle. Serena took out a Pokeball and decided to go with Squirtle no matter what the other trainer was going to come and give. Then came a man with a shaved head wearing a white shirt, black pants, and black shoes.

"Let's go Serena!" Ash cheered.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

Serena smiled at the scene where Ash was cheering her on. This was going to be a fun battle between this man she was going to face, and maybe a good way to prepare for her next contest.

"Sean versus Serena, ready go!" the announcer announced.

"Go Squirtle!" Serena yelled out sending out Squirtle.

"Let's go Pinsir!" Sean yelled out sending out his Pokémon.

Coming out of the Pokeball was a big brown stag beetle who's teeth were horizontal and had two white horns on its head with spikes. So, this had to be a Pinsir. Rotom Dex began to analyze the Pokémon in front of Serena.

 _#127-Pinsir: Stag Beetle Pokémon_

 _Although it's tough, it can't handle cold well. When night falls, it buries itself in leafage and sleeps._

Pinsir sure did look like a fighter. His appearance was imitating, but only the battle would tell how strong the Stag Beetle Pokémon really is. While Serena looks ready to battle, Squirtle looks more like he is ready to cuddle.

"Squirtle, what are you doing?" Serena asked as Squirtle was laying his head on her leg.

"Squirtle," Squirtle admired.

"Squirtle, you got to get in there and battle," Serena told Squirtle as she pushed Squirtle onto the battlefield.

Squirtle didn't like it one bit that Serena had to push him into the battlefield like that. He wanted to be with Serena cuddling her, but he had to battle instead. Then again, if Squirtle wants to please Serena, then he has to win this battle.

Squirtle was feeling nervous, because aside from helping Serena with her appeal round in the Vermillion City Contest, Squirtle hasn't had a battle yet. This was actually Squirtle's first battle since his trainer cut him loose, and he still remembers why his now ex-trainer released him. It was because he was weak. He didn't seem weak, and Serena didn't care about his strength. Squirtle refused to fail Serena in this battle.

"Alright Squirtle use Tackle!" Serena called out.

Squirtle was charging at Pinsir with a Tackle attack.

"Pinsir use Vice Grip!" Sean yelled out.

Pinsir was prepared to take in Squirtle with Vice Grip and he did. Squirtle was trapped inside the pincers of Pinsir.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried.

"Hang in there Squirtle," Serena told Squirtle.

"Alright Pinsir, crush that Squirtle," Sean told Pinsir.

Pinsir had Squirtle in his pincers and he began to strengthen the grip he had on the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Squirtle was struggling to move, and he wanted to do what he can to help Serena. Serena took her time to think, and then she thought of something. Squirtle wanted to impress Serena so much he actually learned some new moves but didn't use them in his appeal round in the contest.

"Squirtle I got an idea, use Withdraw and then Iron Defense!" Serena called out.

Squirtle heard Serena and then started to go into his shell and then his shell showed a glowing shine which had to be Squirtle's Iron Defense. As Pinsir was trying to crunch Squirtle with Vice Grip, the spikes on his pincers broke which shocked the Stag Beetle Pokémon.

"Stay in your shell and use Rapid Spin along with Aqua Tail!" Serena called out.

Squirtle began to spin around grinding the pincers more and used Aqua Tail along to completely break free and hop up in the air. This was not only a great strategy to break free, but also to make a good showoff in a Pokémon Contest battle.

"Hurry and use X-Scissor!" Sean retorted.

"I don't think so, Squirtle use Aqua Tail followed by Bubble!" Serena called out.

Pinsir used X-Scissor directing it towards Squirtle, but Squirtle broke it up with his Aqua Tail attack and then unleashed a flurry of bubbles at Pinsir. The Stag Beetle Pokémon was being pelted and then he fell down slumping in defeat.

"Pinsir is unable to battle, Squirtle is the winner! Serena will move on to the next round," the announcer announced.

"Squirtle, Squirtle!" Squirtle chirped as he happily jumped up and down.

"Good job Squirtle," Serena commented.

Squirtle ran up to Serena and gave her a really tight hug. Serena felt like she her ribs were going to be crushed as Squirtle's hug felt really tight.

"Squirtle, you're crushing me," Serena quietly shrieked.

"Something tells me that Squirtle will eventually be the death of her," Rotom Dex said.

"Serena does need to work on Squirtle's affection, I know he cares about her but like we said, it could get creepy," Ash muttered to himself.

* * *

 _ **One match later**_

After the third match, it was Ash's turn. Ash was facing a man with black hair wearing a green uniform. Ash was pumped about his battle, especially after Serena won. Serena was standing on the side with Pikachu and Rotom Dex ready to cheer Ash on.

"Ash versus Yaso begin!" the announcer announced.

"Charmander I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Charmander.

"Go Scyther!" Yaso yelled out bringing out his Pokémon.

Coming out of Yaso's Pokeball was a green mantis with razor sword like blades. It was a Scyther and Rotom Dex did an analysis on Scyther.

 _#123-Scyther: Mantis Pokémon_

 _Its two sharp scythes are more than just weapons. It uses them with dexterity to dress its prey before eating._

Scyther was a bug-type Pokémon and Charmander was a fire-type Pokémon so Ash was pleased that he had a type advantage against his opponent, but he does have to remember that just because he has a type advantage doesn't mean he is guaranteed the win.

"Charmander use Slash!" Ash called out.

"Counter with your own Slash!" Yaso called out.

Charmander and Scyther were coming in at each other with their respective Slash attacks. Both Charmander and Scyther had their attacks connected and they were trying to grind it out.

"Flamethrower," Ash told Charmander.

Charmander quickly opened his mouth and unleashed a Flamethrower right in Scyther's face. Scyther's face was burned and the Mantis Pokémon covered his face from the pain of the burns.

"Now use Dragon Rage," Ash told Charmander.

Charmander unleashed a Dragon Rage attack right at Scyther, and he barely saw it coming as Scyther had to shield his face due to the burns. Scyther was hit and then he was knocked out.

"Scyther is unable to battle, the winner is Charmander!" the announcer announced.

"Awesome work Charmander," Ash said giving Charmander a thumbs up.

"Char char," Charmander replied giving a thumbs up of his own.

Serena was happy for the fact that Ash won. The two of them got through their first matches with ease with Ash showing his battling skills with Charmander and Serena got to dazzle with her contest skills with Squirtle.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Engine Room**_

Down in the engine room, there were a group of rockets who were setting the bomb up on the engine. The bomb wasn't powerful enough to completely blow the ship to smithereens, but it was powerful enough to disrupt the structure as they needed to give themselves time to escape if it was detonated.

"Come in Proton, come in Proton," one of the rocket grunts reported on a transmission device.

"This is Proton, status report," Proton responded on the other end.

"We just wanted to let you know that the bomb is now in place," said the rocket grunt.

"Excellent work, report back to the main room as we prepare for our attack," Proton responded.

"Yes sir!" the rocket grunt responded.

The rockets left the engine room only to leave behind a small device which happened to be a bomb. This bomb will be set to go off after Team Rocket gets all the Pokémon.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Captain's Cabin**_

Proton got off his transmission device and pulled out a cigarette. He lit the lighter and started to smoke the cigarette as this is what most of the rockets tend to do. After he finished smoking, he contacted Jessie and James who were down in the main room with the Pokémon trainers acting as servants.

"Jessie, James, Meowth, come in," Proton said calling the trio on his transmission device.

"Jessie, James, and Meowth reporting for duty," Jessie called onto the transmission device on the other end.

"Alright you three bumbling bastards listen up our men have just placed the bomb inside the engine room. Continue your charade as ship staff members until we get further out into the water, and when we do that's when we strike," Proton told them on the radio.

"Alright, we'll be ready," Jessie said with a tint of fear.

"Good, now remember you do exactly what I say," Proton sternly told them, "Proton out."

Proton shut off his transmission device and all he needed to do was to wait for the ship to get further out into the water. Proton had a devious smirk on his face as he knew that the plan was going smoothly and that he had the trio under control.

"Just a few more hours," Proton said looking out into the water beginning to light another cigarette.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Party Room**_

More battles in the tournament took place, and tough luck for Ash and Serena as most of the out of region Pokémon were in the battles, they weren't in. Rotom Dex was able to scan those Pokémon but would likely scan them in the near future just to be safe. As for Ash and Serena, they were able to win their second battles. Ash and Butterfree were able to defeat a trainer and his Raticate while Serena and Beedrill were able to defeat a trainer and her Nidorino.

Their victories actually caused something they should've expected to happen. Ash and Serena's next matches were going to be against each other. The two traveling Pokémon trainers couldn't believe it. They were going to be going up against each other.

"Well what do you know Serena, it looks like we're going to be facing each other next," Ash said in amazement.

"I know, I'm actually looking forward to it," Serena happily commented.

"This is going to be exciting! My circuits are buzzing to the fact that you two are going to be facing each other!" Rotom Dex exclaimed dancing around, "I know that you two are going to do great!"

Ash and Serena were actually excited that they were going to be facing each other. After watching each other's battles and contests, it's going to be a great experience that the two trainers from Pallet Town were going to be going up against each other. With Ash having three badges, and Serena having one ribbon (and two if time didn't run out in the Vermillion Contest) this was going to be a great experience for the two.

"Hey Ash, why don't we use our starters against each other," Serena suggested.

"You mean, Froakie and Fennekin?" Ash questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's a good way to see how far we've come and how far they've come since we began our journey," Serena explained.

"That sounds awesome," Ash said, "But you do realize I'm going to have a type advantage since Froakie is a water-type and Fennekin is a fire-type."

"I'm fine with that, and besides, great trainers and coordinators have to overcome type advantages," Serena explained.

"Heh, you got that right," Ash said rubbing the back of his head, "I'm ready when you are."

The only downside for Ash and Serena was that it would be a ship staff member officiating the battle and not Rotom Dex.

* * *

 _ **Time of Ash & Serena's match**_

Ash was standing on one side of the battlefield while Serena was on the other side with Pikachu and Rotom Dex watching on the side with the rest of the spectators. Ash got out his blue Pokeball while Serena got out her red Pokeball.

"Serena versus Ash begin!" the announcer announced.

"Froakie I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Froakie.

"Let's go Fennekin!" Serena yelled out sending out Fennekin.

Froakie and Fennekin came out of their Pokeballs ready for battle. The two were feeling awkward to the fact that they were going to be going up against each other. They've had plenty of battles, but this was going to be their first battle against each other.

"Froakie?" Froakie questioned looking at Fennekin and Serena on the other side and turning back to Ash.

"Fennekin?" Fennekin questioned doing the same turning to Serena.

"Froakie, I know it feels strange going up against Fennekin, but we're just having fun. It's also a good way to see how far you've come," Ash told Froakie.

"Same here Fennekin, I like to see how well you've done since you joined us," Serena told Fennekin.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded.

After hearing out from Ash and Serena, Froakie and Fennekin agreed to battle each other. Though they have been friends for the past three years since being hatched, this was a great way to see how much they've grown since joining Ash and Serena.

"Froakie use Bubble!" Ash yelled out.

"Fennekin, jump on the bubbles and use Ember!" Serena called out.

Froakie unleashed a flurry of bubbles, however Fennekin was able to hop on the bubbles one by one. After properly navigating on the bubbles, Fennekin saw Froakie in her eyes and fired an Ember attack at the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Froakie was pelted by Fennekin's Ember attack and he was knocked back.

"Alright Froakie, use Smokescreen followed by Quick Attack!" Ash hollered.

Froakie sent out a smoke that covered the battlefield, and Fennekin wasn't able to see anything. Then Froakie spotted Fennekin and came at her with a Quick Attack which sent the Fox Pokémon back a bit.

"Fennekin, send out a Fire Spin all around the battlefield," Serena told Fennekin.

Fennekin sent out a Fire Spin that covered the battlefield and Froakie was engulfed. Despite being a water-type, Froakie was taking some good damage. Despite trying to win against Fennekin, Froakie was also happy for her as he knew how much stronger she has gotten. However, he had a battle to finish.

"Froakie use Water Pulse!" Ash yelled out.

As soon as the Fire Spin died out which did clear the smoke some, Froakie spotted Fennekin and tried to strike her with a Water Pulse attack, but Fennekin hopped out of the way.

"Flame Charge!" Serena retorted.

Fennekin engulfed herself in flames and at lightning speed hit Froakie. Froakie was knocked down and fell on his back, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon jumped back up and looked at Fennekin with determination.

"Froakie use Double Team!" Ash yelled out as Froakie made copies of himself.

"Hit the real one with Flamethrower!" Serena retorted.

Fennekin fired a Flamethrower all across the room trying to hit the real Froakie, but out of her luck all of them were copies as the real Froakie was closing in.

"Use Lick!" Ash hollered.

Froakie brought his tongue out and licked Fennekin on the cheek knocking her on her side. While that was a bit of a stingy Lick that Froakie used, Fennekin also found it quite…romantic. Wait, what was she doing? Was Fennekin imagining Froakie kissing her?

Without hesitation, Fennekin was quick to get back up and Froakie was right at her face. This was the chance for a close-range attack for both Pokémon.

"Froakie use Ice Beam!" Ash hollered.

"Fennekin use Psybeam!" Serena hollered.

Froakie powered up an Ice Beam attack while Fennekin powered up a Psybeam attack. Both Pokémon fired their attacks at each other which created an explosion that both Pokémon were caught in. As soon as the smoke cleared, it was shown that both Pokémon were still standing, but were tired as well.

Froakie was breathing heavily after taking that Psybeam attack, and despite being a fire-type Pokémon making herself strong to ice attacks, Fennekin took her toll in damage as well as she was panting. Fennekin was also pleased with Froakie's power with how much he has improved since they began traveling through Kanto.

Then after a few seconds, the two Pokémon smiled at each other and fell right on their backs being unable to get up. This was a double knockout.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle meaning this match is a draw and both trainers are out!" the announcer announced.

So, the tournament was over for both of the Pallet Town trainers. Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena just had their first Pokémon battle against each other and it ends in a draw. It was a great experience for both Pokémon trainers as they went up to their Pokémon and gave them a soothing hug.

"Hey Froakie, you did great," Ash complemented.

"Froakie," Froakie responded.

"Good job Fennekin, you've come a long way since we became a team," Serena complemented.

"Fennekin," Fennekin responded.

"Froakie and Fennekin put up a good fight, it shows how great Ash and Serena have been since they've began their journey," Rotom Dex said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

After the comforting scene, Ash and Serena took Froakie and Fennekin and got off the battlefield so the other trainers could have their battles. Despite the two having different goals, Ash and Serena have proven to be equals thus far. Elsewhere on the ship, there were two familiar faces who were disguised as waiters who saw the battle, and they had a Meowth with them.

"I hope Proton has a plan for us on how to handle those twerps," James muttered.

"Don't worry James, Proton should have everything planned out," Meowth whispered.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Dock**_

About an hour has passed since they had their battles, and the two decided to just enjoy the nice scenery of the sea. They had their Pokémon out and got themselves some complementary drinks. Ash had a strawberry smoothie with whip cream and a strawberry while Serena had an orange mango juice with an orange slice in the cup. Their Pokémon were out and were enjoying the scene of the ship.

Along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex, Ash had Pidgeotto and Butterfree hovering the skies while Bulbasaur and Charmander were leaning on the railing. Serena had Beedrill hovering along with Ash's flying types while Magikarp sadly just bounced around and Abra looked out into the sea with Squirtle looking at Serena, but angry that Ash was near him. Froakie and Fennekin were with each other after the battle, and they talked about how fun it was to have a battle against each other. Then the two saw something that caught their attention and it was beautiful.

"Serena, look," Ash said pointing out to what he saw.

There were a group of blue creatures that looked like loch ness monsters. They had purple shells on their back making it look like they can carry a human around. They were beautiful and gave a majestic cry.

"What are they?" Serena asked with awe.

"Let me check," Rotom Dex replied doing an analysis.

 _#131-Lapras: Transport Pokémon_

 _They've been so cherished that there's now an overabundance. The fish Pokémon population has declined in waters with too many Lapras._

They were Lapras. The herd that was swimming across the water in the sunset were beautiful, and Ash and Serena couldn't help but be amazed. All the Pokémon were able to witness the Lapras, and with the help of Bulbasaur and Charmander, they made sure even Magikarp got a look at them. Magikarp couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she herself were to swim across those waters.

"Lapras, they're beautiful," Serena said looking at the Lapras.

"They really are," Ash said turning over looking at Serena who's hair was blowing in the wind, "And it's more amazing that we get to watch this together."

Ash was amazed by the sight of the Lapras and watching with Serena made things even better. As they took small sips out of their drinks and looked over at the Lapras, Ash couldn't help but wonder if he were to ever get a Lapras. Maybe he could ride one across the ocean with Serena on her side, just the two of them out in the beautiful water.

Froakie and Fennekin couldn't help but be amazed by the sights of the Lapras. It really was a beautiful sight to see. Despite all the hard times they would go through like Siegfried, the Spearow, and Team Rocket, the two Pokémon would remember that there would be good times as well.

"Froakie Froakie," Froakie said to Fennekin with admiration in his eyes.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily said responding about seeing the Lapras with admiration in her eyes too.

After the sight of the Lapras were gone, Serena seemed to be lost in a trance. Hearing Ash saying that it was amazing to see the Lapras together made Serena feel like he wouldn't be enjoying this Pokémon journey without her. It didn't matter to her if she were a coordinator or not, just being with Ash was the best thing for her on this journey.

Rotom Dex was so amazed that he was able to take a picture of the Lapras with his camera feature, and then he looked over to the two Pokémon trainers and their Pokémon.

"Hey guys, as long as were out here why don't I take pictures of you, so we can share the great memories of our journey," Rotom Dex suggested.

"You can take pictures?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, I think I mentioned that," Rotom Dex responded, "Alright, let's get some pictures taken."

With that, Ash and Serena along with all of their Pokémon gathered around a bench where Ash and Serena sat down still holding their drinks. Squirtle was hugging Serena's leg while the other Pokémon were coming in place, and Pikachu coming in on Ash's lap. Rotom Dex took the picture.

"Beautiful!" Rotom Dex said after taking the pictures, "Now more pictures."

Rotom Dex floated around and started to take more pictures. First, he took pictures of Pidgeotto, Butterfree, and Beedrill floating around.

"Brilliant!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"That's the spirt!" Rotom Dex said again after taking a picture of Bulbasaur and Charmander holding up Magikarp

"Mm-hmm," said Rotom Dex who took a snapshot of Abra who was sleeping.

"Nice one!" Rotom Dex responded after taking Squirtle's picture where he is hugging Serena's leg.

Then Rotom Dex saw Froakie and Fennekin and the two got together holding hands and smiling at Rotom Dex. It was the first time they smiled in a photo since…meeting Ash and Serena at summer camp.

"Bravo!" Rotom Dex happily cheered.

Then he set his sights on Ash, Serena, and Pikachu. Serena was looking up at Rotom Dex while holding her drink with her left hand and holding her hat with her right hand. Ash was holding his drink with his left hand while his right hand might have be placed around…Serena's butt maybe. Pikachu was on his leg and Rotom Dex took the picture, and no one noticed that Squirtle was still hugging Serena's leg.

"Looking good!" Rotom Dex said acting like a professional photographer not getting the image of Squirtle since he already got himself in a picture.

It was an amazing experience so far on the S.S. Anne. They got to see many different Pokémon around the world, Ash and Serena got to test themselves in battle, they got to witness a group of Lapras, and Rotom Dex took some photos. Despite these great moments, they were not aware of what was going on the deck.

There were some crew members who were trying to cut the lifeboats off the ship along with the life vests. Underneath their uniforms were black uniforms with the red "R" on them. It looks like Team Rocket was getting ready to attack.

* * *

 **So, Ash and Serena had their first battle against each other which ended in a draw, and I did throw in some Amourshipping moments. They will confess to each other soon.**

 **How did you like the end where Rotom Dex took pictures? I actually had him act like it did when activating the Pokefinder feature. I couldn't pass the opportunity, but that last photo he took with Ash and Serena.**

 **It happens to be the one well known Amourshipping image where they were on a ship holding drinks in their hands. It was that exact image taken by Rotom Dex!**

 **I set the stage for Team Rocket, and this time in the next chapter Serena will get her surprise and Rotom Dex's new feature will be introduced. Stay tuned!**

 **Chapter 24: Shipwrecked Part 1**


	25. Shipwrecked Part 1

**Since there was some Amourshipping moments in the last chapter, I'd figure I save the intensity for this chapter. I don't know if you will like how it goes here in this chapter, but this is how it will go. With that, please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Main Room**_

After some time alone on the dock, Ash and Serena made their way back to the party. All of the Pokémon were back in their balls, except Pikachu and Rotom who obviously was inside the floating Pokedex. People were still mingling about various topics which were most likely Pokémon related.

The two were really having a good time so far with the great food, the Pokémon battle they got with each other, and not to forget their moment outside when they saw a herd of Lapras. Though they were in their Pokeballs at the time, Froakie and Fennekin thought it was fun having a battle against each other as it was also a way to study their strengths since Ash and Serena started their journeys.

Right now, Ash and Serena were walking alongside another part of the ship where they had some markets set up. People were selling some things like souvenirs, dolls, and possible accessories for Pokémon trainers.

"Wow look at all this stuff," Ash said looking at the shops they set up.

"Is there anything you like?" Serena asked.

"Not that I can think of," Ash answered.

As the two were looking around, they were about to pass by another market. This market was run by a man with black hair and a white headband. He didn't really have anything at his stall so what could he be selling. Then the man noticed the two kids with Pikachu and Rotom Dex.

"Hey, come on over," the salesman said pointing to Ash and Serena.

The Pokémon trainer and Pokémon coordinator noticed the man's gesture where he was trying to bring them over. They both got a bit of a shocked expression on their faces as did Pikachu and Rotom Dex. It wasn't just the fact that a man brought them over looking like he had nothing, but this man looked familiar to them.

"Wait a minute, I think we met before," Ash stuttered pointing to the man.

The salesman took a closer look at Ash and Serena. This man was looking at them trying to take in every detail from head to toe because he swore, he saw these two before. Come to think of it, he even remembers seeing a Pikachu and their Rotom Dex.

"Oh my gosh, repeat customers," the salesman happily said.

"You're!" Serena gasped.

It was him, this was the guy who scammed Serena her money for Magikarp. He told them that it was a really rare Pokémon in the ball, but it turned out it was a Magikarp which was very common. It looks like Serena might be getting the better end of that scam now because they learned in the Cerulean Gym that a Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, not to mention Serena's Magikarp played a big part in taking care of Damien.

"Yes, I remember seeing you two kids along with another girl! How's the super rare Pokémon that I can't mention?" the salesman happily asked.

"First off, it's a Magikarp which are common, and second she's doing just fine," Serena said pulling out Magikarp's Pokeball, "Take a look for yourself."

Serena brought out Magikarp and showed her to the salesman. Serena was holding Magikarp and the Fish Pokémon was happily flubbing around in Serena's arms. While it has been tough to train since she could only get it into a body of water and only knows three attacks, Serena has shown dedication to Magikarp. Despite being scammed, Serena has been taking the time to connect with her like her other Pokémon, and also as a reminder to be careful with purchases.

"Wow, you really kept that Magikarp?" the salesman questioned.

"Yeah, I'm not that kind of person who throws away a Pokémon because they're weak," Serena answered, "In fact, I like to do whatever I can to make sure Magikarp is happy."

"Karp Karp!" Magikarp replied.

"Ah, you really do want to make a Magikarp happy," said the salesman, "Well then I know something that will make a Magikarp really happy."

The salesman had the same bargaining tone that he did when they saw him on Mt. Moon. The salesman bent down to get something. Ash wasn't fond of what he could be doing next, because he already scammed Serena with a Magikarp. So, what does this guy have in store?

Then the salesman placed something on the stand and when Magikarp saw it, she had glitters in her eyes of what she witnessed. It appeared to be a medium-sized yellow marble that had a blue swerve marking with a red swerve marking inside. Ash and Serena had no clue what this was, but Magikarp sure loved it.

"What is that?" Ash questioned.

"It's a fun marble that Magikarp can play with," the salesman answered, "And judging by Magikarp's feelings, I say Magikarp wants it!"

"A marble?" Serena questioned.

"Yes indeed, that will be two-thousand Pokedollars," the salesman said giving the gesture of wanting money.

Two-thousand Pokedollars for a marble, what the hell? He already scammed her for a Magikarp for three-thousand Pokedollars, but now another two-thousand for a marble? Serena didn't want to fall for his tricks again, but then again Magikarp seems to want it.

"Karp karp karp," Magikarp said saying it wants the marble.

"Magikarp, it's just an expensive marble, we can find you another one if you want," Serena told her Magikarp.

"Karp karp karp," Magikarp begged.

"I don't want to pay that much," Serena said.

"Well you say you want to make your Pokémon happy, so giving your Pokémon what they want will make them happy. I'd suggest you pay me the two-thousand Pokedollars for this unique marble," the salesman pressured.

Ash knew that this salesman was hustling Serena. Though Serena wanted to make Magikarp happy and be a great friend like all of her Pokémon, does that mean she has to spoil Magikarp? She had no freaking idea what that marble even does, it's probably just some useless toy.

Serena was torn between Magikarp's feelings and being responsible with money. This Magikarp was supposed to teach her those things, and now here's Magikarp again possibly costing her more money for just some shiny toy.

"Karp," Magikarp said sadly.

"Grrr, okay fine," Serena said pulling out her money, "If this is what you want."

"Thank you! Have fun with your new marble!" the salesman said as he ran off.

Serena received the marble that Magikarp wanted, and the Fish Pokémon was very happy. Serena on the other hand looked down at the ground as she let this salesman get to her again, but what she was more worried about was how Ash was. Ash's face was in total shock and Pikachu and Rotom Dex were in disbelief. Did she really fall for his scam again?

"Serena, can I talk to you for a moment," Ash said with a shocked look on his face.

Serena cast her eyes downward on the floor and looked at Magikarp. Though Magikarp was happy with her new toy, Serena wasn't not only because she may have fallen for another possible scam, but Ash may be angry with her. Serena followed Ash out of the main room so they could be somewhere in private.

"Pikachu, Rotom Dex, we'll be right back," Ash told Pikachu and the floating Pokedex as both went out of the room looking for somewhere to talk.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Storage Room**_

Ash was trying to find a place to be with Serena in private, but the only place they could find was a storage room. Ash and Serena went inside, Ash looked over at Magikarp.

"Hey Magikarp, I'm going to have a talk with Serena so maybe it would be best Serena puts you back in your ball," Ash told Magikarp, "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Okay," Serena said pulling out her Pokeball, "Magikarp, you can play with your new toy later, right now I need to talk to Ash."

Serena returned the Fish Pokémon and looked at Ash in the eyes. It appears Ash looked both angry and possibly disappointed. Serena knew that she just screwed up yet again.

"Serena, you let that guy hustle you into giving him more money for a marble," Ash told Serena.

"I know, plus I want to do everything I can to make Magikarp happy after the first time," Serena said.

"I understand Magikarp likes that marble, but did you really need to pay that much for one marble! Heck, I don't think even think a whole bag of marbles cost that much!" Ash ranted, "Serena, we can't keep blowing money off like that. We need that money for supplies, and nobody is going to replace the money we lost to that salesman except maybe our moms. If they hear about this, they'll know that we're completely irresponsible."

"I'm sorry Ash," Serena muttered with some tears coming into her eyes.

Serena was feeling upset with herself. It should not be a surprise that Ash is mad at her again for falling for what appears to be another scam. She has made the same mistake twice, the first one should've been called for, but the second time you had to be pretty naïve to fall for him again.

All Serena wanted to do was give Magikarp the best. Those Pokémon were weak and very common in the water, but Serena wanted to make sure that Magikarp wasn't treated as some fish you can get at the market, but a real friend like her other Pokémon.

"It wasn't me that was getting hesitant, it was Magikarp. I don't understand why she loved that marble so much," Serena said, "I mean what is so important about having that marble?"

"I don't know, but I don't know if I can trust you with money in the future! I know we want the best for our Pokémon, but not at a price that is that steep unless it's reasonable! It's just a toy, we might have found it at a cheaper price somewhere else! But if we keep making these same impulsive mistakes, we probably won't be alive, and if we want to make it in this world then we need to be smarter and tougher than that!" Ash ranted.

It hurt for Serena that Ash was angry at her like that. Serena cared about Ash a lot, but the way she fell for a second scam that cost them two-thousand Pokedollars didn't help. Ash was right, this couldn't continue, and one thing was true, they weren't getting their money back. Sure, she loved Magikarp, but did she need to spoil her so much, and more importantly, does she need to spoil all her Pokémon like that? No, Serena still needed to understand the values of money, and it wouldn't hurt for Ash to learn that too, even though he didn't make any purchases like that. It was then that Ash let out a sigh and calmed down.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you like that, but I want you to promise me one thing," Ash told Serena.

"What's that?" Serena asked.

"Just like Magikarp, I want you to take responsibility in that marble and I just hope to Arceus Magikarp never gets bored with it," Ash said in distress, "Do you understand?"

"Yes," Serena replied while nodding.

"Okay," Ash replied.

Ash gave Serena an embracing hug after being mad at her. Serena knew that she needed to handle money better and be careful who is selling her something or else they can go flat out broke like that. Hey, who knows maybe this second rip-off could pay off because she already learned from the Cerulean Gym that a Magikarp can evolve into a powerful and fierce Gyarados, so who knows what values that marble could have?

" _I care about you Serena, I just don't want you taken advantage of," Ash thought to himself._

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Captain's Cabin**_

Proton was taking a look at the monitors set up in the party room of the S.S. Anne. The sinister executive was smirking at what was going to take place. He ordered his men to take out the lifeboats and the lifejackets as Team Rocket was also planning to let these party guests meet their watery graves. The bomb was placed and was ready to detonate once Team Rocket was prepared for their escape.

"Our business is lacking Pokémon, soon we'll have more to give to our casino," Proton said smirking.

As he was scanning the party room, he noticed the three stooges that he loved to hate and abuse. All they did was stand there acting like staff members of the ship. So far, those three didn't do anything wrong. Then Proton took out his transmission device.

"Alright you three, showtime," Proton said on the transmission device.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Party Room**_

Ash and Serena returned to the main room with all of the Pokémon trainers after having a go through with Serena falling for the con man again. Though the marble did look beautiful, why did Magikarp have such an attachment to it? That was a good question.

Just when it seemed to calm down for Ash and Serena, it didn't. The lights went out on the ship and the room went into complete darkness. People were screaming frantically as they couldn't see anything. No one was aware of the fact that all the doors in the room were being sealed shut.

"What's going on!?" Serena frantically asked.

"I don't know, just get stay to me Serena," Ash told her, "You too Pikachu and Rotom Dex."

Despite being mad about Serena's second money blunder, Ash knew that this could be a bigger problem and had to put everything aside to make sure everyone was alright. Ash tugged Serena closer to him, Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, and Rotom Dex was floating nearby them. Rotom Dex was about to activate his flashlight function when suddenly the lights turned back on.

"Gasp!" Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all gasped as they saw what was in the room.

It was rockets, around twenty rockets were in the main party room. People were shocked and began to mutter what was going on when they saw these strange looking people. When they saw the evil glares they were giving, people were running for the door only to find out it wouldn't budge open.

"The door won't open, we're trapped inside!" one of the guest screamed.

"Team Rocket," Ash muttered.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all remembered those men in uniform back on Mt. Moon. They already got ambushed by them in Viridian City, the Viridian Forest, and Mt. Moon, and now the S.S. Anne. They had no idea what Team Rocket attempted to do to their moms in Celadon City, but that backfired in a disturbing way.

"Alright everybody, settle down!" a woman announced.

The woman who happened to be Jessie approached a table and stood on it with James and Meowth. The two were now ready to recite their motto.

"Prepare for trouble," Jessie announced.

"Make it double," James announced.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie recited.

"To unite all people with in our nation," James recited.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love," Jessie recited.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," James recited.

"Jessie," Jessie recited.

"James," James recited.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," Jessie recited.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight," James recited.

"Meowth that's right," Meowth recited as he jumped in.

"Them again," Ash muttered.

Jessie and James along with Meowth looked at all of the party guests frantically trying to escape, but that door was sealed shut. Some people were about to get their Pokémon out until…

The rockets all pulled rifles out and everyone gasped.

"Ash are those," Serena stuttered.

"They are," Ash stuttered.

The rockets raised their guns at the trainers making sure no one makes any sort of movement unless they wanted their heads blown off. Pikachu and Rotom Dex looked frightened at the rockets who had the guns in their hands. What was their business here on the S.S. Anne?

"Alright everyone listen up; Team Rocket has taken over this ship. We have cruised this liner far from a coast so no one can help you. So here is what's going to happen, you're going to give us all of your Pokémon or else we shoot you," Jessie announced.

"Oh, and we added something else on the ship for measures," James announced, "In addition to our henchmen ready to shoot, we also have a bomb placed on this ship for extra measures."

"Now you will all hand over your Pokémon or you die," Meowth announced.

After the announcement, the rockets began to survey the room of all of the trainers who were scared. The only thing these people could do is give up their Pokémon unless they wanted to come back to shore as a corpse.

With that, the rockets began to walk around the room looking for trainers so they can seize their Pokémon. While everyone was upset, they had to just give in. Ash and Serena looked like they were ready to go into tears.

"They want to take away our friends," Serena muttered with tears coming out.

"We can't let them take our Pokémon," Ash stuttered.

The two were shaken by the fact that there was nothing they could do. If there were no guns or bomb on the ship, Ash, Serena, and all of the trainers could fight back with all of their Pokémon, but that option was taken away by Team Rocket.

"Proton, they're starting to take the Pokémon," Jessie said on the transmission device.

"And it looks like those no-good twerps are in the room behaving as of right now," James responded.

"Good work let the men continue to seize the Pokeballs, and I want you to meet me by the kitchen to discuss your next plan of action," Proton said on the radio.

"Yes sir," all three announced.

The trio left the room as the rockets continued to take their Pokémon.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Kitchen**_

Jessie, James, and Meowth ran over to meet with Proton by the kitchen door. Proton was leaning against the wall and was smiling at the three rocket admins. They're guessing that he is pleased that they did things right for once.

"Excellent work you three, the operation is going smoothly," Proton told the trio, "This is what happens when you listen to every word, I tell you."

"You got that right," Meowth said.

"So, what's the plan now?" James asked.

"I want the three of you to wait in the kitchen and await further orders, I took care of the cooks so don't worry," Proton said as he opened the door.

Jessie, James, and Meowth all went into the kitchen and it seemed to be a fancy kitchen for a cruise ship. There was no one in the kitchen as it may occur that Proton might have killed the cooks like he killed the captain. So now they were just to be in the kitchen doing nothing.

"Now what?" James asked.

"Just stay here," Proton responded, "I'll try and monitor our progress."

Proton closed the door and the trio now began to wait. They have been on the bad side of their superiors for a while with their constant failures and didn't want to risk it. They took the time to listen to the one person they hate, and it paid off.

"So, what should we do?" James asked.

"I got a set of cards, want to play go Magikarp?" Meowth asked pulling out a set of playing cards.

"Sure, if it will pass the time," Jessie answered.

The trio sat down and Meowth started to deal the cards out. Little did they know, there were screws being put into the wall and the trio didn't notice. The person who was putting those screws in was Proton who barricaded the door with three pieces of wood. His Rhydon helped him hold the wood while Proton screwed them on to keep them up. After Proton was finished, he put away his electric screwdriver and got out Rhydon's Pokeball.

"Well done Rhydon, return," Proton said with a smirk as he returned Rhydon and then go into thought, _"That's right, you bastards will wait in there forever. We won't ever have to see your failures of faces ever again."_

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Party Room**_

Back in the main room, all the trainers were being held at gunpoint being forced to turn over their Pokeballs. There was not much anyone could do unless they wanted to end up dead.

Then to much of the dread of Ash and Serena, they were approached by two rocket grunts who were pointing their rifles at them. For the two Pallet Town trainers, they could only hope for some miracle to happen. They didn't want to give up, but for now, this was a lost cause.

"Alright you two, fork them over," the grunt darkly said.

"And the Pikachu too," the other grunt responded.

With the rifles being pointed at the two Pokémon trainers, Ash and Serena were sweating with panic as they didn't have a choice. Tears were coming into Ash's and Serena's eyes as they unclipped the Pokeballs on their belts.

"I'm sorry," Ash said as he handed them his Pokeballs.

Serena gave up her Pokeballs too and one of the rockets grabbed a hold of Pikachu. There was no point in shocking him or else Ash, Serena, and everyone else on the ship would be done for. Pikachu's eyes started to tear up as the rockets were now walking away with their Pokeballs along with the Mouse Pokémon.

"Pikachu, please forgive us," Serena muttered as tears came to her eyes.

Ash and Serena were helpless to protect their Pokémon and Pikachu from Team Rocket. Rotom Dex saw how the Pokémon trainer and Pokémon coordinator were feeling, and it touched Rotom Dex. Despite being a floating Pokedex, Rotom Dex was still a Rotom inside of a Pokedex, and Pokémon had feelings too.

"Ash, Serena, Pikachu," Rotom Dex muttered with a sad face, "I can't let it end like this."

Rotom Dex wanted to do something. With that, Rotom Dex began to float towards the rockets that had Pikachu and their Pokeballs. While Ash and Serena were helplessly in tears, they noticed the floating Pokedex following the grunts.

"What's Rotom Dex doing?" Ash asked.

"Maybe Rotom Dex has a plan," Serena replied as she snapped out of her sad thoughts.

Maybe Rotom Dex had a plan, but how were they going to take on twenty rockets with assault rifles without any Pokémon? Rotom Dex continued to float towards the rockets without having them notice the Pokedex. It had to be weird that among twenty rockets, they weren't able to spot a floating Pokedex going around the room.

While the rockets continued to collect Pokeballs, Rotom Dex was coming close to Pikachu. Pikachu didn't notice that the floating Pokedex was right behind him.

"Pikachu prepare to attack," Rotom Dex whispered.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned in a whisper.

What was Rotom Dex thinking telling Pikachu to attack when there were rockets all around? Then Pikachu could notice Ash and Serena standing in the room in defeat with nothing to do. Pikachu can recall that saying never give up until the end, and Pikachu wanted to help them and give them their Pokémon back. Rotom Dex better have a good plan.

"Pikachu, Ash and Serena don't know this yet, but I have a special feature that can help us at sometimes," Rotom Dex said, "Let me activate it, and then hear my commands."

So Rotom Dex was going to call out to Pikachu like it was his trainer? Pikachu curiously looked over at the floating Pokedex, but he had a surprised look on his face, but he made sure not to make a sound.

The screen on Rotom Dex was now featuring what appeared to be some sort of slot machine with three columns. What was Rotom Dex doing? Was this it's special feature? As the slots were rolling, the first one stopped revealing a blue winged sneaker. The second one stopped showing off a multiply sign, and then the third one stopped to give out a number 6.

"Speed times six," Rotom Dex said as the screen glowed blue and covered Pikachu in a blue glow, "Now use Agility and Quick Attack on the rockets."

Pikachu was feeling somewhat faster than he ever was. Pikachu used Agility to escape at the speed of sound, and then started to strike the rockets with Quick Attack.

No one saw it coming and the rockets were shocked.

"What's going on?" one of the rockets questioned as he raised his gun.

It was too late though as Pikachu struck him too. Everyone in the room was in utter shock and confusion as the rockets looked like were being taken down by nothing. Ash and Serena couldn't believe what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ash asked in shock.

Pikachu was able to knock down all of the rockets in no time, and after Pikachu stopped, it stood on the table in what appeared to be a pose looking like he finished making a mad dash.

"I think Pikachu happened," Serena answered in shock looking at Pikachu.

"Use Shock Wave!" Rotom Dex called out.

"Rotom Dex?" Serena questioned.

The blue aura surrounding Pikachu was gone. Pikachu no longer had his lightning speed, and while the rockets were down, Pikachu unleashed a Shock Wave in the room electrifying the rockets and blowing up the guns.

"I don't know what's going on, but now's our chance to get our Pokémon back!" Ash yelled out.

Everybody made a mad scramble for the rockets to retrieve their Pokémon. Pikachu came to Ash and Serena pointing to Rotom Dex and the two rockets who took their Pokeballs. Without any hesitation, Ash and Serena were led by Pikachu to the two rocket grunts and Rotom Dex. The first thing Ash and Serena wanted to do was get their Pokémon back.

"Guys," Ash said grabbing his Pokeballs containing Froakie, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Bulbasaur, and Charmander.

"I got you," Serena happily said hugging her Pokeball belt that had Fennekin, Beedrill, Magikarp, Abra, and Squirtle.

As soon as they clipped their Pokeballs back on their belts, they turned over to Pikachu which a surprised look on their face. True Pikachu was fast, but Pikachus were never meant to be that fast.

"Pikachu, did you do this?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered with a nod.

"But you can't be that fast," Serena responded.

"Allow me to explain," Rotom Dex said looking at Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena were looking at Rotom Dex who had a serious look on its face. They were about to learn the truth that it was Rotom Dex who gave Pikachu that extra speed.

"Ash Ketchum, Serena Gabena, I ended up using a special feature called the Roto Lotto," Rotom Dex answered.

"Roto Lotto?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, allow me to explain, Roto Lotto is where I target a Pokémon, activate a slot machine, and play a game of chance to know the temporary status the Pokémon will go under. The results I gave to Pikachu multiplied Pikachu's speed by six temporary," Rotom Dex explained.

"Which is why Pikachu attacked the rockets and we didn't even see him, because he was so fast," Ash stated.

"Correct but be warned though as Roto Lotto could also result in weakening the Pokémon in a certain category for a period of time," Rotom Dex explained.

"That's bad!" Serena shrieked.

"I'm afraid so, even though Roto Lotto can help us, it can also hurt us. Once Roto Lotto is used, it can't be used again for another hour," Rotom Dex explained.

So, this feature that Rotom Dex was introducing to Ash and Serena was truly an act of rolling the dice. This would come in handy for Ash and Serena during their adventures, but they would have to be careful with it.

"Just a reminder, I'm not going to use this feature in your Pokémon battles or contest as it will seem unfair or considered cheating. I will only roll the dice with this feature in dyer situations like right now," Rotom Dex explained.

"We understand," Ash and Serena said in union.

Little do they know, Proton was coming to the room to check in on what was going on. Proton peeked inside and was horrified on what he just saw. The rockets were on the ground and the trainers were getting their Pokemon back, and then he saw on one of the tables it was Ash and Serena. Proton couldn't believe it, and he just locked the trio in the kitchen so they couldn't have screwed this up in any way possible. Proton looked like he was going to blow his gasket, but he didn't. Instead, he looked in the room and have an evil smirk on his face.

"See Jessie, James, and Meowth, unlike you retards, I know how to plan for failure," Proton said as he pulled out a device out of his pocket.

It was a remote, and Proton pressed it.

The ship rumbled as an explosion took place in the cargo which caused the ship to start shaking. Everyone must've forgot about the bombs including Ash and Serena.

Speaking of them, the vibrations caused something to fall out of Serena's backpack and roll down the floor. It was the marble that she got scammed for.

"Magikarp's marble!" Serena cried as she ran after it.

"Serena, just let it go!" Ash called out.

"Ash, I already blew my money on this, there is no way I should be allowed to lose it," Serena scolded Ash as she ran after the marble.

"Serena, wait up," Ash called out.

Pikachu and Rotom Dex followed, but they were not aware of the ship rocking back and forth. People were trying to keep their balance as tables started to move and food was falling off the tables and onto the floor. Everyone was in a panic, but it only got worse.

Proton burst through the doors and pulled out a Pokeball. He scanned the room for Ash and Serena, but he didn't find them. However, business had to continue for him.

"This is Captain Proton speaking, I don't know what the fuck just happened in here, but I declare this miracle short-lived!" Proton announced, "I don't know what happened to those two bastards, but they aren't helping this time. Weezing use Smokescreen!"

Proton brought out a Weezing and the Poison Gas Pokemon began to cover the room in smoke. The rockets were starting to get up. Despite the blows they took from Pikachu, these grunts were pretty tough as they were able to get up in time and strap on some goggles. Proton made sure these rockets came prepared, but it was too bad Jessie, James, and Meowth weren't prepared.

"Alright listen up, tackle the trainers and reclaim their Pokeballs!" Proton announced.

With that, the rockets were able to navigate through the smoke and claim the Pokeballs from the trainers once again. Proton was able to join in as he was able to get some of the Pokeballs as well. So the trainers had their Pokemon taken a second time, but little do they know, Ash and Serena were not in the room as Serena was after her marble.

As the smoke cleared, the rockets were able to get the Pokeballs back in their possession, and right on cue. An explosion came from the ceiling as their was now a hole up above. Above were a group of choppers ready to pick up the rockets.

"The choppers are here, let's move out!" Proton called out and then turned over to the trainers, "Thanks for sailing the Team Rocket party cruiser, this ship is now set to sink with all of you aboard. Farewell."

With that, Proton took off with the rest of the rockets. They all began climbing the ladders and the trainers were now on their knees. Just a moment ago, a Pikachu with blinding speed took down these grunts and destroyed their weapons, but Proton was the trump card. Victory was taken away from these people.

"Sir, where are Jessie, James, and Meowth?" one of the rockets asked, "Are they still on the ship? You know it's starting to sink."

"Jessie, James, and Meowth made one of the most heroic sacrifices in Team Rocket history allowing us to get these Pokemon and escape. They will be missed," Proton lied.

The choppers took off into the sky and the party guests were now in defeat. Their Pokemon were gone, and the ship was going to sink.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Kitchen**_

The trio were playing cards until the ship started to shake. This got the trio to get up wondering what was happening.

"What's going on?" Jessie questioned.

"I think the bomb went off Jessie," James answered.

"I think we better give Proton a call," Meowth said as he got his transmission device out.

Meowth was trying to get a signal to call their superior, but no one was answering. Surely Proton wasn't going to just let them sit there in the kitchen to die, would he?

"Guys, Proton is not answering," Meowth said feeling worried.

"And this ship must be sinking," Jessie said in fear.

"Let's go look for Proton," James said as he got to the door.

James tried to open the door, but the door wouldn't budge. It looked like the door was completely stuck, but little do they know, Proton barricaded them inside so they wouldn't interfere with the mission.

"Guys, I think the door is messed up," Jessie said in fear.

"Or worse, I think Proton locked us in here…to kill us," James stuttered.

This couldn't be true, right? Despite their numerous screw ups in Team Rocket and abuse they get from other rockets (mostly Proton), everyone in the organization looks out for each other. Proton wouldn't be capable of locking the trio in the kitchen with the ship sinking, would he?

"No wonder he brought us here to the S.S. Anne, he was going to use this as an excuse to kill us for what we did back in Celadon City!" Meowth shrieked.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" the trio screamed.

With that, the trio panicked and tried to open the door. The three rockets used all of their strength, but they couldn't budge the door open. Proton had that door barricaded well.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne**_

The fact that the ship was starting to sink, people made a scramble to get to safety. As they were looking around the deck, they could see that there were no lifeboats or lifejackets. People were panicking as they couldn't a way to get off the ship safely. Team Rocket were responsible for eliminating all the ship evacuation features, and now that all of their Pokemon were gone, they had no Pokemon to ride on to get them to dry land.

Team Rocket was not only after their Pokemon, Team Rocket was trying to kill them as well. People were screaming as now they had to find things on the ship they hope they could use as a way to get to dry land, but the only problem was they were far out from dry land. This was a true despicable act of terror as everyone was now either going to swim for it, and it would likely lead them to drown to their deaths. The only thing now these people could do was swim…and pray.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Hallway**_

Everyone was off the ship except for two people. Serena was still chasing her marble as the ship was ready to capsize.

"Serena, are you sure you want that marble?" Rotom Dex asked.

"I do want it, for Magikarp," Serena answered.

As Serena was about to get a hold of the rolling marble, the ship began to flip. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were sent sailing into a passenger cabin with the marble continuing to roll down the hall. Unfortunately for the group, they all got knocked out and Rotom Dex banged onto something causing it to be shut off.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Kitchen**_

"Let us out! Let us out!" the trio cried.

The ship began to flip and Jessie, James, and Meowth were now being sent back into a cabinet. The impact knocked them out and causing a few cookware to fall on their heads to further the damage. Thankfully nothing sharp fell on them. That would've been worse.

As they were knocked out, a familiar looking marble rolls into the kitchen.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne**_

The ship flipped upside down and after the attack by Team Rocket that caused all of this, the ship began to plunge into the waters. There were now only four humans left aboard the now sinking S.S. Anne.

Ash and Serena along with Rotom Dex and all of their Pokemon were still aboard the ship, and so were the Team Rocket Trio. Everyone who was onboard this ship has now been left out on the water or in the sunken ship to die while the rockets get away with the Pokemon.

As the S.S. Anne falls further down into the water, this horrifying experience could mark the end of their journey. No one was getting up and the two groups were going to be in a horrifying situation which could mark the end of their lives.

They were now plunging to the bottom of the sea.

* * *

 **Yeah you might not like this but Team Rocket is going to be pretty sadistic. Setting a plan up to take the Pokemon and then trying to kill the passengers onboard.**

 **I told you Serena was going to get a special surprise on the S.S. Anne. You can guess what that marble is, and I'll reveal in the next chapter what it is. I wasn't sure if Ash was harsh on Serena after she got that marble.**

 **Now for that new feature that Rotom Dex showed off, it's my version of Roto Lotto. Rotom Dex will activate a slot machine on the screen and the results will go to the targeted Pokémon raising or lowering the Pokémon's attack, defense, speed, special attack, or special defense. So, this is a feature of chance that could make things worse for Ash and Serena at times, or it can help them in great ways.**

 **Coming up next, we learn the fates of Ash and Serena along with the trio and how the S.S. Anne arc will close out.**

 **Chapter 25: Shipwrecked Part 2**


	26. Shipwrecked Part 2

**And now here is the conclusion of the S.S. Anne Arc. Also, a little something will come up that will play a role later in the series. I do not own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Hospital**_

The Celadon City Hospital, this was the place where sick humans come to be treated in Celadon City. There was one woman who was in her own room who has been staying there for the past few days, and that woman was none other than Delia Ketchum. She has been staying over ever since she got sick in the department store and caused a scene which was clearly caused by food poisoning. Her sister Yellow, along with her friends Grace, Jade, and Rose were also staying due to food poisoning.

Delia was laying on her bed in her own room, and the hotel that got her sick was generous enough to pay for her stay along with the other women. Delia still couldn't get over the fact that she ended up having her business get on the gym leader. Delia was worried that could affect Ash's chances of getting a badge in the Celadon Gym. Then again, she was the husband of a former Kanto Region Champion.

Delia has been going through the TV and there have been breaking news footage about the S.S. Anne's disappearance. This was a tragedy for the Kanto Region as that ship contained at least one-hundred Pokémon trainers.

"Rescue crews have been searching the waters for the last couple of hours if there is any sign of the ship or passengers aboard. This morning the ship departed for a party only for Pokémon trainers, and it has never returned. Loved ones are on edge wanting to know what has happened to the people they cared about," the reporter announced.

"Oh my gosh," Delia gasped, "Those poor Pokémon trainers."

Delia's heart broke for the people on the ship as they were gone. Delia could only imagine if Ash were to be on that ship with those trainers. She wouldn't be able to take the fact of losing her only son. Little did she know, Ash was on that ship with Serena.

Then the TV was shown at the Vermillion Port where a group of people were gathered around. The disappearance of the S.S. Anne has drawn so much attention that it even dragged in Kanto's Champion Blue. Blue was standing at a podium with microphones onboard delivering the news.

"We have a rescue crew searching these waters right now for any traces of the ship or people that were onboard. If by any means the ship has sunk, then those passengers are likely on the water in lifeboats. I just hope to Arceus they're alright," Blue announced.

Blue showed more of a defeated look on his face rather than confidence. Until they knew what has happened, he was unsure. Delia has known Blue for a long time since he was Red's biggest rival. Blue took over the title of Kanto's Champion after Red's departure. Despite Blue being a very powerful Pokémon trainer, he tends more to fear for the worst than hope for the best, but he doesn't want to show it to the public or else he might not be considered a role model trainers can look up too.

" _I can tell Blue is not handling this well. If that were my husband or maybe my son, I'm sure they would," Delia thought to herself, "Speaking of, I hope to hear from Ash soon."_

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Cabin**_

Serena was lying on the floor, and then she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Ash looking at her with a smile on his face. The last thing she remembered was the ship capsizing and she, Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all tumbled in while she was chasing after the marble Magikarp wanted. Didn't look like Ash was mad.

"Ash," Serena said in a daze.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is awake," Ash said in a loving voice.

Serena looked around and saw that she wasn't on the floor, but more like she was in a bed. The room looked neat and tidy despite the fact that the ship was rocking before turning over, but it didn't look like anything happened. Serena then saw the window only to see a beautiful sunset. Was that whole thing just a dream?

"Ash, what happened? I swore just a moment ago this ship was attacked by Team Rocket," Serena said in a shocked tone, "And that the ship was sinking, and we were still onboard because I was going after a marble that I purchased."

Ash then put his finger on her mouth to cut her off.

"Serena, it's okay," Ash said as he embraced her in a hug.

So, it looks like everything is alright. Guess it was just a bad dream.

"Anyway Serena, there's going to be dancing going on in the main room. Would you like to come and dance with me?" Ash asked.

He had a wonderful smile on his face, and right now Ash was offering her to dance with him. This had to be a dream come true for Serena. Her eyes sparkled and she let out a big smile.

"I'd love too," Serena happily responded.

"Great, let's go," Ash said.

Ash grabbed Serena's hand and they ran off together. She was about to have a dance with her crush. It had to be a dream come true that she was going to do something she wanted to do with Ash since meeting him at Professor Oak's summer camp. One thing was off though that she didn't catch.

Where were Pikachu and Rotom Dex?

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Party Room**_

There were many people in the room, and they were dancing. Ash and Serena were among the crowd dancing with everyone. People were enjoying the music and were all dancing at a fast pace. As Ash and Serena were dancing, the music became slow and soothing while the lights dimmed. It sounded like something for a romantic dance.

With that people started to pair up and began to slow dance. Serena then noticed that Ash had his hand out, and she knew what he was about to ask her.

"May I have this dance?" Ash happily asked.

Serena was looking at Ash's hand, and it had to feel like a dream come true. Ash Ketchum, her crush, was asking her to dance with him.

"I'd love too," Serena responded.

Serena blushed and grabbed Ash's hand. The two made their way to the dance floor to begin slow dancing. It just felt romantic and blissful as the two were dancing. Though there were other people in the room, it felt like it was just her and Ash. The two were waltzing slowly, Serena just smiled as she continued to dance with Ash. He was a pretty good dancer, and Serena didn't realize how light she was on her feet. She didn't pay attention to anything except Ash. It was like she was lost in her own world.

"Serena, are you okay?" Ash questioned.

Serena didn't answer as she just embraced the moment. She continued to blush at the fact she was dancing with her crush Ash. This was the perfect atmosphere. Should this be the moment where Serena tells Ash how she feels about him?

"Serena, wake up," Ash said.

She didn't listen, she just looked at his face and continued dancing.

"Wake up Serena!" Ash yelled.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Cabin**_

Serena opened her eyes and realized it was all a dream. No wonder Rotom Dex and Pikachu weren't there.

Serena did see Ash in front of her as she woke up. Pikachu was on his shoulder and Rotom Dex was floating next to him. Serena got up groaning in pain as she may gotten hurt from the impact of the fall. Serena looked around and saw that the room was completely wrecked. A desk fell and was shattered, a bed was overturned, and a trash can was knocked over, and thank Arceus none of those things hit Ash and Serena.

Serena was disappointed as her dance with Ash was just a dream, and more disappointed that they were actually caught in the wreckage. The last thing she remember was that the ship rocked causing her to lose a marble she purchased and chase after it. She never got it and then the ship tumbled over causing her, Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex to plunge into the cabin they were in. What she has yet to know what where the ship was now.

"Ash, what just happened?" Serena asked looking around.

"Maybe you should look out the window," Ash answered pointing towards the window.

Serena saw the window that Ash was pointing too. Unlike the dream she had, the view she got out the window was a lot different, and not in a good way. What she saw looked like a dark aquarium with various different Pokémon swimming by. Serena looked out in alarm knowing what just happened.

"Ash," Serena trailed.

"Yep, the ship sunk and were completely submerged underwater," Ash confirmed.

"Oh no," Serena muttered.

Serena fell to her knees and started hyper-ventilating with tears coming out of her eyes. She couldn't believe it, that blasted marble has caused nothing but bad news. She wanted to get it because Magikarp wanted it and she wanted her to be happy, and it cost her 2000 pokedollars. Then it falls out of her back rolling down the hallway of the ship and knowing how much she spent she wanted to get it back only for her and Ash to be stuck on the ship. Not only that, she didn't even get the marble and it may be lost forever. Would've not made a difference if they knew what happened to the lifeboats and lifejackets.

"It's my fault, it's all my fault," Serena cried.

"What are you talking about?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Face it, if I haven't gotten that marble, I would've not been chasing it after it fell out of my backpack and we would've safely been off the boat!" Serena screamed as she pounded her fist on the ground, "I was just trying my best to make Magikarp happy, and now were submerged underwater ready to die and it's all my fault!"

Ash could only watch the state Serena was in. She took full responsibility of the fact they were still stuck on a sunken ship. All Serena wanted to do was get something for her Magikarp to show how much she loves her, and it could cost them their lives. Like Ash, she wanted to give her Pokémon nothing but love and care. They both loved their Pokémon and would do anything to show they were the best trainers they could ask for. Serena felt like she failed Ash.

"I'm sorry Ash! I'm the worst friend you ever had!" Serena cried.

Ash felt nothing but heartbreak with the way Serena was beating herself up over what was going on. Despite everything that has happened, Ash has always seen Serena as a great friend.

" _Serena, I can't stand seeing you like this. You've made mistakes, but I always have been on your side. I've always cared about you Serena, and I think I care about you more than just a friend."_ Ash thought.

Ash then went over to Serena and got to her level. Serena then looked up at Ash still with tears in her eyes. What she saw was Ash looking more concerned about her feelings than the fact of what has happened.

"Serena, while you did squander money a second time, did we expect Team Rocket to attack us or this ship to start sinking?" Ash asked.

"No," Serena answered.

"Neither did I, we weren't prepared for something like this to happen. No one on this ship was prepared for that," Ash told her with comfort in his voice, "The two of us and those trainers were thinking that we were going to have a good time with what was going on, but an attack wasn't on their minds."

Serena heard what Ash was saying. It was true, they weren't expecting Team Rocket to take control of the S.S. Anne and then sink the ship with them inside. No one was ready for that.

"And even though we're stuck here on this ship, I'm glad I'm stuck here with you rather than by myself. I didn't want to be alone, and I don't want you to be alone either," Ash said.

Despite everything that happened, the one thing that Serena thought would be a burden was not there. Ash was staying on her side no matter what. When this journey began, it was her and Ash traveling together. If it weren't for the fact, she had feelings for Ash, she probably would've still been at home practicing Rhyhorn racing with her moms rather than taking the profession of a Pokémon Coordinator.

He was also the reason they met Froakie and Fennekin who became their starters, along with the other Pokémon they got along the way especially Pikachu and of course Rotom who wasn't battling, but more serving the feature of their Pokedex. She truly wasn't alone, and if Ash did want to stay away for her, which he has proven he never would, she had her Pokémon.

"Ash, remember how you told me never give up until the end?" Serena questioned.

"I do," Ash answered.

"The end here is when we die or starvation or lack of air on this ship, or drowning if any water is coming in," Serena told Ash now with determination on her face, "What do you say we try making a miracle happen and getting back to surface and dry land alive."

"You mean, get out of a sunken ship?" Ash asked.

"That's right, I'm somewhat responsible for getting us into this mess, and I want to be somewhat responsible for getting us out," Serena told Ash.

"You're right Serena, if we work together, we might be able to return to our normal lives and dry land. Not only are we going to get out of here, but we're going to make sure no one gets left behind," Ash said pumping his fist.

Ash was very happy that Serena found that determination to keep going despite the blows she has taken. Ash was on her side and was willing to make sure the both of them and all of their Pokémon returned to their long journey alive. Also, if they ever come across Team Rocket again, they be in for payback. Most importantly, they want to give Froakie and Fennekin closure in tracking down Siegfried.

"Let's do it Serena," Ash said turning towards Pikachu and Rotom Dex, "Are you two in!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded with a V-sign.

"You bet, I want you in one league on the land, not twenty-thousand leagues under the sea," Rotom Dex said.

"Great, Rotom Dex, were you able to get a layout of the S.S. Anne?" Serena asked.

"Let me check my data," Rotom Dex responded as it searched it's data.

Ash couldn't be happier with Serena. They were going to do it, they were going to get off this dreadful ship together.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere on a beach**_

It was a hot day on the beach, the water was calm, the sky was clear, and on the beach were two people under an umbrella soaking up the rays on beach chairs. One was a woman with long red hair and the other was a man with blue hair. They sure were relaxing.

"To protect the world from devastation," the woman recited.

"To unite all people with in our nation," the man recited.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love, extend our reach to the stars above," both recited.

"Jessie," the woman said.

"James with a perfect tan," the man responded.

"There's nothing like a tropical vacation," Jessie said relaxing.

"The blue sea, the white sand, and the blazing sun above," said James who was relaxing.

"Ah the sun," Jessie responded.

The sun was blazing in the sky as if there were some intense heat wave, but for some reason the sun rays felt very hot.

"Yes, that blazing sun, fiery and burning, and burning, burning," James said until his tone changed into a scream, "Burning!"

"Something's really burning!" Jessie called out in panic.

"You picked the bad place for a nap," said Meowth as he got into their view.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Kitchen**_

Jessie and James woke up to find out they weren't on some tropical vacation, but still in the S.S. Anne kitchen. They felt something burning on their heads, and then they turned to look up to see that apparently their hair caught fire.

The two were underneath stoves that were suddenly turned on and they were running around frantically. Jessie and James were able to find sinks and put out the flames before they started to spread.

This was a series of unfortunate events for Jessie and James. First, they had to take part in this mission under Proton's watch, then Proton locks them inside hoping they die with the ship, and now their hair has been burned. Jessie and James have not gotten the best luck. Proton and the other rockets were gone, and here they were left to die.

"What happened, one minute we were on a tropical vacation, the next thing we know our hair was on fire!" Jessie yelled.

"And why is everything upside down?" James asked.

"I'll let you guys in on what happened, in case you were wondering Proton locked us in here while the bomb was set off causing this ship to plunge with us in it." Meowth explained.

"Oh no, the ship has sunk were doomed!" James cried.

"Get a hold of yourself," Meowth said scratching James in the face.

James started to cry from the pain of Meowth's scratch. He bent down in pain to rub his face, and then the pain went away. However, something caught James's eye, A yellow marble with blue and red swerve marking was right in front of him. Usually it would be bottle caps that catch James's attention, but a marble.

"Hey guys, I found a marble," James said picking up the marble.

Jessie and Meowth came to James who stood up showing the marble. Jessie was not impressed and Meowth a little curiosity.

"That's great James, now how does that help us with the face were stuck here to die?" Jessie questioned.

"Yeah, we're not here looking for marbles, we're here to see if we can get out," Meowth ranted as he then went into thought, _"I think that's one of those mega stones I've heard rumors about."_

James decided to put the marble in his pocket while Jessie began to survey the room to see if there was, anyway, they could get out of this kitchen. They tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge. Then a light bulb came from Jessie's head. The trio panicked so much of trying to get out, they forgot that they still had their Pokémon.

"I forgot, we still have our Pokémon. We can use them to escape," Jessie said pulling out a Pokeball, "Go Ekans!"

Jessie threw the Pokeball in the air and her Ekans came out. Ekans gave out a screech and then turned over to Jessie.

"Ekans use Acid on the door in front of us so we can make a hole to escape!" Jessie commanded.

"Ekans!" Ekans responded.

Ekans shot acid out of his mouth which hit the door causing it to rust and make a hole. Then something happened that caused the trio to panic, water was pouring in from the hole and Jessie ran over to cover the door with her body. The pressure of the water that was coming in was too strong.

"So, the hallway is underwater, and water is coming in here, Meowth can't afford to have his fur wet!" Meowth screamed.

Jessie's body wasn't enough as the water pushed her and started to rapidly flood the kitchen. All three were caught in the water as the room flooded. The trio tried other methods to plug up the hole, but they were futile.

Jessie, James, and Meowth were all screaming as they tried to do what they can to prevent the kitchen from being any more submerged, but nothing was working. It looks like the trio had to be ready to invite the worst-case scenario.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Stairwell**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were navigating their way through the ship when they enter a stairwell. The plan was to get to the top of the upside-down ship which would be the ship's bottom. As they looked, they could tell that the water level was rising as it was coming near their feet.

"Alright, we don't have much time. The water is rising, and we need to figure something out," Ash said observing the situation.

"What if there is something down there, we can use?" Serena questioned.

"We're trying to get to the bottom of the ship which in this case is the top," Rotom Dex confirmed, "So we're not going into the water."

"I know what you mean Rotom Dex, but there might be something down there that could be useful. We do need to preserve our air," Ash told Rotom Dex, "Maybe we should send one of our Pokémon down there to check it out."

Then all of a sudden, one of Serena's Pokeballs began to shake. The ball then opened and bursting out was her Magikarp who went directly into the water. This caught the honey-blonde's attention.

"Magikarp," Serena questioned.

Magikarp didn't even listen as she went under in a hurry. What got Magikarp to do that?

"Magikarp wait!" Serena called out.

Magikarp was underwater and it came across a door. The Fish Pokémon just had a strange sense of what was beyond that door. Maybe it was a way out. No, it can't be, they're going up the ship. But whatever it could be, Magikarp wasn't going to hesitate. The two kids could hear the banging from Magikarp's tackle. So far, the door wasn't budging.

"What's going on with Magikarp?" Ash asked.

"I don't know, maybe she wants to help," Serena confirmed.

Serena continued to hear the banging from Magikarp's tackling the door. Serena could tell Magikarp was in trouble or was struggling. Either way she needed to do something to help Magikarp.

"I'd better send Squirtle out to investigate," Serena said as she sent out Squirtle.

Squirtle came out of his ball and immediately tackled her to the ground and began to hug her. Squirtle was always happy to come out and be with Serena.

"Squirtle, now's not the time for that," Serena told Squirtle.

"Yeah Squirtle, Serena needs your help," Ash responded.

Squirtle glared at Ash and fired a Water Gun at his face. Squirtle then turned back to Serena and continued to hug her. She needed Squirtle to focus on the task and not her.

"Squirtle we have a problem!" Serena exclaimed.

"Squirtle?" Squirtle questioned.

"Squirtle, Magikarp is down there trying to bust that door open, and so far, no luck. She might have found something down there so if it's okay, can you give her a hand," Serena explained to her Squirtle.

Squirtle was hearing the banging from Magikarp. Her tackles are still doing no effect in bringing the door down. Squirtle was looking at Serena with concern.

"Squirtle the ship has sunk and were stuck onboard. If we don't get out, we will die," Serena said with sympathy, "You might live because you can breathe underwater, but I can't. You don't want me to die, don't you?"

Serena was feeling tears coming from her eyes and Squirtle hated to see Serena sad. As he heard Magikarp, Squirtle got a great sense of determination and turned to the water. There was no way he was going to let Serena die.

"Alright Squirtle, give Magikarp a hand with the door and whatever she's doing," Serena happily said, "It might help us with our escape."

"Squirtle," Squirtle responded giving a thumbs up.

Squirtle dove into the access water and found Magikarp still tackling the door. Squirtle could see that Magikarp was completely struggling. Then without any hesitation, Squirtle prepared an Aqua Jet with a combined Tackle at the door. Squirtle proven to be a strong Pokémon as the door was knocked down. Magikarp thanked Squirtle but wished what it could've been like if she had that strength. There was now an entrance to the hallway and Magikarp just kept on swimming.

"Hey Serena," Ash replied.

"Yeah Ash," Serena responded with curiosity.

"What are you going to tell Magikarp about…you know?" Ash asked referring to the marble that was lost.

"I'll just tell her I lost it and I'm very sorry," Serena muttered, "I don't know how she will feel about it though."

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Submerged Hallway**_

Magikarp had been swimming on a fast pace and Squirtle followed Magikarp trying to keep up if there were to be any obstacles. Despite being a good swimmer, Magikarp did feel a bit disappointed that Squirtle needed to be her muscles because she wasn't strong. She was happy that Serena was taking care of her and not tossing her away like any other Magikarp. Maybe it was the effect of the scam, but either way Magikarp was happy to be with Serena. She just wished she could do more and not always rely on help.

Then Magikarp found what she was looking for. There was a door that had barricades on it, but there was also a hole in the door. Magikarp was wondering what the deal was with this, but she felt whatever she felt was through that door. As the Fish Pokémon looked through the hole, she could see two humans and a Meowth. Magikarp looked behind and saw Squirtle coming in.

"Karp karp," Magikarp responded.

"Squirtle," Squirtle responded.

Magikarp and Squirtle swam through the hole and saw the trio. They were passed out as if they ran out of oxygen. The two Pokémon got a panicked look and decided to help the humans and the Meowth. They didn't realize that this was Team Rocket they were about to help. Magikarp went over to James, and she really wanted to be with James for some reason.

Another obstacle was the door, they weren't going to fit the rockets through that door. With that Squirtle tried the same trick he did with the previous door of combining Aqua Jet and Tackle, but this time added an Iron Defense as well. The door was knocked down along with the barricades. Squirtle was impressed with himself, he really should consider that combination in his next contest with Serena. With that Squirtle got to Jessie and Meowth while Magikarp was with James and they helped them out.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Stairwell**_

"What's taking Magikarp and Squirtle so long?" Rotom Dex asked.

"I don't know, Magikarp was full of energy just a moment ago, maybe she misread something," Serena commented.

It was then bubbles came out from the water and emerging from the waters were the two Team Rocket members and Meowth. Magikarp and Squirtle were the ones who just rescued them. Ash and Serena were just shocked seeing the unconscious rockets. What were they doing here?

"Team Rocket," Serena muttered.

"Serena, we got to help them!" Ash retorted.

"Help…Team…Rocket," Serena muttered.

"I know they're criminals, we both deeply hate them, but we're not going to be the kind of people who watches people lay there and die no matter how bad they are," Ash explained frantically.

"Alright, we'll perform CPR," Serena said, "I'll help Jessie, you help James, and Pikachu you help Meowth."

"Pika," Pikachu growled.

"Please Pikachu, it's not right to just leave them here in this condition. We got to try at least," Serena told Pikachu.

Pikachu didn't give a response. Even though they didn't want to help them, it was the right thing to do. Ash got in front of James, Serena got in front of Jessie, and Pikachu got in front of Meowth.

Serena and Pikachu remembered the last time they performed CPR was at the Viridian City Pokémon Center when they helped Ash after he and Serena lost breath from Koffing's Smog, which was used by James. It's strange that the second CPR use was going to be on the same two people who caused them to use it the first time.

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were trying to get a pulse from the trio. Then they all did chest compressions to make sure there wasn't anything lodged. Then came the part they were going to be disgusted doing, the artificial respiration. Ash placed his mouth on James mouth, Serena placed her mouth on Jessie's mouth, and Pikachu placed his mouth on Meowth's mouth. They all started giving mouth to mouth and after a couple of minutes, the trio opened their eyes.

Jessie's, James's and Meowth's eyes were all alarmed when they saw the twerps giving them mouth to mouth. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu all backed up knowing what could go off on them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the trio screamed as they lunged forward.

When then lunged forward, the marble in James's pocket flung out towards the wall behind the group. Magikarp saw the marble and immediately jumped out of the water and towards the marble.

"That's the marble," Serena said in astonishment as she saw Magikarp with the marble, "Magikarp must've known where that marble was. That's why she wanted to go in."

Magikarp happily responded yes to Serena. Somehow this Fish Pokémon knew exactly where that marble was. Right now, Serena put it back in her backpack and returned her along with Squirtle. Then she turned her attention to Ash and Team Rocket.

"It's bad enough you deceive us, now you want to make out with us!" Jessie screamed.

"Hey, me, Serena, and Pikachu just saved your lives," Ash retorted, "So maybe give us a thank you."

"You, twerp, saved us," Meowth questioned.

"Don't push it," Ash stated.

The trio decided not to recite their motto as there was no need to.

"So, what are you doing here?" Serena asked, "I was sure you get off this ship once it was sinking."

"We were supposed to get off this ship with the rest of the rockets after stealing your Pokémon," Jessie answered, "Speaking of, how do you twerps still have your Pokémon with you?"

"I can explain that," Rotom Dex answered floating towards the trio.

"It's pay-per view bot," James said.

"You see, Team Rocket did seize Ash Ketchum's and Serena Gabena's Pokémon along with Pikachu. Then I used a special feature called Roto Lotto where I can target a Pokémon, activate a slot machine, and play a game of chance to know the temporary status the Pokémon will go under. The results lead to a faster Pikachu knocking the rockets out with the blink of an eye and recovering their Pokémon," Rotom Dex explained.

"So, you're not just a TV?" James asked.

"Nope," Rotom Dex answered.

"But we still want to know, how are you still aboard and why you wanted to take these people's Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Come to think of it, after your motto, we didn't see you," Serena stated.

Jessie, James, and Meowth heard what Ash said. They learned how they countered the rockets but had no idea what they were doing on this ship. This was also the first time Ash asked why they wanted the trainer's Pokémon.

"We saved your lives, so we like to hear some information on you guys," Serena responded.

"Okay we'll talk," Jessie stated.

"In Celadon City, Team Rocket is running a hotel which also consists of a casino," James answered.

"The casino is so we can get money from two things, people blowing it on gambling, and the prizes we have. In the casino, we give away Pokémon," Jessie explained.

Celadon City rang its name like a bell to Ash and Serena. If they recall, their moms along with Ash's aunt and Leaf's mom were having a getaway there. Ash and Serena remember on the day of Serena's contest that they all got sick from food poisoning.

"Team Rocket set up this operation on the S.S. Anne to steal Pokémon from the trainers because the casino had a shortage on Pokémon," Jessie explained.

"Then after we began the process, Proton called us and told us to wait in the kitchen and await further orders. Only he locked us in the kitchen and left us behind. We got knockout by the flip and when we woke up, we realized the ship sunk, and Jessie was going to use Ekans to get us out only to find out the hallway was flooded," James explained.

That name widened Ash's and Serena's eyes along with Pikachu's eyes and Rotom Dex showed a shocked look on its face making a red flash on the screen meaning alarmed. They remembered his Rhydon back on Mt. Moon taking out Froakie, Fennekin, Pikachu, and Leaf's Ivysaur like they were nothing.

"You mean, the executive Proton, the guy we met on Mt. Moon?" Ash questioned.

"Right," the trio answered in union.

"Why did he lock you in there?" Ash asked with authority.

This was going to be tough for the trio. Sure, they may be the grown-ups and the almighty bad guys known as Team Rocket, but who knows what fire could spark up inside of these two kids when they hear about what happened.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

The trio explained that their moms actually checked into the hotel and casino that Team Rocket was actually running. They were already worried when they heard they had a major operation in Celadon City where their moms were having their getaway with Yellow and Rose, but now the news they were actually staying in that hotel. The trio even mentioned that their moms got Pokémon from in in the forms of a Mime Jr. and a Happiny. Rotom Dex couldn't analyze them until he met them up close.

Then came the part that was sure to enrage Ash and Serena. The trio admitted that their superiors gave them the orders to cook up their dinners for them one night to kill them. Even though they admitted that they didn't understand the process and ended up botching it which instead lead to an unbearable toilet scene at the department store that landed them in the hospital with food poisoning, Ash and Serena were angry.

For kids, they pretty much overpowered them and pinned them to the ground. They were both grunting, breathing like a Tauros, and gritting their teeth.

"Give us one good reason not to actually kill you!" Ash screeched in an angry tone.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Team Rocket is paying for their hospital stay," Meowth said while struggling against Pikachu's grip.

"It's one thing taking people's Pokémon and trying to kill us but trying to kill my moms without any warning to us! You are indeed the most despicable group of human beings I've ever met!" Serena shouted.

"Don't talk to us, talk to our superiors! It was their plan, not ours! We were just following orders!" Jessie cried.

They were ready to show no mercy to those bastards, but then they started to relax. Ash and Serena cleared their minds and realized something, even though they didn't succeed in killing their moms and Ash's aunt, possibly killing them would just sink them as low as Team Rocket. With that in mind, Ash and Serena let go of Jessie and James, and when Pikachu saw what they did, he decided to let go of Meowth.

"I'm glad you understand this," Jessie said.

"No Jessie, we're just angry and we realized that hurting you isn't the answer," Serena stated.

"Even if you did kill our moms," Ash replied.

"So, you're letting us go and not kill us?" James asked.

"We won't kill you, it's not right," Ash stuttered.

"But you killed other rockets in the past," Meowth stated, "You know, back in Viridian Forest and Mt. Moon."

"No, we didn't, those Beedrill killed those rockets, and the Clefairy probably didn't mean too as they were just trying to defend us," Serena defended, "I'm not going to sink to your level and kill you, and besides, it could come back to haunt us."

The trio could hear that Ash and Serena made a point. Whether they killed their moms or not, would killing them solve their problems. It wouldn't do any good except add to their sadness. With that, everyone took deep breaths.

"Okay listen, we're stuck on a ship, we don't like each other, no we hate each other. But we have no choice," Ash said.

"No choice in what?" James asked.

"Me and Serena are going to try and get off this ship, and despite what we heard from you, we need to help you guys as well," Ash explained.

"You mean," Jessie stuttered.

"Yep, we're going to have to work together, all four of us," Ash announced.

Everyone got a shocked look on their face. Serena, Rotom Dex, and Pikachu were not feeling fond of it while Jessie, James, and Meowth were just agitated. The two good guys from Pallet Town and members of a criminal organization working together?

"Ash, you know these guys are part of a terrorist organization so why are you helping them?" Rotom Dex questioned, "There is a good probability that they will still do bad things, and I'm not talking about my probability features."

"We accidently saved their lives, they at least confessed to something they did, they told us what Team Rocket was doing, and we need to stop them before they try anything else," Ash answered, "And besides, we're not leaving anyone behind."

"No way we're teaming up with you! You're public enemies of Team Rocket remember!" Jessie shouted pointing at Ash.

"And not only that, if the ship doesn't kill us, the executives will when they hear that you found out about the casino," Meowth cried.

"Ash, do we really have to do this?" Serena questioned.

It's true that they hate each other, but there have been moments when rivals and good and evil put their differences aside to work together to overcome an obstacle or strong foe. Nothing in the rules saying they have to love it, just as long as they cooperate. After thinking things through, Serena, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Rotom Dex can understand Ash has a point. They need to get off this ship and continue living their lives. It wouldn't just be them working together, they have their Pokémon too.

"Alright, this is a temporary alliance," James said as he took out Ash's hand.

"Agreed, once we're back on dry land, this alliance is terminated," Ash said as he shook James hand.

Serena shook Jessie's hand and Pikachu shook Meowth's hand agreeing to the truce that they were going to work together to get off this ship.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Hallway**_

"Alright, now if I can speak. Rotom Dex has given us a layout of the ship and our destination is the bottom which in this case is the top," Serena told everyone as they were walking.

"You mean we're going to the cargo?" Meowth questioned.

"Just follow our lead," Serena said.

As they were walking down the hall, they found a hole in the ceiling or the floor. There was a staircase, but it was upside down. Too bad nobody had an Onix because it would've made a staircase for them.

"So how are we going to get up?" James asked.

"I could send Bulbasaur out, but I don't know a place where he can anchor himself or a good place to attack his vines to," Ash explained.

"Hold on, I have an idea," Jessie said pulling out a Pokeball, "Ekans go!"

Ekans came out of the Pokeball and gave out a loud cry. Ekans then turned to Jessie awaiting an order.

"Ekans jump up and grab a hold of that part of the ceiling with your mouth as hard as you can," Jessie told Ekans.

Ekans hopped up at the ceiling. and bit down, and then he left the rest of his body dangling down.

"We'll use Ekans as a rope," Jessie said smirking.

"That's, a good idea I guess," Rotom Dex said.

Rotom Dex just completely floated up to the next floor while everyone started getting a hold of Ekans. It was best that they climbed one at a time and decided that the lighter weight people, in that case the Pokémon climb up first. Meowth went up followed by Pikachu, and then Ash took his turn climbing up on Ekans followed by Serena. The weight of those two humans took a bit of a toll on Ekans's grip, and when James came up next, that caused his eyes to water. The only person left to get up was Jessie, but it doesn't look like Ekans can hold on much longer.

"Jessie, if you want you can call back Ekans and I can have Bulbasaur give you a lift up," Ash called out.

"I'm fine," Jessie said as she began to climb Ekans.

Ekans began to struggle as he took too much from having Ash, Serena, and James climb up all over him. Ekans wanted to get Jessie up, but his biting grip was starting to get weak.

"Hang on Ekans, don't let me fall," Jessie cried.

However, it wasn't enough, Ekans's bite was worn off and he and Jessie fell to the ground. Jessie was moaning with a few bruises while Ekans's mouth was feeling sore. The Snake Pokémon looked at Jessie and he felt bad for letting the woman that cared about him fall like that.

"Are you alright Ekans?" Jessie asked.

This surprised Ash and Serena, that might have been the first time they've seen someone from Team Rocket ask one of their Pokémon if they're alright. Maybe there was a slight good side to Jessie after all.

"Alright twerp, you can send me some help," Jessie told Ash.

Ash was about to grab Bulbasaur's Pokeball, but something happened with Ekans. The Snake Pokémon jumped up and gave the ceiling another bite. Maybe Ekans was just tired from biting for so long that he needed a breather. Jessie was going to attempt to climb Ekans until something happened. Ekans began to glow white.

Ekans began to change form and then he was then replaced by another snake looking Pokémon, but this time in the form of a cobra. The Pokémon had a long purple snake like body, but with a flat upper body with red and yellow marks and his head resembled a hissing cobra. That wasn't an Ekans anymore, that was an Arbok.

"Wow, Jessie's Ekans evolved into Arbok!" Meowth exclaimed in excitement.

"Arbok?" Ash questioned.

"Let me look up Arbok for you," Rotom Dex said analyzing Arbok.

 _#024-Arbok: Cobra Pokémon_

 _The latest research has determined that there are over 20 possible arrangements of the patterns on its stomach._

"I can't believe it, Ekans evolved," Jessie said.

Arbok found new strength to keep grip on the floor to allow Jessie to climb up. Jessie was able to get to the top and the group decided to help Arbok up instead of having Jessie return him to his Pokeball. Once the Cobra Pokémon was up with the others, Jessie gave Arbok a big hug.

"Thank you, what's his name?" Jessie asked while hugging Arbok.

"Arbok," James answered.

"Arbok, you were terrific!" Jessie responded while hugging Arbok.

"Charbok!" Arbok replied.

It looks like there might be some what of a bond between Jessie and Arbok, and it makes Ash and Serena wonder, what got them to join Team Rocket in the first place. Right now, was not the time for questions as they had a mission to get off the ship.

"I hate to break up the happy moment, but we do need to get off this ship. Who knows how long we could have," Ash stated.

Despite the happy moment between Jessie and her Pokémon, they knew that there still was working to do. Jessie called back the Cobra Pokémon and the group continued down the hall.

* * *

 _ **S.S.-Anne-Dark hallway**_

The hallway was not dark as if this were the basement. No one could see anything in this pitch-black darkness. Rotom Dex was about to activate his flashlight sequence, but Ash had a better idea.

"I know you want to light the way Rotom Dex, but let's have one of our Pokémon have their moment," Ash said pulling out Charmander's Pokeball.

"Not a problem, I should let this Pokémon shine brighter than a Pikachu's Thunderbolt," Rotom Dex responded with what might be a bad pun.

"Charmander I choose you!" Ash called out sending out Charmander.

"Charmander," Charmander responded.

"Charmander, lead us down the hall," Ash told Charmander.

Charmander's tail acted as a lantern. The group followed Charmander down the dark hallway until they came across a metal door. According to Rotom Dex's layout of the S.S. Anne, the best way to access the bottom of the ship was through that door.

"Let's open the door," Serena said walking up to the door.

Serena looked for the handle and tried to pull it, but it wouldn't budge. After seeing Serena struggle, Ash came by and wrapped his arms around Serena.

"Try again," Ash told Serena.

Serena tried pulling the door with Ash trying to walk back, but the door still wouldn't budge. This door had to be tightly shut or locked. Now how were they going to get through the metal door? Wait, wasn't Charmander out?

"Charmander, use Flamethrower on the door," Ash told Charmander.

Charmander unleashed a Flamethrower at the metal door hoping it would rust the door, but this was some strong material the door was made of.

"Man, this door is tough," Ash said giving out a sigh.

"Let me have a go at this," James said pulling out a Pokeball, "Koffing use Tackle on that door!"

Koffing came out of his Pokeball and began to viciously tackle the door. Just like before, that door didn't look like it was going to budge in any way. So, what could they do to barge that door down? James looked around and saw Charmander and Koffing. It looks like James might have an idea.

"Twerp, Koffing, I have an idea. Let's have Koffing unleash his gas on the door and then Charmander can use Flamethrower creating an explosion," James suggested, "If that's alright with you Koffing."

"Koffing," Koffing responded agreeing.

"You could kill us all," Ash said.

"No, he won't, we just have to stand back and let Charmander fire from a distance," Serena said hearing out James's idea.

"Good point," Ash said looking over at Koffing, "At least Koffing is agreeing to do this."

With that, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Charmander, Jessie, James, and Meowth while Koffing remained by the door. Koffing had to be near the door and would likely be caught in the explosion. Even though Koffings can learn Self-Destruct and Explosion, James's Koffing didn't know any of those attacks. James was going to trust his and Koffing's instincts. The fact that Koffing agreed to be near the door and not doing it as an order, that might show a good side to James too. Like Jessie, he probably cares about his Koffing.

"Now Koffing use Poison Gas," James called out.

Koffing unleashed a lot of gas out of his body near the door. Koffing did it for about fifteen seconds until Ash gave out the command.

"Charmander use Flamethrower again!" Ash commanded.

Charmander unleashed another Flamethrower right at the gas. This resulted in an explosion that knocked everyone down. Everyone was alright from the blast, and as they waited for the smoke to clear, they could see that the door was successfully busted down.

"Way to go James!" Jessie cheered.

"No, way to go me and the twerp, his Charmander helped make the explosion," James commented.

Wow, a member of a criminal organization praised Ash for his actions in helping Koffing. James finally saw Koffing, and luckily for him, he was still floating. Koffing was strong enough to withstand the explosion.

"Koffing, you're alright!" James cried as he hugged Koffing.

As James gave Koffing a big hug, he began to glow white. Koffing was now changing form and now instead of looking like a poison ball with a blank look, it was two poison balls with glazed looks in their eyes. It was a Weezing that replaced Koffing.

"Koffing, you're a Weezing!" James cried giving him a hug.

"Jim, your Koffing evolved into Weezing!" Meowth cheered.

"Wow, two evolutions so far in this mission," Rotom Dex happily said.

James was extremely happy with the fact that his dear Koffing evolved into a Weezing. Maybe he sensed Jessie's Ekans evolving and felt out of place and needed to push himself for an evolution.

"Weezing, I'm so happy for you!" James cried hugging Weezing.

"Weezing," Weezing replied.

"Uh James, you do remember we still need to get out of, here right?" Jessie asked.

"Oh yeah, we do," James said pulling out a Pokeball, "Return Weezing, we'll hang out later."

James returned his Weezing and the group now made their way through the now destroyed door and into the engine room.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Engine Room**_

What Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Jessie, James, and Meowth all saw was a fire in the upside-down engine room. This must've been the damage from both the bomb that went off and the effects of the ship sinking. It was clear that the walkway to the other side was upside down so there was no point in using that.

"How do you supposed we're going to get across?" Serena questioned in a worried tone, "We can't open up a hole in here."

"It could put out the flames," Jessie said.

"But it could put us in more danger," Ash stated as he pulled out a Pokeball, "But don't you worry, I got a plan."

Ash tossed his Pokeball and sent out Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon looked over at Ash, Serena, and the trio. He was just waiting to know what to do. It didn't look like Bulbasaur's vines were strong enough to carry so much weight, so maybe tightrope walking wasn't the best idea. Still how could they get across? Then Ash had an idea.

"Bulbasaur, use your vines to grip onto the walkway," Ash told Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur unleashed his vines to grip onto the middle of the walkway. It looks like the Seed Pokémon knew what was coming up.

"Alright Bulbasaur, I'm going to grab on to you, and then you swing me to the other side," Ash told Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur said in a panicked state.

"Trust me Bulbasaur, everything will be fine," Ash told Bulbasaur.

There was clearly a fire underneath and Bulbasaur didn't want to fall into it, and at the same time he didn't want Ash to fall into the fire either. Was this safe?

"Ash, are you sure this is a good idea?" Serena questioned.

"I don't know, it seems dangerous," James said with a horrified expression.

"Don't worry, I'll go first," Ash told everyone.

"Be careful Ash," Serena begged.

With that Ash held on to Bulbasaur really tight. So, Ash was really going to give this swing a chance. Bulbasaur and Ash jumped and began to swing across the room. He missed the door the first time.

"Try again Bulbasaur," said Ash.

Bulbasaur found more strength to give Ash another big swing. Serena was very frightened for her crush doing something so dangerous. Pikachu and Rotom Dex stood with concern. Jessie, James, and Meowth were all holding each other in fear knowing if something will happen to Ash. Then Ash noticed something, the walkway was breaking.

"Hurry!" Ash cried as they needed to move before the part broke.

Bulbasaur knew he and Ash were in extreme danger so he continued to swing for his life with Ash holding on. There were creaking sounds as it was beginning to break. Ash still kept missing. Were Bulbasaur's swings not strong enough?

"Ash," Serena said with worry.

Everyone noticed the walkway about to break and Bulbasaur kept trying to swing back and forth. Still, they were not getting to the other side. Ash was gritting his teeth, Serena was hyperventilating, Pikachu and Rotom Dex violently were shaking, and the trio covered their eyes. Ash still wasn't getting to the door, and then it happened.

The walkway broke.

"ASH!" Serena screamed in terror.

"PIKA!" Pikachu cried.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Ash cried.

Ash Ketchum was going to die…or he thought he was. At the last second, Bulbasaur sent out another Vine Whip, but this time at the door. Ash was now swung towards the wall, but he didn't touch the fire. Bulbasaur used his strength to lift Ash up to safety as he made it to the other side. Everyone saw what happened, and they were relieved.

"He made it," Rotom Dex sighed.

"Is it over?" James asked shaking.

"It's over, Ash is alright," Serena confirmed.

Tears were coming from Serena's eyes, she was afraid that Ash and Bulbasaur were goners. In the end, the two of them made it to the other side. Now there was a big problem, Bulbasaur was not only exhausted from swinging Ash around, but now there was no walkway for him to grip on. He already had trouble getting one person across and the other four needed to get across. True Rotom Dex can float to the other side, but what about Pikachu and the others.

"I'm okay guys," Ash confirmed giving a thumbs up but then had a grim look on his face, "However, I don't know how to get you guys across now."

Ash agreed no one was going to be left behind, and it didn't even matter if they told Ash to go on without them. Ash refused to leave them behind, especially Serena and Pikachu.

"What are we going to do?" Serena asked in despair.

It hurts Serena that she has been separated from Ash like that. Bulbasaur didn't have enough strength to bring any more people across, and he definitely didn't want to do that again. Serena was on her knees not knowing what to do. How were they going to get across?

"Any plans?" Meowth asked.

Serena then had to remind herself never give up until the end. They were going to make sure everyone got to the other side with Ash. Too bad they didn't have a big flying type Pokémon that could just serve as a lift. Despite Arbok evolving, he wasn't long enough to reach for that passage way where Ash was. Then, thinking about Pokémon that could help get them across, Serena didn't realize it, but she forgot to use her common sense.

Serena did have a Pokémon that could get them across, and better yet, Ash would've never had to turn to Bulbasaur. Serena turned to the trio.

"Guys, I do have a Pokémon that might get us across," said Serena who pulled out a Pokeball.

"Is it that Beedrill we've been hearing about, because I don't think Beedrill wants to be a carrier," Meowth questioned.

"It's better," Serena answered as she threw her Pokeball in the air.

The Pokémon that came out was none other than…Abra.

"An Abra?" Jessie questioned.

"I can't believe this neve came up to my mind," Serena said now turning to Abra, "Abra, use Teleport to transport us to Ash."

Serena pointed to where Ash was. The Psi Pokémon sensed where Ash was standing and Serena gathered the trio, Pikachu got onto her shoulder, and Rotom Dex came close by.

"Hang on everyone," Serena told everyone.

Abra used his Teleport to transport Serena and Pikachu, along with Rotom Dex and the trio to the other side of the engine room. Why didn't they think of this sooner? After that, Serena had tears of joy and ran up to Ash to give him a big hug. It felt hard for her to be separated from him in a dangerous situation.

"Ash, I'm so glad you're alright," Serena wept as he hugged Ash.

"I'm sorry I got everyone scared like that," Ash said returning the hug.

It was a heartwarming hug that the two shared. One thing Ash and Serena can agree on is they don't like to be separated like that. Serena knew how much Ash meant to her and would be devasted if something happened to her. For the trio, they felt like they wanted to cry. Despite hating them, they couldn't help but feel for them.

"It's a great sight to see, don't you agree Jessie," James said with happy tears.

"I know James," Jessie said with happy tears as she went into thought, _"I wonder if I will find someone, I can be close to like that."_

After their moment, the group realized that they needed to get a move on. They were now officially ready to enter the cargo room.

* * *

 _ **S.S. Anne-Cargo Room**_

They've made it, they finally got to their destination. The cargo room which was on the bottom of the ship. This is where they were ready to make a break for freedom or face their watery graves. Ash now had a determined look on his face, this is where they will make their break.

"Alright everyone, send out all of your water Pokémon," Ash told everybody.

"Do we really have to go up there?" Meowth questioned, "I don't want to get my fur wet."

"We have no choice," Ash confirmed.

Ash brought out Froakie while Serena brought out Magikarp and Squirtle. The trio on the other hand didn't have a water Pokémon.

"Where's your water Pokémon?" Serena asked the trio.

"Um, we don't have one," Jessie answered.

Serena had a shock look on her face. They were part of an organization that tends to use Pokémon for their own needs, and they attempted to steal Pokémon from other trainers, but they didn't have their own water-type Pokémon. Granted, these were the losers of Team Rocket.

"In that case, I'll let you guys be carried off by Squirtle," Serena suggested.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried as he hugged Serena's leg tight.

"It'll be fine Squirtle, I'll have Magikarp pull me," Serena told Squirtle.

Squirtle wanted to carry Serena out, but no he had to pull the trio out. Squirtle had a big frown on his face as he had to carry the trio.

"Squirtle's a strong swimmer so you should be okay," Serena informed the trio.

They looked at the Tiny Turtle Pokémon, did they really think this little guy was going to pull the trio up to the surface?

"Rotom Dex, get into my backpack. I don't want you to short circuit," Ash informed Rotom Dex.

"Indeed, I'll put myself on sleep mode," Rotom Dex said as it went into sleep mode.

With that, Pikachu jumped into Ash's backpack along with the shut off Rotom Dex. There was some rope in the cargo room, and they used them to tie them up to their respective Pokémon. Ash was tied to Froakie, Serena was tied to Magikarp, and Jessie, James, and Meowth were tied to Squirtle.

"Is everybody ready?" Ash asked everyone as they all gave a nod of approval, "Alright Serena, open the floodgates."

"Right," Serena responded as she pulled out her special red Pokeball, "Fennekin, come on out!"

The Pokeball opened and Fennekin came out of the ball. Fennekin saw Serena and looked to see Froakie was there too. Fennekin waved hi to Froakie while Froakie waved back.

"We can play later, now listen Fennekin, I need you to use Flamethrower on the ceiling right there. Make a big hole and once water starts coming in, I have to call you back," Serena informed Fennekin.

Fennekin was in no doubt a fire-type Pokémon that was weak against water. Serena didn't want to risk Fennekin getting washed up. After hearing out Serena, the Fox Pokémon unleashed a Flamethrower at the ceiling. Fennekin made a big square on the ceiling taking her time. Once the square was made, the ceiling fell, and water began to fall in.

"Good job Fennekin, return!" Serena cried calling back Fennekin.

The room began to flood with the pillar of water screaming down as fast as a waterfall, and it began to flood the room. Everybody looked at the water and knew that this was what they were going to have to enter if they wanted to swim upwards.

"Alright, let's go!" Ash called out to everyone.

Froakie, Magikarp, and Squirtle all jumped in, but the pressure of the water was too much. It was coming in so fast that all of the Pokémon struggled to swim through and ended up back on the outer part of the falling water.

"Oh no," Serena muttered.

"What happened?" James asked with worry.

"The water is coming in so fast that our Pokémon aren't strong enough to swim through the current," Serena explained.

"WHAT!" Jessie screamed, "You mean we're going to die in here!"

"No, we're going to keep going," Ash told everyone.

Froakie was not going to let this ship be the downfall of Ash, Magikarp has been getting some good attention from Serena and she wasn't going to let her down, and Squirtle didn't know the trio but had to get them out anyway.

With that they all jumped into the water again, but they kept getting blasted back. The room was flooding, and the air supply were soon to be running low. Froakie tried using a Quick Attack to pull Ash, but Froakie's speed couldn't even overpower the water. Squirtle used his Aqua Jet to pull the trio (even though he wanted to pull Serena), but the water and the weight of the trio seemed to be too much for them. Magikarp tried going under and trying to swim up the falling water from above, but the Fish Pokémon kept being pushed down.

The Pokémon were not going to give up, but they were running out of time. They fear that the weight of the humans was holding them back, but these Pokémon refused to let them fall to the despair of this ship. Not one Pokémon was able to budge, and Magikarp was the one who struggled the most.

Ash was gritting his teeth, Serena was getting worried, Pikachu was getting scared, the trio were about ready to cry. None of these Pokémon were strong enough to overpower the water. Magikarp can remember when he went to investigate something on the ship and couldn't budge the door and needed Squirtle's help. Now all the Pokémon were coming together, and they still weren't strong enough. Magikarp wasn't strong enough. Magikarp then turned his face towards Serena.

"Magikarp," Serena muttered.

Magikarp can remember when she got scammed out of salesman which led Magikarp becoming Serena's Pokémon. Serena has shown nothing but love and care despite her lack of strength. Magikarp even recalled when her being weak ended up playing a big role in getting Ash's Pokémon back from Damien, and just recently, Serena purchased a marble from the same salesman that she really wanted. Serena has done everything right for her. Magikarp was done being weak, Magikarp wished she could do something to help everyone. Then it happened.

Magikarp began to glow white.

"What the, Magikarp!" Serena exclaimed in amazement, "You're evolving!"

Ash, Pikachu, Froakie, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Squirtle all stopped as their attention was now on Serena and Magikarp. Magikarp was starting to grow in size and in just one moment, Magikarp was replaced by none other than a Gyarados.

"ROOOAARRR!" Gyarados roared.

"Magikarp evolved into Gyarados," Ash muttered.

"Gyarados," Serena uttered in happy shock.

Ash can remember in the Cerulean Gym when he was facing Misty's Gyarados and how tough of a Pokémon that was, especially for Pikachu. Gyarados was reckoning to be an absolutely powerful Pokémon after evolving from Magikarp. Then Gyarados gave out a call to everyone.

"Everyone, I think Gyarados wants us to hop on," Serena told everyone, "I think she can get us out."

With hearing those words, Ash called back Froakie while Serena called back Squirtle telling them both they did a great job. Serena got on Gyarados's back with Ash and Pikachu hopping on. The trio looked at the Pokémon with a horrified look on their face. That Gyarados sure was scary.

"Come on you guys," Serena told the trio.

"Are you sure that thing won't eat us?" James asked.

"Just get on," Ash called out to the trio.

"Right!" all three exclaimed in union as they hopped on.

Gyarados then looked at the falling water with a fierce look on her face. The Atrocious Pokémon glared at the water, and then she took off.

Gyarados completely overpowered the flow of the water getting through the hole and out of the ship. Sure, the group was blasted with water coming at them, but they were able to toughen it out. Rotom Dex was safely in Ash's backpack as Gyarados made a mad charge for the surface. Everybody had to hold their breath as long as they can. Despite Gyarados swimming at a fast rate, they still needed to conserve their oxygen. Gyarados kept swimming faster and faster and then she saw a light. It looked like sunlight, this must be the ocean surface.

* * *

 _ **Ocean Surface**_

Gyarados emerged out of the water and everyone stopped holding their breaths. Everyone was panting trying to get all the air out of their system. The group was relieved to see daylight again. After being on a dark ship for so long, it was great for them to be back on the outside surface.

"We made it!" Ash cheered.

Everyone was happy that they got back up to the surface. They were all okay, despite being severely soaked. Gyarados turned her head to Serena as she gave out a smile.

"You did it Gyarados, you got all of us out," Serena said patting her on the head.

Gyarados returned the gesture with a friendly moan. Now that Gyarados has evolved, she could probably help Serena in a big way with her career as a Pokémon Coordinator. Who knows what things Gyarados can do to wow an audience in a Pokémon Contest? But it wasn't time to think about that, they needed to get to dry land. With that Ash pulled out Rotom Dex and activated it.

"Rotom Dex buffering, buffering, buffering complete. Greetings Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, how may I…" Rotom Dex said until it noticed where they were and the Gyarados with them, "I see we made it back to the surface. What happened?"

Ash explained what happened after he shut Rotom Dex off. After hearing about how Magikarp evolved and charged them up to the surface, Rotom Dex floated over to the newly evolved Pokémon.

"Magikarp, no Gyarados, congratulations," Rotom Dex happily said, "Now you have a strength of…two Magikarp!"

Gyarados saw Rotom Dex and gave out a friendly nod and giggle as she knew that Rotom Dex was just joking.

"Alright, now all we need to do is find dry land," Ash said scouting the ocean, "Nothing but ocean, and I'm not sure which direction to go. Rotom Dex, can you give out a location."

Rotom Dex activated its map feature, but it received no data.

"No data Ash on where we are, I guess my signal is weak when were out in open waters," Rotom Dex said.

"I have an idea, why don't we send out our flyers," Serena suggested pulling out Beedrill's Pokeball.

"Good idea," Ash responded pulling out Pidgeotto's and Butterfree's Pokeball, "Pidgeotto, Butterfree, come on out!"

"You too Beedrill!" Serena called out bringing out Beedrill.

Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Beedrill, and Rotom Dex all got together. They took a good look at Ash and Serena as they needed to know what to do.

"Alright listen up everyone, I need you to go out and look for dry land, we'll stay here until you come back. Just go straight please," Ash told all the Pokémon.

"Or at least until Rotom Dex can get a signal and activate his map on where we are," Serena told the Pokémon.

The three Pokémon heard what they told them and agreed to help them find dry land. With that the three Pokémon and Rotom Dex went off.

"We'll be back you guys," Rotom Dex told everyone.

As Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Jessie, James, and Meowth all watched the three Pokémon and the Pokedex go off in the distance. Everyone was praying that they would find something soon.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

It's been half-hour since they the Pokémon have taken off. The group have been sitting on Gyarados since. The last time anyone has eaten was since they were on the S.S. Anne, and the trio barely has eaten anything because they were too busy doing business under Proton. Hunger has been taking a toll on the trio.

"I'm so hungry," Jessie said.

"Me too, at least me and Ash have eaten while we were on the S.S. Anne," Serena said.

"If we don't get any help soon, the next thing I'm eating is that Gyarados," Meowth cried.

"Gyarados is our ride, not our dinner," Ash retorted.

"But we're so hungry, we got to eat something," James cried.

They couldn't take the pressure of the trio complaining about how hungry they were. With that in mind, Ash reached into his backpack an pulled out some sandwiches.

"Here," Ash said handing Jessie, James, and Meowth the sandwiches, "I'm not going to let you guys go hungry."

"Gee, thanks," James said.

The trio ate the sandwiches in delight. If these three didn't work for Team Rocket, Jessie, James, and Meowth would consider Ash and Serena pretty good friends. Despite being mortal enemies, this was the first time the trio saw someone be nice to them in a while. They always got harassed by Cassidy and Butch, their bosses Giovanni and Arianna blame them for mostly everything even if they weren't present, and they certainly can't forget that abusive executive Proton. He was the worst, especially since he locked them in the kitchen to die.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a concerned tone.

"We're not going to let them die of hunger," Ash told Pikachu,

"Pika," Pikachu then replied with an aggravated tone.

"Don't worry, I won't let them get your ketchup," Ash said reassuring Pikachu.

Then out in the distance, there were four figures coming towards the group. There were three Pokémon out flying along with a floating computer, it was them! It was Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Beedrill, and Rotom Dex. This caught the group's attention as they were coming in.

"They're back!" Ash called out in joy.

The Pokémon and Rotom Dex joined the group once again. Did they find something? Did they find dry land? Rotom Dex came in to give them the news.

"We didn't find dry land, but I did pick up a faint signal. The Pokémon looked on our screen to show that about 20 miles north is landmass. It might be close to civilization, and once we arrive, we can know where we are," Rotom Dex explained.

"Thank you, guys, you're the best," Serena cried in joy.

All three Pokémon nodded in thank you. With that Ash and Serena called back their Pokémon so they can rest after being in the air for so long. Rotom Dex turned north to point out which way they needed to go.

"Gyarados, sail away!" Rotom Dex announced pointing in the direction they want to go.

"We're heading for dry land!" Ash announced to everyone.

"Hooray!" the trio exclaimed in joy.

Everyone started to get a good grip on Gyarados with Rotom Dex now going into Serena's backpack, and the Atrocious Pokémon began to charge north. They should be reaching the land at any moment.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Shoreline**_

It was a calm beachline with no tourist meaning this had to be something for travelers and not for tourists. No one was there, maybe a few Krabbys but that's it, and then a big figure appears out in the water. Closing in was a blue sea serpent like creature, that happened to be a Gyarados carrying four humans and two Pokémon.

Ash, Serena, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Pikachu all made it to the shore, and everyone was sent flying off. All of them landed on the beach with ease. For these people, they were just happy to be back on dry land.

"We're back, we're back on land," Serena said.

"We escaped the shipwreck and made it back!" Ash cheered pumping his fist in the air.

All of them were celebrating the fact that they have returned to dry land. Thinking it was going to be the end, instead it felt like a new beginning.

"We made it back thanks to you twerps! Thanks a lot!" James exclaimed.

"Now we can go back to killing you twerps!" Jessie cheered.

Ash's and Serena's stood in shock when they heard that. They wanted to get back to business that quickly?

"Excuse me," Ash muttered in a questioning tone.

"Yeah, you said we were only allies until we returned to dry land. Now that we're back on the land, we can make you twerps suffer again," Meowth announced.

"And thanks to that experience, our Pokémon are now stronger. We can truly beat you now," Jessie told Ash and Serena.

Well it looks like the Team Rocket trio returned to their old ways. Ash and Serena were not going to let their guard down.

"We did agree to be enemies again, but since there is no police and you confessed about some things about Team Rocket, we will let you run today," Ash explained.

"And whenever we get to Celadon City, we are going to have a few words with Team Rocket. But we'll be nice and not tell on them, so you don't get in any trouble," Serena told the trio.

"But that doesn't mean we'll let you off easy," Rotom Dex told the trio.

Gyarados then leaned over the Team Rocket trio.

"You forgot that on that ship, we got stronger too," Serena said with a smirk, "Ask Gyarados."

The trio looked at the ferocious Gyarados looming right at them. Gyarados was ready to give them a total beating.

"Rotom Dex, what attacks does Gyarados know?" Serena asked with a smirk.

"Let's see," Rotom Dex replied getting data on Gyarados, "This Gyarados knows Bite, Twister, Aqua Tail, and Dragon Rage."

"Alrighty then, Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" Serena commanded.

Gyarados's tail started to be engulfed in water and the trio were very frightened. Gyarados swung her tail right at the trio sending them into the sky. Team Rocket was blasting off.

"We're blasting off again!" the trio cried as they disappeared in the sky.

Despite being enemies again, Ash and Serena realized that they did do something wrong, and the trio made this mistake as well. They never got the chance to actually thank them for helping them out of the ship. Whether it was Jessie's Ekans coming through as a tough rope, or James's Koffing helping blow up the door, they could've not made it through those obstacles. Not to mention they may have given them a hand in evolving their Pokémon.

"We should've thanked them Serena," Ash told Serena.

"I know," Serena responded, "You know something Ash, somewhere deep down, those three might not be as bad as they seem to be."

"You could be right Serena, but for right now their still our enemies," Ash reassured Serena.

Gyarados then came down and gave Serena a snuggling rub. Serena was thankful for Gyarados's efforts in getting them off the ship. Maybe that con man was a guardian angel, because today it was 3000 Pokedollars well spent.

"Thank you Gyarados," Serena said giving a bow.

Gyarados then gave a moan to Serena. She still remembers what she put in her backpack. Gyarados was looking at Serena's backpack.

"Oh yeah," Serena said digging through her backpack finding the marble she purchased, "I got your marble."

"Roar!" Gyarados happily roared.

"Do you want it?" Serena asked.

"Roar!" Gyarados answered confirming yes.

"Alright," Serena said tossing Gyarados the marble.

Gyarados got the marble, but it didn't look like the Atrocious Pokémon wanted to play with the marble but try to see how it can stay on her body. She didn't want to put it in her mouth because she would lose it, or it could possibly be a choking hazard.

"I see, I think Gyarados wants to wear the marble as an accessory," Ash said.

"Is that true?" Serena asked.

"Roar!" Gyarados answered confirming yes.

"I see, well I don't think I got anything on me to have you wear it as an accessory so just give it back to me for right now," Serena suggested.

Gyarados knew Serena was right. There was no way that marble could stay sticking to her body. With that, Gyarados tossed the marble back to Serena which she carefully put back in her backpack. Then Serena got out her Pokeball for Gyarados.

"Alright Gyarados, return," Serena said calling back Gyarados, "And thank you."

Serena smiled as she looked at Gyarados's Pokeball. She couldn't wait to see what this Pokémon could have in store for her in her upcoming contests.

"Well, it's time to hit the road," Ash said putting his hand on Serena's shoulder, "Rotom Dex, where's the closest gym?"

"According to my layout, the closest Pokémon Gym that you haven't gotten a badge from yet is located in Celadon City," Rotom Dex confirmed, "And if we're lucky, there could be a contest there."

The name Celadon City definitely rang a bell to Ash and Serena. That was where their moms were for their getaway, and they were staying in their hotel and casino. Jessie and James have even admitted to trying to kill them when they checked into their hotel. These two wanted to get some payback on Team Rocket and protect their moms from any further harm. It would be a good idea to get in touch with them first.

"And where is the nearest Pokémon Center?" Ash asked.

"Two and a half miles west," Rotom Dex answered.

"Alright, Celadon City here we come!" Ash said raising his fist into the air.

Just as they were about to go, Serena noticed something, and it was right where Gyarados was sitting. It wasn't noticed because Gyarados was on top of it. There was a Pokeball with a gold top and a silver bottom.

"What is that?" Serena asked herself.

"What did you find Serena?" Ash asked walking up towards Serena.

They inspected this weird looking Pokeball. Something that they noticed on top was a marking that inscripted GS. What was this Pokeball?

"It's a strange looking Pokeball," Serena answered.

Serena took a look at the Pokeball and tried opening it. It wouldn't budge. Ash tried opening the Pokeball too and just like Serena, no luck.

"What kind of Pokeball is this, and how can we open it?" Ash asked himself.

This was no ordinary Pokeball that's for sure. Ash and Serena were considering talking about it with Professor Oak. This had to have been an amazing discovery they just made.

" _You will tell no one about what you just found!"_ a voice called out.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were all looking around like there was some ghost. The voice told them not to tell anyone about the Pokeball. But, why?

" _Listen here my children, take that ball and hang onto it. You will learn more about it in times to come,"_ the voice said, _"We'll see if you're worthy of it. You will not tell a soul about it or there will be consequences."_

Worthy of a special Pokeball? Can't tell anyone about it? Where did this Pokeball come from? Probably the biggest question of them all, where did that voice come from?

"Why do they want us to carry this Pokeball?" Ash asked, "And why can't we tell anyone about it?"

"I don't know, but let's listen to the voice out of nowhere and not tell anybody about it," Serena suggested.

Pikachu and Rotom Dex agreed not to tell anyone about the special Pokeball. With that, Ash put the Pokeball in his backpack to make sure no one sees it. There were so many questions on that happening, but for right now it was best not to think about it. Right now, Ash and Serena were going to make a run to the nearest Pokémon Center to give their moms a call. They have a feeling they could still be at the hospital.

* * *

 _ **Outskirts of Vermillion City**_

People in Vermillion City were paying their respects to the people that were lost on the S.S. Anne. However, in the outskirts of Vermillion City there were a group of rockets who had a stash of Pokeballs with them. The operation of stealing the Pokémon from trainers aboard the S.S. Anne was a complete success. Proton was there watching over the grunts.

"Well boys, our operation on the S.S. Anne was a complete success. We'll take these Pokémon back to Celadon City and get some profit out of them," Proton said with a smirk, _"And wait till everyone hears that those retards are dead. Now what would be something I can say, but I guess I could make them look good. Maybe they sacrificed themselves to let us go, such noble soldiers."_

Proton was wondering to himself, why should the trio get any praise? All those three fools have done was screw everything up. As Proton was thinking, something was up in the sky that didn't catch his attention. Two people and a Meowth were falling from the sky and it looked like they were aimed for Proton.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Proton screamed.

The trio crashed into the Team Rocket executive. Jessie, James, and Meowth piled up on the cruel Team Rocket executive as he was unable to move any part of his body.

"It's like having a hard threesome!" Proton screamed.

The trio realized that they have just landed on Proton and immediately hurried off before he blew his gasket. Jessie, James, and Meowth then stood in front of the executive with authority. Proton got a good look at the people who landed on him, and he had a shocked look on his face.

"You three, you're alive," Proton stuttered.

Proton remembered that he locked them in the kitchen to die while the S.S. Anne sunk to the bottom of the ocean. He is wondering right now how on earth did those three get out of there alive?

"Yep, managed to make it back to the surface," James declared.

"How!" Proton shrieked until he calmed down and spoke with more order, "How did you survive?

Despite Ash and Serena being their mortal enemies once again, there was no way the trio wanted to lose their moral code of being criminals by revealing that they worked with them to get off the ship. So, they had to make something up, and recalling Serena's Magikarp evolving, Jessie came up with the perfect story.

"Yeah, well we got caught on the S.S. Anne after it sunk. We should've been goners, and then all of sudden the ship was swarming with Gyarados. He hopped on one of those Gyarados without having them notice, and once they saw us, it threw us off and coincidentally we ended up right back here," Jessie explained.

Proton didn't want to believe that one bit. He was making sure those bastards were dead for messing up their plans, especially back in Celadon City. He never wanted anyone to know that he actually tried to kill them, and the trio never wanted to know their mortal enemies saved their lives.

"I guess that's some strange miracle," Proton said, "Alright, we got to take these Pokemon back to the casino. I'll call a helicopter to bring you three back to headquarters."

"Yes sir!" the three exclaimed saluting them.

So all the rockets began loading the Pokeballs onto the helicopter. Proton made a call to Team Rocket headquarters to inform them to pick up Jessie, James, and Meowth. After the call was made, Proton looked at the trio with an angry glare.

" _One of these days, one of these days you three will be dead,"_ Proton thought to himself.

* * *

 **That Pokeball Ash and Serena found was indeed the GS Ball. I said I wasn't going to do Orange Islands, and I'm not, but the GS Ball's plot is going to be in the story. It will have some importance in the Kanto Arc, but it will play a bigger role in the Johto Arc.**

 **Serena's Magikarp came to the rescue and evolved into Gyarados, guess you can't wait to see her in a contest. By the way, that marble Gyarados was obsessive over was actually a Gyaradosite meaning there will be Mega Evolution! Ash and Serena will eventually get their Key Stones here in the Kanto Arc, but not until they have collected a few more Mega Stones.**

 **Now I want to open up another poll. Ash's Charmander who will become Charizard will get one Mega Stone, and I'll give him the other one later. The poll question, which Mega Stone should Charizard get first?**

 **Charizardite X or Charizardite Y**

 **Now Ash and Serena have their sights on Celadon City. They will arrive in a few chapters. Next time Ash says goodbye to one of his Pokémon while Serena says hello to a new Pokémon. See you next time.**

 **Chapter 26: Bye Bye Butterfree**


	27. Bye Bye Butterfree

**Well here it is, Ash will release Butterfree in this chapter and Serena gets a new Pokémon as well. I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Hospital**_

Delia has spent the past few days in the hospital, and today she got word from her doctor that she was going to be discharged tomorrow. It was unfortunate that she, her sister, and the women suffered food poisoning. Delia was in an area of the hospitals where the patients can get together.

Delia was hanging out with her sister Yellow, along with Grace, Jade, and Rose. Kind of felt like a little adventure, just a couple of days ago they were in cocktail dresses hitting it off at the casino, now they're in hospital gowns after getting sick. All of them were going to be discharged tomorrow.

"I hope I get a chance to speak to Ash soon," Delia said.

"I know, after hearing about the S.S. Anne disappearing, I kind of worry if our kids were on that ship," Grace said recalling hearing the news about the S.S. Anne.

"Me too, I don't want anything happening to Serena," Jade said with tears coming from her eyes.

"Hey, I could feel the same way for Leaf," Rose stated.

"Well, at least you all have kids to love," Yellow said with a pinch of sadness.

Yellow hasn't been much of an open person in her life. All four women had kids of their own, and Yellow never had a child of her own or married, and she barely had any friends. The only thing she had that could be the best for a child is Chu Chu, and the closest thing she had for a friend was her older sister Delia. This vacation was supposed to be a chance for her to open up and have a good time, and what has happened so far, she slept with a bartender after getting drunk, and she's in the hospital after getting food poisoning.

Delia hoped that one day Yellow would have some happiness of her own outside of Chu Chu. Just one question, who could make Yellow happy?

"Excuse me, Delia Ketchum," one of the nurses said.

"That's me," Delia responded.

"You have a phone call from someone claiming to be your son," the nurse said.

"It must be Ash!" Delia exclaimed clasping her hands.

"If it is her son, can we speak as well?" Jade asked, "Her son is traveling with our daughter."

"Sure," the nurse answered.

Delia made her way back to her room with Yellow, Grace, and Jade following. While Ash wasn't Yellow's son, he was her nephew. Rose just sat there with her arms crossed and a warm smile to her face. It makes her wonder how her daughter is doing.

"I might give my daughter a call soon," Rose muttered to herself.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Delia came into her room where the nurse had the phone in hand. Yellow, Grace, and Jade were there as well. The nurse handed Delia the phone and she answered.

"Hello," Delia responded.

"Hi mom," a voice responded on the other line who happened to be Ash.

"Ash, is that you?" Delia happily asked.

"Yeah it's me mom, and Serena is here too," Ash answered on the other line giving the phone to Serena.

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum, how are you?" Serena cheerfully asked.

"We're doing much better, in fact we're getting discharged tomorrow," Delia told them.

"That's great to hear," Serena said.

Delia turned around and noticed Yellow, Grace, and Jade in the room.

"Serena, there's someone that wants to speak with you," Delia said giving the phone to Grace, "It's Serena."

Grace got the phone and Jade came over with her.

"Serena, is that you?" Grace asked.

"Yeah mom, it's me," Serena confirmed, "How are you and mom?"

"Serena, my baby girl! We're feeling a lot better and I think you've heard that we'll be discharged tomorrow," Jade answered.

"Yeah, Mrs. Ketchum told me," Serena replied, "By the way, me and Ash have some good news. Get Mrs. Ketchum on the phone."

Jade signaled Delia to come closer and Yellow came by too to hear what Ash and Serena were going to say. They don't know this yet, but they were going to be arriving in Celadon City.

"Alright, what's the news?" Delia asked.

"Right now, we're in a Pokémon Center about west of Vermillion City, and the closest Pokémon Gym from where we are is going to be in…Celadon City!" Ash announced.

Delia was recovering from food poisoning, but hearing that news just made her feel better than before. Her son Ash was actually coming to Celadon City next. Grace, Jade, and Yellow heard the news from Ash that he was coming to Celadon City, and they felt as happy as Delia. Grace and Jade got to meet with their daughter for the first time since they left on their journey.

"Ash, even though we got sick from that dinner we had at the hotel, we were probably considering heading home even though they gave use two more weeks no charge," Delia said with concern and then turning her tone into joy, "But after hearing that, I'm definitely staying a bit longer!"

"Great, hey in addition you can watch my next gym battle," Ash told her mom.

Delia had a stuttered look on her face. Thankfully this wasn't a video call as they were using a hospital phone. She remembered the incident back at the department store with Erika who she learned was the gym leader. Even though she wants to see how well her son was doing, does she really want to watch a gym battle against the woman she…had an episode with?

"Yeah, that's wonderful," Delia said with a fake cheerful tone.

"And guess what, I spoke with Nurse Joy and there's going to be a Pokémon Contest there as well," Serena told everyone, "That means in addition to Ash's gym battle, you can watch my contest."

This was going to be a treat for the ladies, not only were they going to see their children again, but they we're going to be witnessing their progress. Ash was really hoping to win his fourth badge while Serena really prayed to win her second ribbon with their moms in attendance.

"That's wonderful, we don't need to look on TV! We actually can watch you in person!" Jade cried.

"It's great that you called us, because we got really worried after the tragedy that just happened recently," Grace said with some relief.

"Tragedy?" Ash questioned.

"You didn't hear, the S.S. Anne disappeared with a whole bunch of Pokémon trainers aboard," Delia told Ash, "The fact you kids called makes us thankful that you're alright on your journey."

So, their moms heard about the S.S. Anne disappearing. Ash and Serena did want to tell them that they were actually aboard that ship. They knew what really happened with Team Rocket taking over and then sinking the ship with the two actually being trapped on the sunken ship and using their Pokémon and working with three Team Rocket members to escape. Ash and Serena didn't want to worry their moms too much, but they also learned from the trio about the casino where they're selling Pokémon.

"Yeah, me and Serena are going to make sure we call you every once in a while," Ash reassured his mom.

"Alright, we'll I'll let you go now Ash. I want you and Serena to be safe, and we'll see you soon in Celadon City, Delia told Ash, "And Aunt Yellow is going to be here too."

"I'll see you soon. I love you, and be safe," Ash told his mom hiding the bit of seriousness.

"And Serena, we can't wait to see you again," Grace said.

"Me too, you can meet all of my Pokémon in person," Serena told her mom, "I love you moms."

"We love you too Serena," Jade responded.

The call ended and they were happy to have a nice conversation with Ash and Serena. It was going to be a joyful occasion that their kids we're going to be arriving in Celadon City soon. Then something came up in Delia's head.

"Oh, shoot I forgot to mention something to Ash," Delia said in shock.

"I know, I know, to change his underwear every day," Yellow said with a chuckle.

"Well that, and the fact his birthday is coming up and maybe we could celebrate," Delia told her sister.

"Hey, we can tell him when he gets here," Jade said giving a thumbs up.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center along the shoreline**_

Ash and Serena finished their phone call with their mom. The video screen wasn't used since they were calling from a hospital phone. They now prayed that their moms, Ash's aunt, and Rose were okay after hearing from the Team Rocket trio where they were staying. The two didn't want to alarm their moms about what was going on, but they wanted to make sure they were safe. The best thing to do is not let it overtake their heads, keep cool, and take their time to get to Celadon City and not rush themselves.

"Let's call it a night Serena," Ash suggested.

"You got it Ash," Serena replied.

It was time for them to go to bed for the night. After the events that have taken place with the S.S. Anne, they needed some good rest. As Ash went into his room with Pikachu, he pulled out the GS Ball that they found on the shoreline. What was the purpose of this Pokeball, and why did he and Serena need to carry it?

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

 _ **Shoreline**_

After getting much needed sleep, Ash and Serena began to trek down the shoreline to reach Celadon City. There was another Pokémon Center on the way Nurse Joy told them about, and they heard it would be a couple of miles after the end of the shoreline. Rotom Dex had that location confirmed on its map and Ash and Serena just took their time walking along the shoreline.

"So Rotom Dex, how much longer do we have to walk until we get to the Pokémon Center?" Ash asked.

"Well I have measured the distance, and calculated the time, and if we keep walking at the rate we are going, we should be there before sundown," Rotom Dex explained.

"Alright, thanks Rotom Dex," Ash said giving a thanks.

"Don't thank me, thank technology," Rotom Dex said spinning around.

"Pika," Pikachu chuckled.

As they were walking around, Ash stopped and looked out the sea. The water was clear, the sun was shining, and it was a clear day. The weather felt perfect for them to be on the beach. Ash then saw Serena's hair blowing in the wind. Her hair was truly beautiful. Ash realized something, the beach setting felt romantic and he wanted to do what he could to get closer with Serena.

"Hey Serena," Ash said.

"What is it Ash?" Serena asked with curiosity.

"Do you want to walk down the shoreline barefoot?" Ash nervously asked.

Serena's heart fluttered when she heard what Ash suggested. The fact they were walking along on the shoreline with their feet being caught in the waves. It would be like a romantic walk on the beach. The only thing Serena could fantasize now was Ash carrying her and running like he was some sort of strong lifeguard.

"I'd love to Ash," Serena answered with bliss in her voice.

"Alright, just give me a second," Ash said as went over to a nearby rock.

Serena joined Ash over at the nearby rock as they both took off their shoes and socks. While they were removing their footwear, one of Ash's Pokeballs began to shake and suddenly it opened up. Revealing himself was Butterfree. Why did he come out of his Pokeball?

"Butterfree, why did you come out of your Pokeball?" Ash questioned.

Butterfree was looking out west, the direction that Ash and Serena were going. Butterfree felt like there was something out there that was catching his interest. Just what was it?

"Do you want to come with Butterfree?" Ash asked.

"Freeeeee," Butterfree responded with a nod.

"Okay, I wouldn't mind," Ash happily responded.

After Ash and Serena put their shoes and socks in their backpack, they stepped into the wet sand and walked along with the waves trickling their feet. Sure, it may tickle a little, or possibly get them wet depending on how big the waves are, but it felt like a romantic walk on the beach. Still, Ash was wondering what has been up with Butterfree?

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

Just as they expected, Ash was enjoying with walk along the shoreline with Serena. The walk felt comfortable, and their feet got used to the water. Serena was on his side, and all he could do was look at her beautiful face with her hair blowing in the wind. Pikachu walked behind with Rotom Dex who helped the possible romantic mood for Ash and Serena by playing relaxing tropical beach music. Butterfree though was still focused on what was ahead.

"How does this feel to you Serena?" Ash warmly asked.

"It feels wonderful," Serena happily sighed.

It felt like a fantasy come true. Her and Ash walking together on the beach, and it was his idea. The fact Pikachu and Rotom Dex were there didn't bother her at all. Then another one of Ash's Pokeball's opened up.

"Froakie!" Froakie chirped.

"Hey Froakie, do you want to walk with us?" Ash asked.

Froakie not only gave a respond meaning yes, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon also went up to Serena's Pokeball belt. He grabbed the red Pokeball containing Fennekin and released the Fox Pokémon.

"Fenn!" Fennekin chirped as she saw Froakie.

"Froakie," Froakie kindly asked giving out his hand asking Fennekin to walk along the beach with him.

Fennekin noticed the atmosphere and how romantic it felt. The one thing she saw was Froakie sparkling in front of her offering his hand. Was Froakie making a move on Fennekin to walk on the beach while holding hands?

"I think Froakie wants to hold hands with Fennekin," Serena giggled.

Fennekin's eyes sparkled and the Fox Pokémon happily took Froakie's gesture. It seems that Froakie and Fennekin have been getting closer since they began their Pokémon journey with Ash and Serena. When Ash saw what Froakie just did and Fennekin returning the offer, Ash felt a confidence boost to try and do the same. He turned to Serena.

"Do you want to hold hands?" Ash nervously asked holding out his hand.

Serena felt like her heart stopped beating when Ash asked that. That just took her breath away, and it lead to her giving out a bigger smile.

"I'd love to Ash," Serena answered with bliss in her voice.

With that, Ash and Serena began to hold hands. Ash never could imagine how warm Serena's hands felt, and Serena couldn't help but feel the same way. Rotom Dex continued to play the music as Ash and Serena continued walking down the shoreline now holding hands, and Froakie and Fennekin doing the same thing.

Butterfree was seeing this and he only could let out a sigh. Still, that strange feeling he has was telling him that something was out there or him…or someone.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

Ash, Serena, Froakie, Fennekin, and Pikachu continued to walk along the beach while Rotom Dex and Butterfree continued to hover. Ash and Serena have been enjoying their walk holding hands as it truly did feel like a romantic walk on the beach. Froakie and Fennekin couldn't help but feel the same way for each other.

Butterfree on the other hand was feeling both down and strange. Butterfree felt like he was alone with Ash and Serena walking together like a happy couple, and Froakie and Fennekin feeling the same way. Sure, Pikachu didn't have a potential girlfriend with him, and Rotom Dex was a floating Pokedex, but it didn't help the fact that Butterfree felt lonely. On the other hand, Butterfree felt like there was someone out there for him.

Then something caught everyone's attention, it was a cliff. Ash and Serena and everyone else stopped when they saw what's in front of them.

"Ash, are those?" Serena questioned until Ash interrupted.

"Yep, those are Butterfree," Ash confirmed.

It was a group of Butterfree. There had to be like around one hundred of these Butterfree flying along the coastline. Why were there so many Butterfree around these waters?

"I've heard somewhere in the Kanto Region that Butterfree gather around for mating season. They come across these waters looking for the perfect Butterfree to be their partner, and then fly across the sea to start a family of their own," Serena explained, "I've learned about that from Daisy."

Maybe that was why Ash's Butterfree was feeling so strange. This was the location of the Butterfree migration where every Butterfree found their true love and start a family. Of course, Butterfree was hoping to find his true love.

"Do you think that's why Butterfree was acting a little strange? Because he might have sensed that the Butterfree were going to migrate from here with a mate?" Ash questioned himself as he turned to Butterfree.

Butterfree looked up at the flock of Butterfree up over the waters. Butterfree felt like there was someone up there waiting for him. Ash then got a serious and somewhat crestfallen expression. Should his Butterfree join the migration?

"Butterfree, do you want to go up there with the rest of the Butterfree?" Ash asked, "If you find someone you like and go off…I won't stop you."

Butterfree saw the somewhat grim expression on Ash's face. If Butterfree did find his mate, he would be leaving Ash. Butterfree enjoyed the time he spent with Ash since he caught him in the Viridian Forest when he was a Caterpie. After helping Weedle defeat Team Rocket, he evolved into a Metapod, and then he found the strength to evolve into Butterfree to help fight a swarm of Beedrill that Team Rocket triggered. Butterfree has helped Ash through his Pokémon battles and hopes to help him get his eight badges for the Pokémon League. Ash deeply cared about his friendship with Butterfree like the rest of his Pokémon, which also meant he had to think about Butterfree's…chance at happiness.

"Just remember what happens if you do find your mate up there, this will be your decision," Ash declared, "Not mine, not Serena's, not Pikachu's, not Froakie's or any of my other Pokémon, it will be your decision."

So, this was going to be tough for both Ash and Butterfree. If Butterfree finds his mate, they will have to part ways so Butterfree can start a family. Ash knew that if that happens, he would need to be tough and pull through. He cares about his Pokémon, but letting a Pokémon go away from him possibly forever, that's a whole different story.

"Go ahead and look around, maybe your soulmate is waiting up there," Ash told Butterfree.

"Wait Ash," Serena said as she went into her backpack, "I got something for Butterfree."

Serena had plenty of things in her backpack, and for being a girl with a passion for fashion, she had something for Butterfree. It looked like a yellow scarf. Ash brought Butterfree over and Serena got out the scarf. She placed the scarf around Butterfree's neck and knotted it up.

The two Pokémon trainers and the Pokémon took a look at Butterfree now with the yellow scarf Serena has given him. The Butterfly Pokémon looked like he could stand out now with the rest of the Butterfree, plus Ash and Serena could spot him easier.

"There you go Butterfree, now you can stand out with the rest of the Butterfree," Serena gratefully said.

"Free," Butterfree replied giving a thanks.

Pikachu, Froakie, and Fennekin all liked how Butterfree looked with the scarf, and of course Ash liked it too. The question would be what Butterfree would love to see him with that scarf?

"You will be the fairest Butterfree in all the land, or this flock, I don't know," Rotom Dex said trying to think.

"Well what are you waiting for Butterfree, get on up there," Ash told his Butterfree.

Butterfree flew up into the flock. Ash and Serena wanted to get a better view of what was going on, so they decided to scale the cliff. Froakie and Fennekin remained out of their Pokeballs and followed them with Pikachu coming along and Rotom Dex floating behind.

There was one thing the group did not notice was a small pink bear standing on four legs with a dopey expression. That Pokémon just stared blankly at the group. What was that Pokémon doing here, and why was that Pokémon looking at Ash and Serena?

* * *

 _ **A couple of minutes later**_

Ash and Serena were now looking over the cliff where the flock of Butterfree were. They put their shoes and socks back on since they were going to be running on rough terrain. All of them were trying to look for Ash's Butterfree, and they had no problem finding him thanks to the scarf Serena gave him.

"Find the perfect Butterfree my friend," Ash said looking out into the flock.

Butterfree was looking around for a female companion, but so far none have taken his interest. Either Butterfree wasn't interested in the companion, or the other females decided not to take him, or they already found someone. Looking for the perfect mate was going to be tough for Butterfree.

"Ash, I think Butterfree is having trouble," Serena said with concern.

"Give it some time," Ash replied.

Butterfree was indeed having a tough time looking for the perfect Butterfree. All seemed to be lost for Butterfree until something caught his sight. There was another female Butterfree that caught his interest but there was something different about this one.

It was a pink Butterfree.

Butterfree got hearts in his eyes and went all goo goo gaa. Butterfree flew right on over towards the pink Butterfree.

"I think Butterfree found one he likes," Serena said happily.

"Yeah, it looks like Butterfree is going all crazy with that pink one," Ash said happily.

"Pika," Pikachu cheered.

"Froakie," Froakie cheered.

"Fenn," Fennekin cheered.

Butterfree was hovering between the pink Butterfree trying to get her attention. Butterfree was doing all sorts of different movements trying to impress her. It almost looks like Butterfree was doing some sort of ritual dance.

"What on earth is Butterfree doing?" Ash asked.

"That must be his courtship ship." Rotom Dex answered.

"Courtship dance?" Ash questioned.

"Yep, it's some of the data I have on Butterfree. When Butterfree tries to win over a mate, it does a courtship dance as I way of saying I want to be your Butterfree," Rotom Dex explained.

"I think that dance looks adorable," Serena commented as she went into thought, _"I can imagine Ash would want to do something like that, well not the courtship dance, but a way of wanting me."_

As soon as Butterfree was finished dancing, the pink Butterfree took a close look at Ash's Butterfree and then slapped him in the face. The pink Butterfree flew off and Butterfree had a heartbroken look on his face.

"What happened?" Ash asked himself.

"The pink Butterfree…shot him down," Serena sadly answered.

After that experience, Butterfree flew away and went back to Ash. Butterfree had tears coming out of his eyes, and Ash knew that his Butterfree was hurt. This had to be a tough moment for Butterfree, just when he thinks he found the Butterfree of his dreams, she rejects him.

"I see you're taking it hard Butterfree," Ash solemnly said.

"Free," Butterfree said choking up.

"Hey, let's get away from here so we can help calm you down," Ash suggested.

Butterfree nodded at Ash's suggestion. All he wanted to do was be alone, but maybe being with Ash wasn't a bad idea either. With that, Ash took Butterfree within a wooded area with Serena and the other Pokémon following.

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

It's been an hour since Ash took Butterfree away from the group. Ash thought it would be best to let Butterfree cry it all out. Serena just sat there with a crestfallen expression along with Rotom Dex who had a concerned look on its screen. Pikachu came over to pat Butterfree on the back as he was there for him. Froakie watched over Butterfree's broken expression and decided to give Fennekin a sincere hug. Fennekin accepted the hug knowing how close she and Froakie have been the last four years. The only thing Ash wanted to ask himself now was why. Why did the pink Butterfree reject him?

"I don't get it, you're such a great Butterfree, I don't understand what could be wrong with you," Ash said.

"Maybe he wasn't her type," Serena stated.

"Still, I can understand how much it hurts after being rejected like that," Ash said.

While Ash was looking at Butterfree, he also noticed Serena. It had to hurt for Butterfree to be rejected like that and it made Ash wonder if he could go through the same thing if Serena were to reject him. No, there was no way Serena could reject him, they've been best friends for over three years and now here they were travelling together. Ash didn't want to be turned down by Serena like how his Butterfree was turned down by the pink Butterfree.

Ash wanted to do everything he can to help his Butterfree show how capable of a mate he can be to the pink Butterfree. He always told Serena and reminded himself never give up until the end, so he was going to help Butterfree get the Butterfree of his dreams. It would also serve as a learning experience for Ash if the worst-case scenario ever happened with him and Serena.

"Butterfree, maybe trying to woo a Butterfree or showing how handsome you look might not be the best idea," Ash told Butterfree.

This got Butterfree's attention, was there something Ash suggested that Butterfree should try before trying to gain another Butterfree's attention again?

"What I want you to show the other Butterfree is how strong you are. Show her some of your attacks as it can be a good way to show that you will be able to protect her and your babies. Not only will you win the heart of that Butterfree, but she and your babies will have someone to look up too," Ash explained to Butterfree.

Ash made a good point, Butterfree could show off some of his attacks like Tackle, Gust, Confusion, and maybe figure out more attacks he could learn. Maybe showing that pink Butterfree how strong he is will help her realize that he can be the perfect mate.

"Think you can do that Butterfree?" Ash asked.

"Free," Butterfree happily responded.

"Great, just you wait that pink Butterfree is going to have her socks knocked off when she sees how strong you are," Ash greatly told Butterfree.

Butterfree knew Ash was right, he needed to get back out there and show that other Butterfree how strong he is.

* * *

 _ **A couple of minutes later**_

Ash and Serena emerged from the wooded area and returned to the designated area with all of the Butterfree. Most of the Butterfree found their mates and that made Butterfree worry. What if the pink Butterfree found someone already or got accepted already?

"Alright, now where did that pink Butterfree go?" Ash asked himself looking around.

"I can find her," Rotom Dex said using his camera feature.

Rotom Dex began to search around the hundreds of Butterfree for that pink one. Ash, Serena, and the three Pokémon kept their eye out for that particular Butterfree. Rotom Dex made sure to zoom in as well. Butterfree was determined to find that pink Butterfree.

As they looked around on Rotom Dex's screen, it finally spotted the pink Butterfree. However, it was not a sight they wanted to see, it looked like another Butterfree was already near her.

"Uh oh, it looks like another Butterfree is taking interest in her," Ash said.

Butterfree's heart broke yet again as another Butterfree was asking to be his mate.

"I'm so sorry Butterfree," Serena sincerely said patting Butterfree on the back.

"Pikachu," Pikachu sadly said.

"Froakie," Froakie sadly replied.

"Fenn," Fennekin sadly replied.

But then Butterfree caught something on Rotom Dex's screen, and Ash caught it as well. The pink Butterfree was rejecting that Butterfree as well so maybe there was hope for Ash's Butterfree after all.

"It doesn't look like the pink Butterfree wants to be with that Butterfree, so you still got a chance," Ash told his Butterfree.

"Free free!" Butterfree happily said.

As soon as Butterfree was about to fly in for his second chance, he noticed something else on Rotom Dex's screen. The pink Butterfree tries to fly away but that other Butterfree keeps coming back. The pink Butterfree continues to reject which is good for Ash's Butterfree, but he keeps coming. These Butterfree are supposed to be peaceful Pokémon but this one seems to be harassing the pink Butterfree.

"Guys, I think that other Butterfree is giving her trouble," Serena said with worry.

The pink Butterfree refused to be accepted by that other Butterfree. It was now starting to draw the attention of some of the other Butterfree who were either with someone or still single. This Butterfree refuses to leave her alone. Sure, Ash's Butterfree got rejected by her, but at least he gave the pink Butterfree her space. This one however just wants to keep going. The answer is still going to be no.

Ash and Serena were extremely worried about the pink Butterfree. Surely this Butterfree thinking he was all tough looking for that pink Butterfree. The pink Butterfree continued to reject him but he kept on coming. Ash's Butterfree looked up there with determination of the scene that was taking place. This wasn't romantic at all, this was just cruel. After constant rejections, the other Butterfree had enough and was about to slap her with his wing.

The angry Butterfree flapped his wing as hard as he could, but it didn't hit her. The rogue Butterfree got a surprised look on his face to see that Ash's Butterfree intervened. Sure, this pink Butterfree turned him down, but that didn't mean he would let her get harassed like that.

"Ash, it looks like Butterfree is going to protect her," Serena said looking up.

"Just like what I talked about, show her how strong you are that you can protect her," Ash muttered in amazement.

Pikachu, Froakie, and Fennekin were all amazed that Butterfree was coming to the rescue to stop this rogue Butterfree. Ash had a determined look on his face knowing that Butterfree can do it.

"Ash, aren't you going to call out attacks?" Serena asked.

"No, this is Butterfree's battle," Ash answered.

He was right, this was going to be Butterfree's battle alone, not theirs, because if Butterfree does leave, he will need to be ready for that adjustment. Despite Rotom Dex's Roto Lotto feature they learned about on the S.S. Anne, it even wanted Butterfree to handle this himself.

The rogue Butterfree came at Ash's Butterfree with a Tackle, but Butterfree got out of the way and struck him with his own Tackle. The rogue Butterfree got an angry look on his face and came at him with a loud buzzing sound that knocked Butterfree away, that must've been Bug Buzz.

Ash was worried for his Butterfree, but he was able to take the blow. So, this Butterfree seemed pretty tough, well Ash's Butterfree unleashed a Gust trying to blow the rogue Butterfree away. The other Butterfree charged at Ash's Butterfree with a Tackle of his own, but Ash's Butterfree stopped him in his tracks with Confusion.

The rogue Butterfree tried breaking out, but unfortunately, he unleashed another Bug Buzz causing Butterfree to lose his grip with Confusion. Ash's Butterfree was mad. How could this Butterfree be so resilient? Then Ash's Butterfree did something he never did before.

"What's Butterfree doing?" Ash asked himself.

Ash's Butterfree began to dance around in front of the rogue Butterfree. Was he trying to taunt him or something? After that, Butterfree stopped dancing. The rogue Butterfree had enough and launched another Bug Buzz. It hit Ash's Butterfree, but he was able to withstand it. Did it have something to do with that dance?

"Butterfree took the blow this time," Serena said in amazement.

"I see, Butterfree must've used Quiver Dance," Rotom Dex said.

"Quiver Dance?" Ash questioned.

"It raises Butterfree's special power and special defense, and since Bug Buzz was a special attack, Butterfree took the blow much better," Rotom Dex explained.

This had to amaze Ash that his Butterfree knew Quiver Dance. All of the Butterfree were cheering Ash's Butterfree on, but there was one Butterfree that was more amazed than any other. The pink Butterfree may have misjudged Ash's Butterfree seeing how strong he has proven to be against the Butterfree that has been harassing her. With that, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Froakie, and Fennekin continued to cheer Butterfree on until he gave out another surprised.

Butterfree looked like he was using Gust, but he ended up launching air blades at the rogue Butterfree. It seems that Butterfree ended up learning Air Slash as well. Ash had to be impressed that the Butterfree he has was pretty strong. The rogue Butterfree was about to charge at Ash's Butterfree one more time, but he was too weak which allowed Butterfree to deliver the final blow.

Ash's Butterfree charged at the rogue Butterfree with a Tackle which knocked out the troublesome Butterfree and caused him to fall onto the beach sand resulting in a faceplant. At least Ash's Butterfree defeated the mean Butterfree logically by having him land in the sand rather than in the water, because that Butterfree would likely drown to death and he probably didn't have a trainer who could safely return him to his Pokeball.

"He did it!" Serena cheered.

"Way to go Butterfree!" Ash cheered.

The Butterfree cheered Ash's Butterfree for taking out that troublesome Butterfree who was harassing the pink Butterfree. None of those Butterfree liked how that other Butterfree treated the pink Butterfree. Ash's Butterfree felt refreshed after that exhausting battle. Butterfree showed everyone that he wasn't going to stand a bully like that Butterfree.

"Ash look," Serena said pointing out to the pink Butterfree.

The pink Butterfree flew over to Ash's Butterfree to thank him for protecting her from that mean Butterfree. Butterfree explained to the pink Butterfree that no matter who his mate was, he wasn't going to let anyone get in their way. The pink Butterfree gave out an affectious rub on Butterfree's cheek.

"I think the pink Butterfree is showing her way of saying thank you," Ash said.

"I don't think that's all," Serena said pointing out to the pink Butterfree.

The pink Butterfree was now doing to courtship dance for Ash's Butterfree, which meant one thing, Ash's Butterfree won the heart of the pink Butterfree. This had to make Butterfree's heart flutter that the Butterfree of his dreams is now accepting him as her mate.

"It looks like the pink Butterfree is doing the courtship dance now for your Butterfree Ash," Serena said with happiness.

"Alright, good for you Butterfree," Ash happily said.

The two Butterfree continued to dance and it was a joyous occasion. It truly was a romantic scene between the two Pokémon and now Ash couldn't help but think about love himself. He turned over to Serena with her hair blowing in the wind. The scene with two Butterfree dancing to show that they're in love gave him an idea.

"Serena, may I have this dance?" Ash nervously asked holding out his hand.

Serena felt like her heart was racing faster than the speed of light. This was the third time Ash offered his hand to Serena and second time today. The first time was at Professor Oak's Summer Camp to help her up, and earlier today it was to walk on the beach, now it was to dance.

"I'd love to," Serena muttered in a bit of a happy tone.

With that, Ash and Serena started to interwind their hand together and started to slow dance. This was the first time he and Serena actually shared a dance together. When Froakie saw the scene, he turned to Fennekin and was bound to do the same. Looks like the roles were reversed because first it was his actions that got Ash to make a move, now it was Ash's actions that is giving Froakie a chance to make a move.

"Froakie Froakie?" Froakie asked Fennekin holding out his hand in hopes of dancing.

"Fennekin," Fennekin happily answered as they started to hold hands.

Fennekin was standing on her hind legs as Froakie held her hands. Now the Bubble Frog Pokémon and the Fox Pokémon were sharing a dance together. They have been best friends for four years and now they were taking it to another level with a slow dance. Pikachu felt like he was the only one left out until a certain floating Pokedex swooped in.

"Hey Pikachu, let's not have you be alone. Do you want to share a dance with me?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Pika," Pikachu muttered meaning no.

"I see," Rotom Dex replied until the screen showed a picture of ketchup which made Pikachu's eyes sparkle, "Now are you willing to dance?"

This was strange that a floating Pokedex was asking Pikachu to dance, but if ketchup was involved in any way, Pikachu was not going to back down. The Mouse Pokémon began to slow dance with Rotom Dex. This wasn't a romantic dance between the two since Rotom was not known to have a gender, but it just wanted Pikachu to not feel left out.

With Ash's Butterfree dancing with the pink Butterfree, Ash dancing with Serena, and Froakie dancing with Fennekin, Pikachu wondered if there would be anyone out there for him. While Ash and Serena along with Froakie and Fennekin don't consider themselves a couple, it makes Pikachu wonder where his other half could be. Because he sure wasn't going to have a happily ever after with a floating Pokedex.

Afterwards the dance concluded, and everyone gave a bow. It was truly a heart-warming experience for everyone. Ash was happy that his Butterfree was able to win the heart of the Butterfree he wanted, and that he has found his true love. While Ash and Butterfree were happy, they also were hit with a grim expression.

The two knew a tough decision was going to be made.

* * *

 _ **Evening**_

Evening fell onto the ocean as most of the Butterfree were now crossing the ocean. The only people and Pokémon that were there now were Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Froakie, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Fennekin, Beedrill, Abra, Squirtle who was hugging Serena's leg while looking out, and Gyarados who was watching from the water because she was too big to be on the cliff and also it was a body of water. It was going to be a tough choice for both Ash and Butterfree, and the reason all of the Pokémon were out was because what they feared was going to happen was happening.

Butterfree was going to cross the sea with his mate to start a family.

"I guess this is it," Ash muttered to himself.

Ash can remember when he caught Butterfree back when he was still a Caterpie. It was going to be a tough moment for these two, but in the end, Butterfree's happiness meant more to Ash than being on his team helping him win the Pokémon League. Ash then turned over to the pink Butterfree.

"This is a great Butterfree, I want you to take great care of him," Ash told the pink Butterfree.

"Free," the pink Butterfree responded.

"Free," Butterfree sadly responded.

Ash was starting to get tears in his eyes. This was going to be one of the toughest things he was ever going to do. He was going to let Butterfree go. Serena and all of the other Pokémon watched over knowing that this was goodbye.

"Butterfree, I wish we could've spent more time together. But I want to say, thank you. You've not only have helped me throughout my journey, but you have now proven that you can take care of yourself and look after this Butterfree and your babies," Ash said with tears streaming from his eyes.

"Butterfree, I know that your babies are going to be adorable," Serena kindly said to Butterfree clasping her hands.

Ash took one last look at his Butterfree. He looked at him at eye level and gave him a hug. This was going to be the last time they would ever see each other, unless fate works in crazy ways and has them reunite, even if it's for a brief time. Ash then gave Butterfree a big hug and let tears run down his eyes.

"Okay Butterfree, we don't want to keep your mate waiting. Go on, live your life, and be happy," Ash said choking up, "Goodbye Butterfree."

Ash broke off the hug and he gave Butterfree his space. After the emotional hug, Butterfree and the pink Butterfree looked out into the sunset. The two began their journey across the ocean.

All of the Pokémon waved goodbye to Butterfree and the pink Butterfree. It was time for them to begin their new lives. The time they've spent together will always be treasured by both Ash and Butterfree.

He can remember catching him as a Caterpie in the Viridian Forest, and on that same day Serena had her first capture within Weedle. Then the next day Caterpie and Weedle fought off Team Rocket where he evolved into Metapod along with Weedle becoming Kakuna. Then a swarm of Beedrill two rocket grunts pissed off ended up going after Ash and Serena and Metapod was able to evolve into Butterfree during that crisis to help beat the Beedrill with Kakuna evolving into Beedrill as well helping out. Then Butterfree had some Pokémon battles to help get him stronger, most notably the Cerulean Gym. Then came his moment where he showed how far he has come by taking care of that bully Butterfree.

Ash can say he is proud of how he raised his Butterfree with the upmost care. Now here is leaving Ash to start a family. It was too painful to say goodbye. Then Serena came up to him and put her hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Ash, Butterfree is almost out of sight," Serena told Ash.

Ash heard what Serena said, it wouldn't be long until Ash can't see Butterfree anymore. With that he made a dash towards the end of the cliff.

"Butterfree!" Ash called out.

Ash's Butterfree heard his now former trainer's voice. Butterfree turned around to see Ash calling out to him one last time.

"Thanks for everything Butterfree, you take of yourself, and goodbye, I'll miss you!" Ash called out in tears.

Butterfree barely could hear what Ash said, but he knew what it had to be. He wanted to send out one last goodbye. After that, Butterfree and his mate flew off into the sunset…and they were gone.

Ash stood on the edge of the cliff with tears coming from his face. Serena was there to comfort him. It was a tough decision, but he wanted the best for Butterfree.

"I'm proud of you Ash, you did what was best for Butterfree," Serena said.

Ash turned around to see Serena with tears in her eyes. It had to hurt to let a Pokémon go like that, but they both knew this was a decision that neither of them would regret.

"Froakie," Froakie said patting Ash on the back.

"Thanks Serena, thanks Froakie," Ash said trying to dry his tears up, "It's great to have friends like you in my life, and I know Butterfree will be just fine."

Ash watched over the sunset. Saying goodbye was a tough thing to do, but Ash found great courage to let Butterfree go and live his life to the fullest.

" _Be happy my friend," Ash thought to himself._

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

Ash and Serena spent the night on the cliff overlooking where the Butterfree flew off. It was a new day for the two Pokémon trainers as they decided that after the emotional goodbye, they decided to call it a night. They were now awake and ready to get going.

Things were going to be a bit different now that Butterfree was gone. Ash was only at four Pokémon with him and Serena sharing Pikachu. Serena had five of her own Pokémon. With Celadon City being their next destination, the two continued to walk on the beach, but they didn't have their romantic walk this time. Right now, Ash was just thinking.

"What's going through your mind Ash?" Serena asked.

"I'm just happy that Butterfree found true love and it makes me wonder if we will ever find our true love," Ash said.

"You mean, someone you can be happy with like your Butterfree was with that pink Butterfree?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah," Ash answered.

Ash didn't want to admit it, but the person he would be happy with is Serena. Of course, he wouldn't fly off into the sunset with her since they weren't Butterfree, but Ash hopes that one day he can win her heart. They've been traveling for a while now just the two of them, and he was hoping to become closer with her soon. Serena on the other hand was feeling the same way for Ash that she can win his heart. If only the two knew.

" _Why did I bring that up? Is it true that my true love could actually be Serena? I've seen her more than a friend for over a year. I found the courage to release Butterfree, I just wish I found the courage to tell her about my feelings,"_ Ash thought to himself.

" _I would like nothing more than me and Ash being a couple. I can imagine me being together with him forever. I hope one day I can tell him how much I feel about him,"_ Serena thought to herself.

As the two Pokémon trainers, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex kept traveling, they saw something. What they saw in front of them was a Slowpoke. This was the same Slowpoke that noticed Ash and Serena yesterday as they were heading up the cliff with Butterfree.

"Is that a Slowpoke?" Ash asked curiosity.

For the most part he looked at Serena. So, what was this Slowpoke doing here and where did it come from? First, they find that GS Ball on the beach and now this Slowpoke.

"Rotom Dex, could you do an analysis on Slowpoke," Serena suggested.

"You got it Serena!" Rotom Dex said spinning around and then doing an analysis on Slowpoke.

 _#079-Slowpoke: Dopey Pokémon_

 _Although their tails, which fall off naturally, can easily be found lying around, they're a precious ingredient for cooking._

"This Pokémon looks…interesting," Ash said in confusion.

The only thing Slowpoke was doing right now was standing there and breathing giving that blank look in the eye. Ash and Serena both gave out a sigh wondering what the hell does this Pokémon want.

"Slow," Slowpoke muttered.

"I guess I can go up and say hi," Serena suggested.

The honey-blonde coordinator approached Slowpoke. She bent down and looked at Slowpoke in the eye. That creepy look Slowpoke gave was bugging Serena.

"Um hello Slowpoke," Serena said.

Slowpoke didn't respond, he just stood there blankly like before. The only thing that was going through Serena's mind right now was that does Slowpoke even know what's going on.

"I was wondering, what are you doing here?" Serena asked.

Slowpoke just stood there like a statue breathing. This Pokémon was really creeping her out.

"Slow," Slowpoke muttered.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," Serena said with awkwardness.

This was an awkward encounter with Slowpoke and Serena would like to just pass by this Pokémon. As soon as she got up, a spare Pokeball fell out of her backpack. There was a small opening in her backpack showing that she didn't properly zip it up all the way letting a Pokeball fall. The Pokeball hit Slowpoke sucking it inside.

"What the, one of my Pokeballs fell out," Serena stuttered.

Slowpoke accidently went into the Pokeball and it began to shake. After a few shakes, the ball dinged indicating that Slowpoke has been captured. This was not how Serena planned a capture of any kind, by letting a Pokeball accidently fall onto the Pokémon.

"Well Serena, it seems you caught Slowpoke," Rotom Dex said in surprise.

"Yeah, I did," Serena muttered,

Serena couldn't believe it, she accidently caught Slowpoke. One moment she was having an awkward conversation with a Pokémon who probably had no clue where it was, and now Serena becomes Slowpoke's trainer. Ash was kind of surprised as well that Slowpoke was caught. He also couldn't believe that Serena beat him to getting six Pokémon first. Well one Pokémon was gone from the group, at least they have another one to fill that hole.

"Well Serena, you now officially have hit your limit of six Pokémon, and once you get your next capture, you can rotate your Pokémon," Ash said.

"I know," Serena said looking at her Pokeball, "But still, what can this Slowpoke do?"

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Hospital**_

Today was the day that Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, and Rose were going to be discharged from the hospital. The women were in high spirits when they heard the news that Ash and Serena were going to be coming to Celadon City. They haven't seen their kids since leaving on their journeys.

"It's so great that we're going to see our kids again soon," Delia said happily as she was now dressed.

"We all are Delia," Grace said patting her on the back.

They were all hanging out together as the nurses agreed to their terms that they all wanted to be discharged together at the same time. They came here as a group so they should leave as a group.

"So, are we going back to the hotel?" Jade asked.

"You heard the people there, after what happened to us, they agreed to let us stay for another two weeks. I'd figure it would be the best place to be instead of walking all over Celadon City looking for another place to stay," Delia explained.

"And besides, it's just one bad experience," Rose stated, "We need to rate the overall stay."

"Well okay, as long as I get a good massage. But I might be ordering take out now," Jade sternly said.

Delia then turned over to her baby sister Yellow. It was going to be strange heading back to the hotel where that bartender she slept with was.

"Hey Delia, I'm kind of nervous what if I see that Petrel guy again?" Yellow questioned.

"Well, just be the kind person you are Yellow," Delia told Yellow, "I mean I'm still nervous of what would happen if Ash went to the gym and found out I was his mother."

Delia was worried that her son's chances of a gym battle or winning a gym battle will be affected by Delia's bad experience with Erika. The only thing she could do now is hope for the best.

"I believe the gym leader will understand if you talk to her," Yellow told her sister.

"Thanks Yellow," Delia responded.

"So Yellow, are you going to ask for that Petrel guy's phone number?" Rose questioned with a vicious tone talking towards Yellow's ear.

"That's none of your business!" Yellow retorted.

"It is," Rose smirked crossing her arms.

"I hate to break it to you, but I think it's time for us to get going," Delia told the ladies, "Our first stop will be the Pokémon Center so we can get our Pokémon back. Hopefully they're feeling much better."

With that, the nurses finally took Delia, Yellow, Rose, Grace, and Jade out of the hospital in wheelchairs. Their first stop would be the Pokémon Center so they could pick up Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy. Then they would go back to the hotel and try to have a good time again while waiting for Ash and Serena.

They still had no idea that they were going back to Team Rocket's business.

* * *

 **Well, Butterfree is gone. I feel like I didn't give him enough time to develop, but I did feel that releasing Butterfree was best for Ash.**

 **So, Serena caught herself a Slowpoke, but it doesn't look like he knows what's going on. Does Slowpoke even know he got captured? I feel like it was a rushed ending.**

 **The good news is that I included some good amourshipping moments like the walk on the beach and the dance. Even Froakie and Fennekin had some romantic moments. FYI, I'm not shipping Pikachu with Rotom Dex (even though it showed a picture of ketchup on it's screen) but I have a potential girlfriend Pokémon for Pikachu coming soon.**

 **We'll join Ash and Serena again soon, but right now I've decided to do another interlude. It will involve Pokémon and should set up the stage for an upcoming arc.**

 **Interlude II: Lapras Under Attack**


	28. Interlude II-Lapras Under Attack

**So here is the second interlude of the story. Interesting fact, we're actually going to be seeing Ash's now released Butterfree and his mate as they encounter something. There will also be a scene at the end of this chapter that will feature the setting for a major arc coming up, so expect foreshadowing in this Interlude.**

 **Be warned there is going to be some gruesome scenes coming up in this Interlude.**

 **One more thing, there is going to be some lines from the Pokémon in this chapter, so you'll know what they're saying when they're not around humans. I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Out in the ocean**_

It's been two days since Ash released Butterfree and now he and his mate are crossing the ocean to start a new family. Butterfree proved himself to the pink Butterfree and this pink Butterfree was glad to accept Ash's Butterfree as her mate.

Now the two needed to figure out where were they going to go? There were some islands along the way, but they needed to find an island that would be most suitable for the two Butterfree.

"So, have any ideas on where you want to go?" Ash's Butterfree asked.

"Well I'm hoping it's somewhere safe and quiet, I do want our babies to be strong as you, but we have to give them a settling environment," the pink Butterfree answered.

Butterfree was gazing around. Sure, there were all these nice islands, but it didn't have to be an island they settle down on. They needed to make sure it was safe, and they could get a good supply of food.

"It's getting late, why don't we sleep for the night," Ash's Butterfree said looking at an island, "Look, we can sleep on that island for tonight."

"Great idea, and we find it comfortable, I might consider this our new home," the pink Butterfree said.

So, with that, Ash's Butterfree and the pink Butterfree landed on the inhabited island to rest up or call this their new home. Finding a mate was tough, but it turns out finding out where they were going to live would be tougher.

* * *

 _ **Cinnibar Island-Pokémon Lab**_

Cinnibar Island, one of the biggest tourist destinations in the Kanto region. There were many resorts, beaches, an amusement park, and most importantly, a volcano which turned out to be the main eyesight of the island.

While there were many things people could do in Cinnibar Island, it was home to a Pokémon Lab. Inside the Pokémon lab there were many researchers and machines to help take a deep look into the world of Pokémon. However, one machine stood out among all the others. It was big, had several computers attached to it, and there was even a conveyer belt. This turned out to be a machine that could revive extinct Pokémon with fossils.

There was a scientist who worked on this particular machine. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, he had short brown hair, wore glasses, wore a lab coat, and black rain boots. He was enthuastic of studying fossils since some were found on Mt. Moon, and now here he was attempting to work on reviving Pokémon.

"Soon, we will be able to revive Pokémon that were extinct for millions of years. It will be a big breakthrough to our studies on ancient Pokémon," the scientist said to himself.

This scientist along with the others in the lab were all hoping that this experiment turned out to be a success.

As he was working, another man walked into the lab. This man had short black hair and he also wore a lab coat. He had on a pink collared shirt with a red tie, wore brown pants, and black shoes. It appears this scientist didn't work in this particular lab, but he had proven to be a scientist.

"Ah Seymour," the other scientist replied greeting the man named Seymour.

"Mister Rikardo, what brings you over from the Silph Company?" Seymour asked the other scientist.

It seems this scientist Seymour was talking to works for the Silph Company. In addition to providing the necessaries for Pokémon trainers, the Silph Company also takes research in Pokémon and creates products of their own. Right now, the company was working on the Master Ball which would catch any Pokémon without fail. Today though, this scientist was here to observe the revival machine that would resurrect fossils.

"Please, call me Hector," the scientist named Hector responded, "I came to see the progress this lab's resurrection machine."

"Well Mr. Rikardo, I mean Hector, we're still in the prototype stage but soon enough it will be able to revive any fossils into a Pokémon," Seymour commented, "Think of it, we can witness many Pokémon from ancient times that most humans have never witnessed."

"Seymour, I think this will be a big breakthrough for Pokémon researchers. Just think of it, we will be able to study how these Pokémon from prehistoric times were able to live," Hector said, "I'm glad that the Silph Company is funding for this project."

It's true, the Silph Company has been funding for this machine since the project started. The reason they did it here in this lab rather than at the Silph Company is because there already so much work going on in there that they didn't seem to have room. Plus, for the fact that the lab on Cinnibar Island is one floor and the Silph Company is a tall building, it would increase safety measures in case anything went wrong.

"So, speaking of business, how is the Master Ball coming along?" Seymour asked.

"We're still working on it, and just like this machine the Master Ball is only a prototype. I think this machine will be ready way before the Master Ball. It could be years before we perfect the Master Ball," Hector explained.

The Master Ball project has been going on for years at the Silph Company and millions of Pokedollars have been spent on the big project. However, it could be a while before it becomes in full use.

Their talks however were interrupted by a loud cry outside. It sounded like there were Pokémon screaming outside. What on earth could cause Pokémon to act like that? It's a possibility that the Pokémon could be attacked.

"Did you hear that?" Hector asked.

"I think it was the cry of Pokémon, I think we should check it out," Seymour suggested, "Even though we're both researchers, we do care about the well-being of Pokémon."

With that, Seymour and Hector ran out of the lab to investigate what is going on in Cinnibar Island. The two scientists did have Pokémon of their own just in case they were going to need to fight.

* * *

 _ **Out in the Ocean**_

The two Butterfree were still scouting the area of where they could inhabit. However, the two Butterfly Pokémon came to a halt when they heard cries out in the ocean.

"Do you hear that?" Ash's Butterfree asked.

"Yeah, it sounds like someone's in trouble," the pink Butterfree answered.

Ash's Butterfree took the time to see where the sound came from, and when Butterfree heard the cries again, Butterfree could pick up where it came from. It was near an island filled with tourist.

With that, the two Butterfree flew off towards the direction of Cinnibar Island. Whoever was in danger, the two Butterfree agreed that they would together to save them.

* * *

 _ **Cinnibar Island-Beach area**_

Seymour and Hector were outside to try and figure out what those cries were. These two had some great hearing. The two scientists dashed out towards the beach and when they arrived, the saw something out in the distance that frightened them.

"Oh, my Arceus," Hector mutter in fear.

Out in the ocean were a horde of Lapras being attacked by what appears to be a pirate ship. There were several people shooting at the Lapras and killing them.

Some of those men were starting to reel up the dead Lapras up into the ship knowing how heavy they are, while the others were continuing to fight the Lapras. All of the Lapras were struggling as some of them were shooting them head on blowing their heads off. Lapras have not been trustworthy of humans and these so-called pirates are a good reason why.

"Come on mates, we can mate loads of money with these Lapras body parts!" a man called out.

This man had bushy black hair, a big beard, a yellow shirt, blue shorts, and black shoes. This man happened to be a pirate. This was a pirate attack and that man appeared to be their captain.

"I can't believe it, those poor Lapras are being attacked," Seymour muttered in fear.

"Pirates," a voice called out.

Seymour and Hector heard a voice somewhere. The two looked around and then they see a woman. This woman had long red hair styled in a ponytail and wore glasses. She also had on a black blouse with a blue skirt with a gold bracelet on her right wrist, and black high heels to top off her look.

"People and Pokémon can become like water, they go with the flow and for these pirates, they flow within the water of what could be a poisonous river," the woman said.

The two scientists looked at the woman and now recognized who she was. This was Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four. Lorelei specializes in ice-type Pokémon and the only person who surpasses her was the Kanto Champion Blue.

"Lorelei, what brings you here to Cinnibar Island?" Hector asked.

"I was taking a nice vacation after some hard work at the Pokémon League with Blue," Lorelei answered, "But for me, I don't have time for vacation when a Pokémon is in danger."

"I don't think those Pokémon are in danger, because they look more like they're being killed," Hector said with a dread of fear in his voice.

As the three watch out, those poor Lapras are being slaughtered by those pirates and being brought up to their ship. Seymour and Hector couldn't bare to watch anymore, and now with an Elite Four member with them, maybe they could work together to take care of those pirates.

"We can't just stand here anymore. We need to help all the Lapras we can," Lorelei said with authority.

"Right, I'll go get the police involved while you two take on those pirates," Seymour told Hector and Lorelei, "It isn't that I'm scared, it's the fact that I don't have any Pokémon."

"Good idea Seymour, you can get the police and we'll save whatever Lapras we can," Hector said taking out a Pokeball, "Come on out Magneton!"

Hector released his Pokémon and coming out was a Pokémon with three grey metal orbs attached to each other with an eye and magnets connected to them.

"Magneton!" Magneton cried out.

"And I'll send out my Lapras," Lorelei said revealing her Pokémon.

The Pokémon she sent out was a Lapras but there was something different. This Lapras wasn't turquoise, but more of a purple. It was an utter surprise to see that the Lapras Lorelei has was actually a shiny Lapras.

"Lapras, we got to help them," Lorelei told her Lapras as she then looked at Hector, "Let's go!"

Lorelei and Hector hopped on Lapras and began charging for the pirate ship. Seymour on the other hand ran for help at the Cinnibar Island police station. Whatever needed to be done to make sure that whatever Lapras can be saved and those pirates get brought to justice.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Hector and Lorelei were out in the ocean aiming to confront the pirates. This pirate ship has so many weapons as some pirates were using cannons while others were using guns and pistols. More and more Lapras were being slaughtered. The herd couldn't bare to fight much longer.

There was one Lapras that was shivering in fear, and it appeared that it looked like a baby, but it was still big and heavy. All she could do was watch her parents and the herd try to fight back, but more blood gets splattered by the attacks of these pirates.

Apparently, the weapons of these pirates were too much for them as well. All of the Lapras fell one by one leaving the water in blood. That scared baby Lapras was all that was left. Her parents were gone, the pirates had a whole lot of machinery to take her out, there was nothing she could do.

"We're too late," Hector muttered as there was only one Lapras left.

"Let's at least save that Lapras, one is better than none," Lorelei said, "Lapras use Ice Beam!"

Lapras fired off an Ice Beam at the ship causing the ship to shake. All of the pirates stumbled and lost their grip on the dead Lapras they were pulling up causing them to fall in the water. The captain took a glance over at who fired off that Ice Beam, and saw it was another Lapras.

"Who in the right minds did that!" the pirate yelled out.

The pirate looked out in the distance and saw Lorelei and Hector riding on the shiny Lapras.

"So, the famous Lorelei of the Elite Four," the captain said looking at Lorelei.

"You are going to pay for what you did to those poor Lapras," Lorelei said shaking with anger, "They just wanted to swim with the water, not get butchered."

"Oh, but miss these Lapras body parts can sell for loads of money and will taste delicious when purchased at the local supermarkets," the captain explained as he took a glance at Lorelei's Lapras, "Speaking of Lapras, I've never seen a Lapras of that color before. It will sure bring in big bucks."

"You wouldn't dare," Lorelei said.

Hector noticed that Lapras that was still shivering in fear looking at the dreadful pirate who just killed her family. She had no one, she was all alone. Hector couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The only thing the Silph Company scientist could do is protect the baby Lapras.

"Don't worry Lapras, we'll save you," Hector told Lapras.

The pirates were prepared to attack once more, but Lorelei made sure to stand their ground. Magneton was prepared to attack as well. The only question was who was going to be attacked first? Was it going to be the Lapras, Lorelei and Hector, or both? They had to be prepared for whatever was coming their way.

"My Lapras attack the ship while your Magneton protects Lapras," Lorelei called out, "Lapras use Brine!"

"Right with you miss Lorelei," Hector responded, "Magneton use Thunderbolt!"

Lapras unleashed a powerful assault of salt water at the pirates trying to knock them off their feet while Magneton unleashed a Thunderbolt to shock all the pirates onboard. However, the machinery seemed to be too much for Lorelei's Lapras and Hector's Magneton to handle. While the two Pokémon have been fending them off, it was a pretty tough ship and a tough group of pirates.

"You fools are only weakening yourselves!" the captain declared.

Lorelei had a concerned look on her face as did Hector. Sure, Lorelei may be a member of the Kanto Elite Four but even her Lapras is struggling against the ship. Hector's Magneton kept firing Thunderbolt to protect Lapras, but even it's starting to lose stamina. The pirates pretty much had them on the ropes of not only killing the last remaining Lapras, but them too.

"This is the end for you all!" the captain announced.

Right after his announcement of preparing to kill Lorelei and Hector, someone came from the sky. It appeared to be two butterflies, but the pirates were too focused on attacking Lorelei, Hector, and the baby Lapras. They were two Butterfrees with one of them being pink. Those two Butterfree knew that what was going on was trouble.

Ash's Butterfree and the pink Butterfree teamed up together to unleash a Stun Spore on the ship. The brown powder sprinkled all over the ship causing the pirates to be completely stunned.

"Where did those Butterfree come from?" Hector asked himself in amazement.

The next thing that the Butterfree did was unleash blue powder which then put all of the pirates to sleep. The captain didn't even see this coming as he too fell asleep. After all of the commotion, the attacks have finally stopped. Lorelei and Hector could take a deep breath now, and then they looked up and smiled. Those two Butterfree came to the rescue.

"I don't know, but they saved all of us," Lorelei said smiling at the two Butterfree, "We'll thank them later, right now we need to make sure all of these pirates are fully subdued."

The two agreed that they shouldn't waste anymore time. Lorelei's Lapras got up to the ship and pulled out another Pokeball.

"Come on out Dewgong," Lorelei called out releasing her Dewgong.

Dewgong looked like a white sea lion with adorable eyes. Dewgong started to use Ice Beam on the pirates to make sure they were frozen in place along with the captain. As Dewgong started to freeze the pirates into submission, the two Butterfree descended towards Lorelei who was freezing the pirates. Lorelei couldn't help but smile at the two.

"Thank you," Lorelei said as she turned to the baby Lapras, "You saved that Lapras."

Lorelei felt deeply ashamed that she couldn't save the whole herd but was happy with herself for saving one Lapras at least. One was better than none. Hector was now wondering since that Lapras lost her family, what will become of her?

* * *

 _ **Cinnibar Island**_

Seymour arrived with the Cinnibar Island police as Lorelei and Hector took the now seized pirate ship back to shore.

Police forces were on their way to arrest all of the pirates for illegal poaching of Lapras who turn out are an endangered species, once they were unfrozen. The officers raided the ship to find some disturbing evidence which turned out to be severed Lapras heads, along with other body parts with blood all over them. There were a bunch of shells ripped off the Lapras's skin. It seems like none of these Lapras could be saved.

All of the pirates were looking at possibly twenty years to life behind bars for poaching while the captain himself was looking at the death penalty as he had a long list of heinous crimes he has committed throughout his days.

"It just breaks my heart that Lapras lost her family," Seymour said looking at the baby Lapras.

The Lapras now had no home, she started to become even more spiteful of humans. Then again, two humans came in and saved her and one of them had a Lapras of her own who even fought alongside.

"Lorelei, it is my honor to thank you for your brave actions out there bringing these pirates to justice," the officer said saluting her, "You're a member of the Elite Four and you have truly proven why you got that title."

"Actually, the real heroes were these Butterfree," Lorelei commented looking at Ash's Butterfree and the pink Butterfree hovering beside them, "I actually struggled with these pirates, but these Butterfree appear out of nowhere and begin stunning them and putting them to sleep. I guess the water flow brought them here."

The two Butterfree were the heroes because if it weren't for them, Lorelei and Hector along with the baby Lapras and Lorelei's Lapras would've been killed. Ash's Butterfree and the pink Butterfree were trying to find a new home and apparently, they sensed trouble and decided to take drastic measures. Looks like the training with Ash payed off and it's even rubbed off on the pink Butterfree. These two were going to make amazing parents.

"Hmm, I think it's safe to say that the Butterfree migration must've taken place recently and these two Butterfree were crossing the sea. I guess it was an apparent accident that they met these pirates and decided to pitch in," Seymour explained.

"You really know much about Pokémon I presume," Hector said.

"I've learned a bit from the books Professor Oak has written," Seymour stated.

"Now I think we have another issue we have to deal with," the officer said looking at the Lapras.

They all had to figure out what they were going to do with the baby Lapras. She couldn't fend for herself, and after that traumatizing experience, it's hard to say if she will ever be allowed to be let back in the water by herself. What Lapras needed was a trainer, a good trainer that would take care of Lapras and treat her like a friend or their own child.

Before the police arrived, and while the baby Lapras thanked Butterfree for their heroics, Ash's Butterfree was telling him how he became so strong. It was the help of his now former trainer Ash Ketchum who helped train him not only psychically, but emotionally as well. Butterfree told the Lapras he felt a great connection with Ash and that he loved all of his Pokémon. Lapras was grateful with the story and hoped one day that if she gets a Pokémon trainer, it would be someone like Ash.

"Officer, if you won't mind, I can take Lapras with me," Hector told the officer.

"Are you sure you want to take Lapras with you?" the officer asked, "You could give Lapras to Lorelei."

"Well I'm not going to be Lapras's trainer, but I want to give her a home. You see I work for the Silph Company and we can actually make room for Lapras to stay there. She can't go back in the ocean after what happened," Hector explained, "Besides, Lorelei already has a Lapras."

Lapras was pleased that this man was going to give her a home. He did play a part in saving her life, and even though he didn't want Lapras to be his Pokémon, he definitely had a good heart and was willing to help this endangered Lapras. Hector hopes one day she can find the perfect person to be her trainer.

"Lapras, sorry I said in the terms that I didn't want to be your trainer, but I'm going to take great care of you, and if there is anyone out there you want to travel with, I won't stop you," Hector told Lapras.

Lapras couldn't help but feel grateful for the man. He was not only being honest, but he was also hoping he could find someone that could be the perfect trainer for her. After hearing the story Butterfree told her, Lapras hoped that someone like Ash Ketchum could be her trainer.

Lapras nodded her head yes and then rubbed Hector affectionately.

"It looks like Lapras will be in your hands Hector," Seymour said with a smile.

Hector took out a spare Pokeball and tossed it at Lapras. She was sucked inside and with no competition, the ball dinged. Hector walked up to the Pokeball and picked it up. He was going to take good care of Lapras.

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

Hector spent the night at the Pokémon Center while Lorelei stayed at her hotel. Seymour had a place of his own since his work was on Cinnibar Island, so he stayed there. The next day came and the three met at what appeared to be a helicopter pad. Hector was prepared to leave for Saffron City as his meeting with Seymour was done.

"Well Seymour, I wish you the best of luck on the resurrection machine. I look forward to the machine's progress," Hector said.

"Thank you, and I hope to hear about the Master Ball's progress next time we meet," Seymour responded.

"I will my friend," Hector replied.

"You will take good care of Lapras, right?" Lorelei asked.

"Most certainly, the people at the Silph Company along with myself will give Lapras the best treatment she could get," Hector answered with an affirmative smile.

Hector took Lapras to the Pokémon Center to get her patched up, and she was now in perfect condition. However, she will not be able to roam the waters by herself due to the trauma. Nurse Joy praised the fact that Hector was going to be taking her to the Silph Company as her new home.

Of course, there were two other people with them, or should they say Pokémon. The two Butterfree looked at the humans with curiosity, but great gratitude. Nurse Joy treated them as well, even though they didn't sustain any injures. It was just to be safe. There was still one question, where were the Butterfree going to go next?

"So, what about the two Butterfree?" Seymour asked.

All three looked over at the two Butterfree. They came out of nowhere to take down those pirates, but there was still one question looming. Where would they go next?

"You say the two Butterfree were possibly trying to find a place where they can start a family, am I correct?" Lorelei asked.

"Yeah, that was my theory," Seymour answered.

Lorelei looked over at the two Butterfree and smiled. She adjusted her glasses to take a better look at Ash's Butterfree and his mate. The two could tell that this woman felt like good news and that they could trust her.

"Why don't you two Butterfree come with me. Let's the follow the flow of the water and we will eventually be lead to the ideal location where you can grow up with pure happiness," Lorelei told the two Butterfree.

"She is a member of the Kanto Elite Four, not only is she one of the highest-ranking Pokémon trainers in Kanto, but she also has shown a majestic bond with her Pokémon just like the other members of the Elite Four," Hector explained.

Ash's Butterfree couldn't believe what he just heard. In his possibly brief travels with Ash, he has told stories of how he was going to enter the Pokémon League and face the Elite Four and Kanto's Champion. Ash's Butterfree was amazed to hear that he was meeting one of the Elite Four members, hell he even helped her out yesterday.

"You saved my life, the only way I can repay you is to help you both," Lorelei said with a smile.

Ash's Butterfree looked at his mate, and the pink Butterfree nodded yes. They were happy to let this woman help them find a new home.

"That's great to hear," Lorelei happily said.

Seymour and Hector were touched by how Lorelei communicated with the Butterfree. She was offering to find them a suitable place to live. Lorelei may have gotten that rubbed off by Kanto's previous champion Red Ketchum. Blue though was still a great guy, but not anywhere close to the touch Red had with Pokémon.

With that, Hector took off in the helicopter to return to Saffron City while Seymour made his way back to the lab. Lorelei walked over to the shore and released her Lapras. Lorelei's Lapras began to give Lorelei a ride with the two Butterfree following her. Who knows where Lorelei was going to take the two Butterfree, but there was one other question that rang through Butterfree's head, by any chance would he ever have an encounter with Ash again? Hopefully he will be a proud papa if Ash comes across him again.

* * *

 _ **An undisclosed location in Kanto**_

Deep in forested area in the Kanto Region, there is a big tree. Within the big tree, there is a grotto that leads into some sort of home for Pokémon.

Within the grotto, there were many Pokémon who were living in here as their home. Pokémon ranged from Oddish, Seel, Nidoran, Pidgey, Rattata, Ponyta, and all sorts of other Pokémon. There was however one Pokémon that stood out among them all as he seemed to be the leader of this group of Pokémon or in this case…their father and guardian.

There was a big blue fat cat like creature with a white belly. In the nature of this Pokémon, they tend to be lazy and eats a lot. This Pokémon was called Snorlax. Not this particular Snorlax. This Snorlax has been watching over all of these Pokémon like his own children. This Snorlax has a tragic experience.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **1 year ago**_

 _There were a group of two Snorlax. One Snorlax was male and the other was female. The female Snorlax was holding what appeared to be an egg. The egg was light blue and had a white round bottom underneath. It appears this egg was going to be their child._

 _These two Snorlax were venturing the mountains until they came across something. There was a black jeep approaching the two Snorlax. What could a jeep be doing out here in the mountains._

 _The jeep stopped in front of the two Snorlaxs and coming out were two men dressed in black with red Rs on their uniforms. These Snorlaxs had no clue who these men were or what they're purpose being here was._

" _Do you see that Victor, not one, but two Snorlaxs," one of the grunts said._

" _Yeah Yasu, Snorlax are not very common around here. These Snorlax would be perfect to sell at our casino in Celadon City," Victor said with an evil smirk._

" _You hear that, both of you fatasses are coming with us!" Yasu yelled as he pulled out a Pokeball, "You belong with Team Rocket now!"_

 _The two Snorlaxs were frightened. They were going to be proud parents of their own baby and now these two men want to take them away to make a profit. They were going to do everything in their power to make sure that the egg was safe._

" _Oh, an egg, well then we can also sell that off for money as well," Victor said with a menacing voice._

 _With that, the two rockets sent out a Machoke and a Golbat. The father Snorlax charged at the two rockets with a Rollout while the mother ran off with the egg._

" _Machoke use Vital Throw!" Yasu yelled out._

 _Machoke grabbed Snorlax and began to throw him up. Despite being a heavy Pokémon, this Machoke definitely had lots of strength. Snorlax landed on his back and had an angry look on his face._

" _Golbat use Confuse Ray!" Victor commanded._

 _Golbat unleashed a Confuse Ray which hit Snorlax. Snorlax was struggling from the grips of Golbat's Confuse Ray. How can the Pokémon from two grunts be so powerful?_

 _The mother Snorlax watched from the distance holding the egg. She saw that her mate was suffering from the attacks of those two horrible men. Tears were coming from the mother Snorlax's eyes, she did not want to lose her Snorlax. They were supposed to be a happy family raising their baby together._

 _Can't being able to hold her emotions in any longer, the mother Snorlax found a small opening to place the egg. She charged on over to help the father Snorlax._

 _The father Snorlax couldn't see properly as he was confused. The two evil rocket grunts smirked at the condition of the father Snorlax._

" _Well Snorlax, it looks like you're coming with us," Yasu told the Snorlax._

 _The father Snorlax struggled, but then coming in with a Hyper Beam was the mother Snorlax who hit the Golbat that struck her mate with Confuse Ray._

" _What the fuck!" Victor screamed._

 _It was a powerful Hyper Beam and it ended up sending Golbat falling to the ground in defeat. The mother Snorlax then went over to the fallen Golbat and unleashed a full powered Body Slam to the defenseless Pokémon for hurting her mate._

" _RUN!" the mother Snorlax yelled to the father Snorlax._

 _The mother Snorlax knew that he couldn't handle it anymore. She did take out Victor's Golbat, but upon getting back up, the Golbat had crushed bones and blood coming out of his body. Golbat was not moving._

 _It was then Victor felt something on his belt. He grabbed what happened to be his Pokeball containing Golbat. It began to send out red shocks and blinking rapidly for about five seconds until it indicated the Pokeball is now deactive._

 _That feature on a Pokeball indicates that the trainer's Pokémon…is dead._

 _The mother Snorlax just killed Victor's Golbat out of pure rage for hurting her mate and trying to destroy their family. The father Snorlax was able to regain composure and ran off to let the mother Snorlax take on these evil men. All she had now was Machoke._

" _You…killed…my Golbat," Victor muttered until he raised his voice, "YOU KILLED MY GOLBAT!"_

 _The two rockets were furious now for killing one of their own Pokémon. With that, Yasu called back his Machoke and put his Pokeball back. The two were now angry._

" _We were going to make you a money-making profit off of you, but now you angered us," Yasu told the Snorlax as he and Victor each pulled out a handgun, "Burn in hell you fatass!"_

 _Both Yasu and Victor each shot the Snorlax multiple times, but nothing was happening. It seems that Snorlax was absorbing the bullets that she wasn't being effected by the gunshots. Snorlax tends to have lots of tough fat which is why the bullets weren't piercing through. After firing multiple shots, they ran out of bullets._

 _Snorlax was prepared to charge forward at the two wicked men after firing all of those shots. As she was getting closer, she was in for an unexpected surprise._

 _Victor pulled out a knife and stabbed Snorlax in the chest. Though the bullets didn't break through, a sharp knife did. The mother Snorlax cried in pain as she felt the pain of stab she just suffered._

" _That's what you get for killing my Golbat," Victor snarled at the Snorlax, "Death."_

 _Victor continued to slice up the Snorlax and start slicing through the guts. The mother Snorlax was dying as blood and shattered organs were coming out of her. Then for one last course of action for safe measures, Victor slit her throat._

 _The mother Snorlax was dead._

 _The father Snorlax watched out in the distance. Tears came from his eyes as the Snorlax he loved was taken away. Taken by this vicious group called Team Rocket. He felt weak, he failed to protect her, and he almost failed to protect his baby. Snorlax went to the opening to see where she put the egg. The egg was alright._

 _Snorlax looked at the egg with sadness and anger. He was upset that he wasn't strong enough to face off against those wicked men, but we wants to do whatever he can to be the best father he could be._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

Since that horrible day, the father Snorlax has been living in the grotto in the big tree. He lost the Snorlax he loved, but he vowed to give his new child the best.

During the past year, Snorlax has been looking out for other Pokémon and welcoming them into his home. This grotto has been like a sanctuary for Pokémon. Most of the Pokémon were orphaned or running from bad people. This was the case for the Snorlax who watched over them. This was now his home and it also acted as a refugee to shelter the Pokémon from dangers like Team Rocket. All of the Pokémon treated him like a father, and Snorlax treated them like his own children.

Snorlax would usually sleep and eat a lot, but this Snorlax has chosen to not go with that lifestyle and help give food to those Pokémon, and he only sleeps during the night so he can peacefully enjoy their company. There was some great news in the grotto, the egg was ready to hatch.

"My children, soon you will be given a new brother or sister, but definitely a new friend," Snorlax told all the Pokémon.

While all of these Pokémon acted like Snorlax's children, the father Snorlax was blessed that he was now going to have a child that will actually be his own.

"I promise you my child, I will get you ready for the dangers of the world, especially that horrible group of people called Team Rocket," Snorlax said to the egg.

Snorlax knew that it was time for the egg to hatch. It was glowing and all of the Pokémon were ready to witness their new friend. The egg began to fully glow white and change form. The egg has now become what looks to be a micro Snorlax. This Pokémon was mostly turquoise with big ears on top, a big head, a bulgy body, and stubby feet. All of the Pokémon were amazed by the new Pokémon that appeared in front of them.

"Welcome…my son," Snorlax said to the baby who saw his father's face.

A baby Munchlax was born.

* * *

 **The scientist that caught Lapras and is taking her back to the Silph Company was named Hector. I was trying to use that same scientist from Pokémon Origins that gave Red Lapras, but I gave him a name.**

 **Well Lorelei made an appearance and she has a shiny Lapras, but even her Elite Four powers weren't enough for the pirates. Thankfully Ash's Butterfree and the pink Butterfree came to the rescue, and now Lorelei is going to help them find a new home.**

 **Guess Ash made the right decision after all, one of his Pokémon actually saved an Elite Four member.**

 **Now as for that last scene where you saw a Snorlax and a baby Munchlax, they will be appearing in an upcoming arc, and that Snorlax had a tragic backstory with Team Rocket. I didn't pinpoint where they were, so you won't know until Ash and Serena arrive.**

 **Speaking of Ash and Serena, we will rejoin them on their journey in the next chapter where a not happy reunion will take place.**

 **Chapter 27: The Shell Game**


	29. The Shell Game

**The reunion between Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade…will take place next chapter. This chapter covers a reunion you probably weren't expecting, but it does involve a familiar face. I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **On the road to Celadon City**_

Evening was approaching as Ash and Serena continued their journey towards Celadon City. It was the day after Ash released his Butterfree out in the ocean to start a family. Serena ended up accidently catching a Slowpoke that just came out of nowhere.

Serena was considering releasing it since she didn't mean to catch it, but it just didn't seem right. When Ash released Butterfree, it was for the right reasons so he could start a family. Serena worried that if she released Slowpoke, she also would have those thoughts that she could be one of those Pokémon that seemed useless. It was kind of like what Paul did when he released that Rattata.

To her expense, Serena decided to keep Slowpoke, even though this was now her third water-type. She wondered how could she use this Slowpoke in a Pokémon Contest when all he does is stare. Rotom Dex looked at the moves Slowpoke could use, and they were Water Gun and Confusion. Serena would try to get some training in with Slowpoke and make it work. She gave Magikarp a chance and now she evolved into a mighty Gyarados. Who knows what Slowpoke could do?

There was a Pokémon Center up ahead and Ash and Serena agreed that maybe it was time to call it a day. They've been walking non-stop since leaving the cliff with the exception of Slowpoke.

"Hey Serena, there's a Pokémon Center up ahead. What do you say we call it a night?" Ash suggested.

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty tired," Serena stated.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center on the Road**_

Ash and Serena arrived at the Pokémon Center and handed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy. While they didn't get any battling in today, it was always a cautious move to give their Pokémon proper treatment at a Pokémon Center. Pikachu also hopped onto the tray to be evaluated.

"We'll be spending the night," Ash told Nurse Joy.

"Certainly, I'll get your rooms ready," Nurse Joy said as she went to grab them separate room keys, "By the way, are you planning on going to Celadon City?"

"Yeah, Ash here is going to have his next gym battle and I'm going to take part in the upcoming contest there," Serena answered, "Speaking of, how long will it be until the upcoming contest in Celadon City?"

"I'll take a look, but I must tell you that there is the only way you can reach Celadon City is Cycling Road," Nurse Joy told Ash and Serena.

"Cycling Road?" Ash and Serena questioned.

"Yeah, it's a road that is only accessible by bike. It's actually considered the quickest way to get to Celadon City from here," Nurse Joy explained.

A bicycle path, Ash and Serena did not carry a bike. They've been traveling this whole Pokémon journey on foot and never needed a bike. But they needed bicycles to get across.

"Is there anyway we can get to Celadon City quicker on foot?" Ash asked.

"If you were not to take the bicycle path, it could take weeks until you got there. If you did have bikes, you could be there in about a day," Nurse Joy explained.

Weeks to get to Celadon City on foot. Ash and Serena didn't have weeks to get to Celadon City. They're moms were there, and they were hoping to see their upcoming gym battle and contest, and Serena needed to get to her contest in time. More importantly, Jessie, James, and Meowth slipped the beans that they were staying in Team Rocket's casino slash hotel and didn't want to waste any time. Those two wanted them to pay not only for selling Pokémon for cash profits in the forms of gambling, but also to keep their moms and Ash's aunt safe. This could be a problem because they don't have bikes.

"As for the contest, it will be held next week. I'm sorry, but if you want to make it to the contest hall in time to compete, you'll need to take Cycling Road," Nurse Joy told Serena.

"But we don't have bikes," Serena muttered.

"Well fear not, lots of Pokémon trainers have come here without bikes which is why this Pokémon Center also lends rental bikes," Nurse Joy happily explained.

Ash and Serena were now feeling a lot better. Nurse Joy had bikes that trainers could rent out in order to cross Cycling Road. So maybe this wasn't such a road block after all.

"You got rental bikes!" Ash exclaimed pumping his fists.

"Yeah, but I…only have one," Nurse Joy muttered.

"So, we'll have to wait?" Ash questioned.

"Oh no, in fact it might be perfect for a young boy and girl like you," Nurse Joy smiled, "Let me go get it."

Ash and Serena stood in front of the desk with Rotom Dex still floating around. It only took a quick second for Nurse Joy to emerge from the room with a red bike. However, it wasn't just a red bike, it was a tandem bike made for two. There was also a basket where they could keep Pikachu.

Ash and Serena started to blush when they saw the bike. This was going to be a dream come true for them. Not only were they going to ride down Cycling Road together, they were going to do it on a tandem bike. Ash could only imagine riding in the wind with Serena right behind her and her beautiful honey-blonde hair blowing in the wind. Serena could imagine the same thing, but in the background would be a beautiful sunset. It would be a romantic setting just like their walk on the beach. Maybe this will be the day they will tell each other their feelings.

"Nurse Joy, we like to use that bike tomorrow," Ash told Nurse Joy.

"You're all booked to use it," Nurse Joy said with a smile.

This was going to be an exciting day tomorrow. Ash and Serena were going to ride down Cycling Road together. The fact they get to do it on a tandem bike would be the perfect way to welcome their moms and aunt.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Cycling Road**_

It was the next day and Ash and Serena were riding down Cycling Road on their rental tandem bike. They called their moms who returned to the hotel and told them they would likely arrive late tonight or tomorrow and told them to meet at the Pokémon Center. Serena also remembered that Ash's birthday was going to be the day before her Pokémon contest. This was going to be exciting for Ash and Serena.

So far it already was as Ash and Serena were riding down the bike path. Ash was in front with Pikachu in the basket while Serena was pedaling from the back with Rotom Dex in her backpack. It was just like what they envisioned, a setting just the two of them riding down the bike path with a beautiful scenery. Ash wanted to admit that they did look like a young couple riding down the bike path. Deep down, he wished him, and Serena were a couple.

"How are you doing back there Serena," Ash asked turning towards Serena who was also pedaling.

"This is amazing! We're riding a tandem bike together, we're going to Celadon City to meet our moms for the first time in a while, and the weather is just perfect," Serena happily answered.

"That's great," Ash happily replied as he looked down at Pikachu, "How are you holding up Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu happily answered.

"That's great, we'll be in Celadon City in no time!" Ash exclaimed.

This truly was a great experience for Ash and Serena. They were riding down Cycling Road, just the two of them, the weather was perfect, and all seemed just fine.

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

Ash and Serena decided to take a break as there was a rest area for bikers. There were some vending machines, benches, and it was big enough in case anyone wanted to have a Pokémon battle since battling was not allowed on the actual bike path.

Ash and Serena were having some canned lemonade to help refresh themselves before they began their next leg down Cycling Road. Pikachu was given a bottled water so he could quench his thirst. They were currently the only ones there. The two were right on schedule to arrive in Celadon City.

"We should be able to arrive in Celadon City before nightfall," Ash told Serena.

"Yeah," Serena agreed.

While they were finishing their refreshments, another biker was coming in. This biker parked his bike and was about to head to the vending machines. When he saw the two kids who were drinking, he ended up giving a glazed look in the eye looking annoyed. Ash and Serena on the other hand didn't even know this boy was here.

"You ready to go Serena?" Ash asked.

"Definitely," Serena answered.

"Let's go Pikachu," Ash told Pikachu as he looked to their yellow rodent friend.

The two threw their cans in the recycling bin along with Pikachu's water bottle. As the two turned around, their faces were in utter shock of who they saw in front of them. It was that boy with the cold look on his face.

"Well, I take it you here dragging your butts for some romantic ride rather than improving your Pokémon," the boy said as he saw the two and also noticed the tandem bike.

It was not pleasant for Ash and Serena to see him again. It was Paul. Their last meeting did not go out so well. He mistreated his Pokémon in front of Ash and Serena and then tied Ash up in a three on three Pokémon battle while considering his Pokémon weak. Then to really boil their blood, he released a Rattata in front of them saying it wasn't compatible.

"Paul," Ash muttered.

"Yeah, that's right," Paul responded as he then looked at Ash and Serena for a few seconds, "So I take it you're going to Celadon City? Because knowing you, you're likely going to be behind me because you haven't met your standards."

Ash gritted his teeth when he heard that he hasn't met his standards. Meeting his standards? Ash and Serena have been taking care of their Pokémon with the upmost care. Ash and Serena still didn't fully get the basics down when they last met him. He was better now than he was before arriving in Pewter City.

"Yeah, we are going to Celadon City and I'm going to challenge the Celadon Gym," Ash declared.

When Paul heard that, all he did was smirk at Ash.

"Just as I expected, you haven't beaten the Celadon Gym," Paul said.

"Beaten the Celadon Gym," Ash uttered in an angry tone, "I haven't even entered Celadon City yet. You can't say I'm behind just because I've didn't beat the Celadon Gym."

"Okay then, tell me how many badges you have," Paul told Ash.

To answer Paul's question, Ash opened up his jacket revealing his three badges. Paul looked at Ash and all he could give was a devious smirk. Ash started to have a slight case of confusion.

"Three, just three," Paul questioned.

"Yeah," Ash answered.

Paul then pulled out his badge case and showed it to Ash. He opened it up to reveal the same three badges along with two more badges to go with them. Ash can presume that one of those badges came from Celadon City while the other came from another city.

"I beat the Celadon City gym leader Erika for my Rainbow Badge, and I also beat the Saffron City gym leader Sabrina for my Marsh Badge," Paul confirmed, "And if you're wondering about the gym leader Erika, she specializes in grass type Pokémon."

So, Ash has learned that the Celadon City gym leader's name was Erika and she uses grass-type Pokémon. This could now give a chance to think about who he wants to use in his gym battle against Erika. As for the other gym leader Sabrina, Paul didn't say anything about her. Right now, he needed to just focus on Celadon City.

"So, you got five badges," Ash muttered.

"Yeah, because I've been making sure to have a compatible team rather than play house everyday with a girl," Paul said smirking looking towards Serena.

Serena's face turned red, he thinks all Ash does is just hang around with Serena rather than train his Pokémon. She has seen Ash work hard with his Pokémon and bond with them. He wouldn't have gotten those three badges if it weren't for Ash's hard work.

"Listen Paul, Ash has worked hard with his Pokémon. He takes time to bond with them, train with them, and I've seen the progress he and his Pokémon have made. He doesn't take time to look at Pokémon he thinks are compatible, he takes time to be their friend and overcome the odds," Serena explained.

Paul heard what Serena said. Ash was kind of amazed that Serena stood up to Paul. After all it wasn't just Paul insulting Ash's pride with his Pokémon, but Serena's pride with her Pokémon as well as she has been raising them with the same care as Ash. Serena didn't notice, but one of her Pokeballs started wiggling.

"Really, so in addition to just wanting to cling to you, he also wastes his time befriending his Pokémon," Paul said with a smirk, "Because all that friendship thing is going to hold him back from ever finding a Pokémon's inner strength. It's a waste of time, especially if he keeps being around his dismal in distress."

"She's not a dismal in distress Paul, she's even proven to be a good Pokémon coordinator just like how I'm a good Pokémon trainer," Ash told Paul, "And befriending your Pokémon is not a waste of time. I can't believe you never have done such a thing."

"Pokémon coordinator," Paul muttered in amusement, "So in addition to her and that friendship thing holding you back in reaching a Pokémon trainer's full potential, you also decide to help her with those pathetic Pokémon beauty contests."

"Pathetic beauty contests?" Serena questioned in disgust.

So, in addition to Paul talking Ash down on his progress of being a Pokémon Master, he now insults Serena's career as a Pokémon coordinator. While Paul was not Serena's rival, it did make her mad. The Pokeball on Serena's belt continued to wiggle, and then it opened.

The Pokémon that came out of Serena's Pokeball was Squirtle. Ash and Serena were kind of surprised to see Squirtle come out. Squirtle would probably try to get affectionate with Serena like he always would, but instead the Tiny Turtle Pokémon looked at Paul with an angry face.

"Squirtle?" Serena questioned.

"Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle!" Squirtle ranted towards Paul.

"Squirtle says how dare you insult Serena like that, she is my trainer and I love her! I'm glad to be one of her Pokémon that takes part in Pokémon contests!" Rotom Dex ranted (but in a form to translate for Squirtle)

Serena knew that it was kind of creepy of Squirtle to keep affectionately hugging her leg like he was in love with her, but Squirtle has even busted out of his Pokeball to stand up for Serena like Ash does. Serena couldn't be happier to have a Pokémon that truly accepts her as a friend.

"Before I continue speaking, how many of these contests have you entered, and how many have you won?" Paul questioned.

"I've enter four Pokémon contests," Serena answered who was now pulling out her ribbon case to reveal her Cerulean City Contest Ribbon, "But I've only won one ribbon."

"So, in addition to hanging around with this girl and having her Pokémon do all the work for her, she has proven to suck in contests," Paul commented.

"Now wait here! Serena is a rookie coordinator, and she's gotten better like I have. I've watched her contests and she's pretty good. She lost the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest final stage by a very small margin," Ash said standing up for Serena again.

Ash has had it. It was one thing that Paul thinks that bonding with his Pokémon was acting as a complete setback, but now thinking Serena was holding her back as well. Ash wanted to do nothing but prove him wrong.

"Paul, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle. I will show you the progress me and my Pokémon have made throughout my journey and show you that bonding with my Pokémon and Serena do not hold me back," Ash declared.

Serena liked the fact that Ash was going to stand up for her in a Pokémon battle. While Pokémon shouldn't be used in personal fights, this battle would have reason. Ash wanted to show Paul what he has been doing and how much it payed off. The first match was a tie, but this time he wanted to win. Squirtle looked on over towards Ash. While he isn't fond of Ash, he wanted him to beat Paul.

"You want to battle me?" Paul questioned.

"Yeah," Ash answered.

"Alright then, it's on two on two this time. Don't expect a tie this time," Paul told Ash.

"I won't, because I'm going to win this time," Ash responded.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Ash and Paul were on opposite sides of each other with Serena watching on a nearby bench with Pikachu since he wasn't going to use him in the battle. Serena still wondered why did Squirtle come out of his Pokeball? What is it about Paul that's gotten Squirtle attention? Was it the kind of person he was? Was it how he treated his Pokémon? Right now, Squirtle wasn't hugging Serena's leg, but wanting to watch the battle. Squirtle just wished he could go into that battle and show Paul how much Serena has made an influence on her. Right now, it was just Ash who was battling, and Rotom Dex was on the other side with pictures of Ash and Paul and two empty boxes.

"This battle between Ash Ketchum and an angry little boy named Paul Aggrot will now begin! Each trainer is allowed to use two Pokémon! Last one standing, who I hope is Ash, is the winner! Please select your first Pokémon and begin the battle!" Rotom Dex announced.

It sounded like Rotom Dex was playing favorites with Ash with how it called Paul and angry little boy and hoping Ash was the winner. Paul just choose to ignore it and pulled out his first Pokémon while Ash did the same.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Bulbasaur.

"So, you're going to use a Bulbasaur, well then I guess I have to counter with my own grass type," Paul told Ash, "Weepinbell, standby for battle!"

Paul opened up his Pokeball and coming out was what appeared to be a yellow bell looking flytrap with green leaves to the sides. The Pokémon also had medium sized eyes, a pink rim for the lips, and a brown stem on back. This was indeed Weepinbell.

 _#070-Weepinbell: Flycatcher Pokémon_

 _Weepinbell has a large hook on its rear end. At night, the Pokémon hooks on to a tree branch and goes to sleep. If it moves around in its sleep, it may wake up to find itself on the ground._

After Rotom Dex finished the analysis and posted a picture of Weepinbell under Paul's image and a picture of Bulbasaur under Ash's image, Ash and Paul were ready to begin their battle.

"Bulbasaur use Vine Whip!" Ash called out.

"Use Acid!" Paul retorted.

Bulbasaur unleashed his vines towards Weepinbell while the Flycatcher Pokémon used Acid. Bulbasaur jumped out of the way and was able to grab Weepinbell with his vines. However, was Bulbasaur didn't know was that Acid did get on his vines. The grip on Bulbasaur's vines were slick now causing Weepinbell to slip free.

"What!" Ash cried.

"Acid made the vines slippery so Weepinbell can get out," Paul told Ash, "Now Weepinbell use Razor Leaf!"

Weepinbell fired a flurry of leaves at Bulbasaur causing the Seed Pokémon to be knocked back. Bulbasaur stood his ground though, however Paul was not impressed. He knew Razor Leaf wasn't going to be very effective on Bulbasaur because he was both a grass and poison type, but he was expecting somewhat better results.

"That can't be right," Paul muttered, "I thought I got that taken care of."

For Paul, it didn't look like Bulbasaur took the necessary damage he was supposed to take. Paul couldn't help but to begin to glare at that Weepinbell. Apparently, Paul was not impressed with his Weepinbell not only from that Razor Leaf, but it appears there might have been other instances where Weepinbell has been a letdown.

"Bulbasaur, fight back with Leech Seed!" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur's bulb fired off a seed at the Flycatcher Pokémon, and it hit him. Weepinbell was now engulfed in vines having his energy being sucked out of him. Paul couldn't help but feel agitated.

"Fight it off and use Slam!" Paul yelled out.

"Dodge it!" Ash retorted.

Bulbasaur hopped out of the way of Weepinbell who used Slam. It was a perfect dodge and as for Weepinbell, he not only missed, but the energy being sapped out of him from Leech Seed caused the Flycatcher Pokémon to not get up. Paul didn't look happy about that.

"Weepinbell is unable to battle, Bulbasaur is the winner!" Rotom Dex announced.

"Alright, way to go Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered praising Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied.

"Looks like Bulbasaur was able to beat Weepinbell," Serena happily said looking at Pikachu and Squirtle.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

Squirtle on the other hand didn't say a word. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon only had a hard glare on at Paul. He wanted to fire a Water Gun at him, but he held his composure. Weepinbell's image turned grey as Paul returned his Weepinbell.

"I'm going to take some actions with you after this battle," Paul angrily said to his Pokeball after calling it back, "Do not celebrate, that win you got was a complete fluke."

"At least I treat my Pokémon with some respect unlike you," Ash told Paul, "It just goes to show you that hard work and bonding pays off."

"You really want to keep going with that. Now you're going to face one of my better Pokémon," Paul said pulling out a Pokeball, "Magby stand for battle!"

Paul brought out a small red spitfire creature with a puffy head, a small yellow mouth, black around the neck, and a yellow belly. Rotom Dex has never seen this Pokémon before and he began to do an analysis on it.

 _#240-Magby: Live Coal Pokémon_

 _Its body temperature is always around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. If Magby falls into a small- enough pond, the whole thing will dry up._

Magby's picture now appeared under Paul's image under the grey image of Weepinbell.

"A Magby, I take it that's a fire type?" Ash questioned.

"Isn't it obvious, of course it's a fire type," Paul answered.

Ash had never really seen Paul intended to use a Pokémon with a type advantage, but why did he use a fire-type against Bulbasaur? Well since Paul was using Pokémon to overcome type disadvantages, why not Ash do the same thing. One thing could be said about this Magby, it looked well trained.

"Well I won't let a fire-type get in the way," Ash told Paul, "Alright Bulbasaur use Take Down!"

Paul just stood there smirking at Ash waiting for Bulbasaur to use his Take Down. He didn't order Magby to dodge or anything, he was just waiting for Bulbasaur to hit Magby with his own Take Down. What was Paul's strategy? Then without further ado, Bulbasaur took down Magby with Take Down.

"Alright Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur responded.

Paul smirked as Magby was able to get up, and to Ash, it probably wasn't a surprise. Paul wouldn't deem a Pokémon compatible if they went down in one hit like that. Paul made sure his Pokémon were tough, but this wasn't what Paul was expecting to happen. After Bulbasaur got back into his battle stance, the Seed Pokémon felt some inflicting pain.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried.

Bulbasaur grunted as he felt like he suffered third-degree burns. Bulbasaur now felt like he was struggling to stand.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash cried.

"You haven't heard of Magby's ability, Flame Body? If a Pokémon makes direct contact, there is a possibility that the Pokémon will be feeling some burns," Paul explained, "That explains why I let your Bulbasaur hit Magby, to see if Bulbasaur would get affected by Flame Body."

Flame Body of course, this was Magby's special ability. Now that Bulbasaur was burned, he felt like his power was dropping. Ash had to think of something.

"Quick Bulbasaur, use Synthesis!" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur started to glow to heal himself with Synthesis. While Bulbasaur recovered from the damage, the burning pain still wouldn't go away. Bulbasaur was still feeling excursionizing pain.

"I don't get it, Synthesis should've healed Bulbasaur. Why is Bulbasaur still feeling like he's burned?" Ash questioned himself.

"You don't get it do you, Synthesis will heal the damage your Pokémon takes, but not fully. Also, it won't heal status conditions such as the burning sensation your Bulbasaur is feeling," Paul explained.

"Grrr, hurry and use Synthesis again!" Ash retorted.

"I don't think so," Paul rebutted, "Magby use Fire Punch!"

Bulbasaur was preparing to use Synthesis again, but Magby beat the Seed Pokémon to the punch. Magby's arm was covered in fire and he slammed his fist into Bulbasaur's face. Bulbasaur wasn't able to use Synthesis in time to heal himself, and Paul sure wasn't going to give Ash that chance one bit.

"Forget Synthesis, use Razor Leaf!" Ash cried out.

"Flamethrower!" Paul called out.

Bulbasaur struggled to get back on his feet but had enough strength to fire off a couple of leaves in Magby's direction. Magby opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower, and unfortunately for Ash, the powerful flame disintegrated Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf attack. The Seed Pokémon could only look with a mortified look in his eyes as Flamethrower was coming his way striking him. Bulbasaur was engulfed in the attack and then he coughed up smoke and collapsed.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle, Magby is the winner," Rotom Dex announced as Bulbasaur's picture turned grey.

Ash couldn't believe it, Magby's Flame Body ended up being Bulbasaur's downfall. Ash couldn't believe it, Paul was luring him forward to see if Bulbasaur was going to make contact, and he did which resulted in him getting burned and having the tables greatly turned on him. Squirtle saw this and he wasn't happy with the results. Ash gritted his teeth as he got Bulbasaur's Pokeball.

"Bulbasaur return!" Ash called out returning Bulbasaur, "You did great Bulbasaur, now take a good rest."

"Bulbasaur lost," Serena said sadly.

Ash was wondering who he was going to send out next. He wanted to prove to Paul that he is a worthy Pokémon trainer. If he choose Froakie and beat Magby, then Paul would find a way to rebut Ash for taking the easy way out by using a type advantage, and likely wouldn't gain any respect. If Ash wanted to win and find a way for Paul to not talk low about him, he would need a Pokémon that would make Magby strong against Ash's Pokémon. Bulbasaur was out, Butterfree was released, so there was one other Pokémon that he could use.

"Charmander I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Charmander.

Charmander came out and looked over at Paul's Magby. Magby so far has proven to be tough. Did Ash really think that sending out Charmander was a good idea? A picture of Charmander appeared under Ash's image.

"Charmander, why didn't you go with a water-type like that blue frog you have?" Paul questioned, "You had a shot at taking an advantage, and you decided to squander that away. So now you have no advantage at all."

"There's no pleasing you is there Paul? You have shown that you send Pokémon that are at a disadvantage against the opponent's Pokémon, and I thought that if I sent Froakie out you would go against me for not going with a type advantage! You just want to find any excuse to make me look like a complete beginner anytime you have the chance!" Ash ranted.

Paul didn't even say anything, all he just did was look at him and gave a little smirk. The only thing Paul was going to do was talk Ash down about his decisions as a Pokémon trainer. Serena frowned at what Paul was doing making Ash seem like he was going to be making dumb decisions no matter what. However, it was Squirtle who was getting aggravated the most. Sure, he doesn't like Ash, but anyone Serena is close to should not be talked to like that.

"I'm sticking with Charmander whether you like it or not," Ash told Paul.

"Hmph, fine with me," Paul responded.

Ash needed to think well. If he recalled in his previous battle when Pikachu used Thundershock on Elekid, it felt like the Pokémon was getting a supercharge. Ash was probably wondering if he attacked Magby head on with a fire attack, would that supercharge Magby. Either way, Ash needed to think carefully.

"Charmander use Dragon Rage!" Ash called out.

Charmander fired up a Dragon Rage attack towards Magby. Magby stood on his ground starring at the Dragon Rage coming towards him.

"Magby use Fire Punch on that Dragon Rage," Paul muttered.

Magby heated up his arm again and punched Charmander's Dragon Rage redirecting it back towards Charmander. Charmander stood in shock as he was hit by his own attack. Wow, did Magby's Fire Punch pack that much strength that it sent Charmander's Dragon Rage back towards him?

"What the?" Ash questioned in shock.

"The fact that Dragon Rage looked like an orb, I thought it was a good idea for Magby to punch it back like a ping pong ball," Paul said smirking, "Now Magby use Feint Attack!"

"Dodge it!" Ash called out.

Magby was coming towards Charmander with a Feint Attack and Charmander was trying to get away, but he was unsuccessful as Magby hit Charmander dead on.

"I won't let you win, Charmander use Slash!" Ash retorted.

After the Feint Attack, Charmander came at Magby with a Slash that caused Magby to stumble backwards. The Live Coal Pokémon tried to get back up on his feet, but not until Ash called out the next move.

"Use Ember!" Ash retorted.

Charmander blasted pellets of ember towards Magby which he was getting repeatedly hit with. Magby got back up on his feet and the only thing Paul could do was frown. There was no way Magby was going to lose to this Charmander, his trainer knew that he wouldn't allow it.

"Now hit him with Dragon Rage!" Ash exclaimed pumping his fist.

It looks like Charmander was about to beat Magby. Serena's eyes sparkled at that fact as Charmander prepared another Dragon Rage. Squirtle was cheering Charmander on and so was Pikachu. It looks like Ash might have found a way to give Paul a piece of humble pie. Dragon Rage was now coming at the now weakened Magby and all he could do was look at it as he didn't have enough energy now for a Fire Punch.

Then all of a sudden…Magby began to glow white.

"What!" Ash exclaimed in horror.

"Heh, perfect timing," Paul said with a smile on his face.

The Magby was now changing form and got bigger, and now he was replaced with a bigger Pokémon. This Pokémon now looked like was made of fire with his flame head with a black collar around his neck, bushy red arms, an orange and yellow body, a yellow tail with an orange flame like end, yellow legs, and red feet with black ankle straps. Is this what Magby evolved into?

"Magmar," the new Pokémon responded.

The Dragon Rage hit and despite taking the blow, it almost looked like it didn't do anything. Serena couldn't believe that his Magby evolved like that. The question was, what was that Pokémon?

"I can't believe Magby evolved," Rotom Dex said as he was supposed to judge the match, "Sorry, but I got to look at this."

 _#126-Magmar: Spitfire Pokémon_

 _Its entire body is burning. When it breathes, the temperature rises. When it sneezes, flames shoot out._

So, this was a Magmar. Ash had some moments when Pokémon evolved during a battle such as his Metapod evolving into Butterfree to fight off Beedrill, and Pidgey evolving into Pidgeotto against Brock. This time though, Ash was on the receiving end of a Pokémon evolving during battle.

"I could've scanned that with my Pokedex, but thanks anyways," Paul said speaking to Rotom Dex, "Well then, so Magby has evolved into Magmar."

Charmander now looked a bit startled. Now this little Magby has become a big Magmar. Ash was not in the right mindset now after seeing Magby evolve. Think he had some trouble with Magby, let's see him try Magmar.

"Hurry Charmander and use Flamethrower!" Ash cried out.

Charmander unleashed his Flamethrower at Magmar, but in the Spitfire Pokémon's mind, it seems as though Charmander might be tickling him with those flames rather than hurting him.

"Char!" Charmander cried in alarm.

"You call that a Flamethrower," Paul muttered, "Magmar, show that pathetic Charmander your own Flamethrower."

"Magmar," Magmar responded.

Magmar opened his mouth and coming out was a Flamethrower. As Magmar's Flamethrower came out, Ash could feel like he's starting to sweat because that Flamethrower was so hot. Serena was slightly starting to sweat too and so was Pikachu and Squirtle.

Magmar's Flamethrower hit Charmander dead on and the Lizard Pokémon was being scorched. Despite being a fire-type where Charmander would be strong against fire-type attacks, this Flamethrower hurt big. Charmander was now standing completely weakened and covered in burns. Paul looked into his Pokedex and saw that there was another move that Magmar knew.

"Now use Low Kick," Paul called out.

This appeared to be a new move Magmar learned after evolving. Magmar came charging at Charmander and swept his leg with a kicking fashion at Charmander. Charmander was sent flying across the ground. Charmander did not get up.

"Charmander is unable to battle, the winner is Magmar," Rotom Dex muttered as Charmander's picture turned grey and Paul's image appeared with the words WINNER underneath, "Which means the winner of this match is Paul Aggrot."

Ash was just angry and crestfallen. He was able to beat his first Pokémon, but then he started to have trouble with Magby who took out Bulbasaur, and then sealed the deal evolving into Magmar and defeating Charmander. Was Paul really the better trainer, or did Paul just win because Magby evolved?

Ash reluctantly called back his Charmander and thanked him for doing a great job. Ash couldn't believe it, he had a three on three battle with him which ended in a tie, now he had a two on two battle where he actually lost.

"Just as I expected, you're pathetic," Paul said looking at Ash as he called back Magmar, "Your friendship thing and hanging around with a failure of a beauty contest girl rather than looking for your Pokémon's inner strength is what makes you low level."

Ash didn't even bother saying anything after he lost, and Paul didn't say a word to Magmar which would anger Ash, especially after evolving. Then to his surprise, Paul unclipped Weepinbell's Pokeball. Ash was wondering what was he going to do with Weepinbell. Then he remembered what he did with Rattata after losing to Froakie. No, this can't be!

Paul activated the release function as Weepinbell came out of the ball. That Pokeball wasn't Weepinbell's anymore. Serena couldn't help but quiver her lips with anger and all Squirtle did was grunt heavily.

"You're a lost cause Weepinbell! You were on a short leash and now that leash has been cut. You can't even beat match up to anyone who is strong over you. You're out of here!" Paul exclaimed glaring at his now former Weepinbell.

As Weepinbell began to sadly hop away, Squirtle was now feeling completely upset. Squirtle didn't like Ash, but he knew that his Bulbasaur was compatible of being in battle. Ash's Bulbasaur was just better.

"What was the meaning of that?" Ash asked with a tint of anger.

"Weepinbell has not shown any signs of showing his strengths against other grass-types. There's no point in training that Weepinbell anymore so I'll just get another grass-type Pokémon," Paul explained as he went into thought, _"Speaking of, why did I get myself another grass-type? I have a grass-type Pokémon that's just perfect."_

"Maybe if you gave Weepinbell more time, then maybe it would become stronger and a much better

"As I said, that grass-type didn't do a single thing against other grass-type Pokémon like the one's Erika has. I even beat her with a water-type Pokémon that I found completely useful," Paul explained, "And like Weepinbell, I had other water types that didn't live up to my standards, they truly were pathetic."

Now Squirtle was just upset now as Paul bragged about beating a gym leader that specializes in grass-type Pokémon with a water-type Pokémon that he deemed useful. Squirtle was just thinking to himself that Paul only wanted strong Pokémon and that he only cared about himself. This was why when he got released, he started to mock and annoy Pokémon trainers and Nurse Joy until he met Serena. Ash lost to Paul as he couldn't defend Serena's honor, so there was only one thing to do.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried.

Everyone around the area gasped when they saw Squirtle jumped up and angrily glare at Paul. Squirtle was now remembering those days before he joined Serena after his trainer released him and called him pathetic. Wait, was Squirtle…?

"Squirtle?" Serena questioned.

"What's the deal with this Squirtle?" Paul asked.

Squirtle then turned to Serena and glared at her. He then pointed to Paul for some reason. But why did Squirtle turn to Serena and then point to Paul. Then it hit her, he wants to battle Paul.

"Squirtle, you want to battle Paul?" Serena asked.

"What the, Squirtle wants to battle?" Ash questioned in confusion, "But why?"

This Squirtle belonged to Serena, but despite the fact that these two can't stand Paul, he was actually Ash's rival and Squirtle belonged to Serena. After all, Paul was talking low about Serena as well.

"So, you're angry that he lost, and you want to take it out on me with a battle?" Paul questioned talking about Ash's recent defeat.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle responded.

"Paul, I am going to fulfill Squirtle's request…and challenge you to a battle," Serena told Paul.

Ash couldn't believe it! Serena, the girl he has feelings for, is going to actually take on Paul in a Pokémon battle. It was clear that she was going to use Squirtle in this battle as if the Tiny Turtle Pokémon had somewhat of a vendetta against Paul.

"You want to battle me?" Paul questioned as he almost couldn't help himself laughing but was able to put it aside.

"Yeah, Squirtle really cares about me and I care about him like we do with all of our Pokémon. A bond between our Pokémon is what makes them stronger, and I can say the same for Squirtle. You see I met this Squirtle at a Pokémon Center on the way to Vermillion City after his trainer abandoned him. All he did was mock trainers and play pranks on them, but he opened up to me. Squirtle has put that aside and we are now a team, and Squirtle wants to show you right now how strong he has become since I got him," Serena explained.

Serena finally explained the story to Paul on how she got Squirtle. Paul showed no sympathy, better yet, he might have more of an uninterested look on his face. What was going through Paul's head right now?

"Where did you say you got that Squirtle from?" Paul questioned.

"I told you, the Pokémon Center on the road to Vermillion City with a fork on the road in a couple of miles," Serena explained trying her best to remember exactly where that Pokémon Center was.

Paul took some time to actually think things through. Squirtle, the Pokémon Center coming near a fork on the road, Vermillion City. Paul was starting to put the pieces together. That may have been somewhere along the road near northeast Kanto. It then hit Paul why this Squirtle was acting so hateful towards Paul. It couldn't be!

"I remember now," Paul muttered.

"Remember what," Ash replied.

"That was the Squirtle I released," Paul confirmed.

"WHAT!" Ash and Serena gasped in union.

What the, Paul, was Squirtle's previous trainer. So, this Squirtle wondered down the road starting to hate humans and Pokémon trainers because of Paul releasing him because he wasn't deemed a worthy Pokémon.

"That was your Squirtle?" Ash asked feeling surprised.

"Yeah," Paul confirmed, "That Squirtle showed no value."

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Paul was leaving AJ's gym after losing to AJ and becoming victim number 100 which now allowed AJ to travel around Kanto to collect his badges. Paul was getting further in the outskirts and then he pulled out his Pokeball._

 _He glazed at the Pokeball which contained his Squirtle. Squirtle did nothing to AJ's Sandshrew as he was beaten so easily. Paul was not impressed with Squirtle's performance and Sandshrew was clearly the last straw. With that Paul brought out Squirtle while activating the Pokeball's release function._

" _Squirtle?" Squirtle questioned._

" _When I caught you, you were shown to have such decent stats, but all you have been doing is disappointing me," Paul explained with a cold tone._

' _Squirtle," Squirtle responded._

" _You can't even beat a ground type like AJ's Sandshrew. I usually don't do type advantages, but I only did that so you could work your way up, but all you did was humiliate me and yourself. I can't even stand being with you," Paul explained with a tint of anger._

" _Squirtle!" Squirtle cried._

" _You're not worthy of being on my team anymore. I wasted my time with you, so I'll just find another water-type. You won't amount to anything and I'm sure none of the other trainers will consider taking you after they learn what you really are," Paul explained._

 _Paul began to walk away from Squirtle. Squirtle was just hurt by what Paul said to him. He was considered a waste of time. Pokémon were meant to be partners, but this boy proves he didn't care about him at all. He showed him his strengths and would do anything to be his friend, but he showed no signs of being friends, just business. As soon as Paul was out of sight, Squirtle began to cry._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Serena was now feeling furious. The Squirtle she found at the Pokémon Center that opened up to her and for some reason acted like he had a crush on Serena, belonged to him at one point?

"You know, maybe if you gave Squirtle a real chance, then maybe he could've proven something to you," Serena retorted.

"Like what?" Paul questioned with a glare.

"I had a Magikarp at once," Serena told Paul.

"Those Pokémon are considered weak unless they evolve," Paul replied.

"Well it's true, but when I got that Magikarp, I kept her and loved her like all of my Pokémon, and when me and Ash were caught in a shipwreck, Magikarp wanted to do everything she could to help me because of how I treated her like a friend, and that's when she evolved and saved my life," Serena explained telling Paul about her and Ash's experience on the S.S. Anne.

"Like I say, you two just can't keep yourselves out of trouble," Paul muttered, "You and the boy are truly pathetic."

"Wait here, the point of Magikarp's story was that I never gave up on her, and now that she is a Gyarados, she can be able to do much more than she ever could as Magikarp, maybe even more," Serena explained.

"But how will you know if that Gyarados is a valuable asset?" Paul questioned.

"What Serena is trying to say is if she was able to do that with Magikarp, then she can do the same with Squirtle," Ash told Paul.

Paul couldn't believe he was caught in a heated argument with the handling of Squirtle. The Squirtle that Serena found in the Pokémon Center after Ash had his Pokémon stolen by Damien has been fond of her. She told him back at the Pokémon Center that not all humans were like that, and Serena has proven that to him. To top it all off, Squirtle even helped in taking down Damien. Now he was willing to take down Paul in a Pokémon battle.

"Now as I was saying, I challenge you to a battle Paul. I will use only Squirtle, and feel free to use whatever other Pokémon you want," Serena told Paul.

Paul said nothing and gave out a shrug. With that, it looks like he was accepting a battle.

"Fine, I will show you how much time you're wasting with that Squirtle," Paul growled.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Ash was now sitting on the bench with Pikachu with Rotom Dex acting as the referee who already had images of her and Paul with Squirtle's picture already underneath since she was going to be using him. Serena stood on one side while Paul was standing on the other side. Clearly Paul wouldn't use Magmar since he already battled. This battle isn't just to beat Paul, but for Serena to show her how much Squirtle has improved since she got it and that he is one of the best Pokémon she could ask for.

"This will be a sudden death one on one Pokémon battle between Serena Gabena and Paul Aggrot, which means each trainer is only allowed one Pokémon!" Rotom Dex announced.

"Well it's obvious that I'm going to be using Squirtle," Serena told Paul.

"Squirtle," Squirtle grunted with determination.

"Well then, I mentioned I found a compatible water-type Pokémon that I used to beat Erika," Paul said holding out what appeared to be a Pokeball with a blue top and red mark on it

Squirtle recognized that Pokeball too well, it was a Great Ball. That was the Pokeball he used to catch his water-type. Squirtle probably knew who was in that Great Ball.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Squirtle was walking down the road just moments after he was released. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon was hurt after Paul released him and said those horrible things. Squirtle then appeared by a nearby lake. He then noticed something._

 _It was Paul who's Elekid was going up against a small blue tadpole like Pokémon with a counter-clockwise swirl on her belly, a Poliwag. Elekid seemed to be getting worn out as this tadpole was putting up a fight. Paul was actually impressed that this Poliwag was putting up a fight against his Elekid._

" _Elekid, finish this with Thunderbolt," Paul ordered._

 _Elekid brought out a jolt of electricity and shocked the Tadpole Pokémon into submission. Paul then pulled out a Pokeball and threw it at Poliwag. Poliwag was sucked inside and the ball continued to wiggle until it finally dinged. Paul picked up the Pokeball and pulled out his pokedex to scan Poliwag. The cold boy smirked at Paul considered this Poliwag to be compatible._

" _I needed another water type to replace that worthless cause of a Squirtle, and you have proved to be a value asset," Paul said looking at the Pokeball containing Poliwag._

 _Squirtle just saw the whole thing. He just called Squirtle worthless and replaced him just like that. Squirtle took those words to heart about what Paul said about no trainer would want him and started to run further down the road away from him. He couldn't believe it, he was hoping for a friend, but all he got was an accessory to his quest to become strong. Squirtle thought that all humans only wanted strong Pokémon, and no one would consider Squirtle strong. He didn't want any friends in humans, he couldn't stand the humans. From that day on, Squirtle started to mock and insult any Pokémon trainer he saw._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Paul threw the Great Ball and released the water Pokémon that he used. Squirtle was expecting Poliwag, but he was given a different Pokémon. It was bigger and now she had arms with white glove like hands, and her swirl was now going clockwise. That was the same Poliwag Paul caught, only now it was a Poliwhirl. He must've evolved her.

"It's a Poliwhirl," Ash stated as Rotom Dex did an analysis.

 _#061-Poliwhirl: Tadpole Pokémon_

 _Although it has become capable of living on land, it spends its time in the water, where its prey, fish Pokémon, are plentiful._

So, this was the Pokémon Paul assumed he could replace Squirtle with, this Poliwhirl. Squirtle was going to prove to Paul that Serena's training has made him stronger. Squirtle didn't want a guy like Paul bringing him down.

"Squirtle use Water Gun!" Serena called out.

"Poliwhirl use your own Water Gun," Paul told Poliwhirl

Squirtle and Poliwhirl each unleashed their own Water Gun attacks. Squirtle and Poliwhirl were both dueling it out with the strengths of their Water Gun attacks. Squirtle was giving it all he got, but it was Poliwhirl's who was a little stronger. Soon after Poliwhirl's Water Gun began to overpower Squirtle's Water Gun. Serena needed to think of something, because Squirtle couldn't beat this Poliwhirl with brute strength.

"Squirtle use Aqua Tail on the ground!" Serena called out.

Upon hearing Serena, Squirtle unleashed an Aqua Tail on the ground which allowed Squirtle to bounce up in the air and cancel his Water Gun. Poliwhirl stopped using Water Gun too.

"Now use Tackle!" Serena commanded.

Squirtle charged at Poliwhirl with a Tackle. As the Tiny Turtle Pokémon came closing in, Paul just stood there awaiting for Squirtle to approach Poliwhirl.

"Doubleslap!" Paul called out on que.

Poliwhirl started to slap Squirtle right when he got close. Squirtle was down on the ground and Poliwhirl continued to slap him repeatedly.

"Squirtle use Withdraw!" Serena cried out.

Squirtle withdrew into his shell to protect himself from Poliwhirl's Doubleslap. Poliwhirl was waiting for the right moment to attack, which would be when Squirtle comes out. Serena tried to figure out what she could do, and then she saw an opening.

"That Squirtle isn't going to be hiding in there forever," Paul told Serena.

"You're right," Serena muttered until her frown turned into a smirk, "Rapid Spin on Poliwhirl's legs."

Squirtle's shell began spinning and the spinning shell crashed into Poliwhirl's leg causing him to stumble to his stomach. Now Serena had a chance to counter.

"Alright, now jump back up and use Tackle!" Serena yelled.

Squirtle popped out of his shell and jumped up into the air. Squirtle looked at the mean Poliwhirl on his knees not being able to get up. This was his chance to strike. Squirtle charged over at Poliwhirl with the hardest Tackle possible. Paul was then smirking as if he had something up his sleeve.

"Psychic," Paul told his Poliwhirl.

What! Poliwhirl looked at Squirtle and unleashed psychic waves at the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. This caught Serena and Squirtle by surprise. This Poliwhirl actually knew the move Psychic?

"But how?" Serena questioned while stuttering, "I didn't think a Poliwhirl could learn Psychic."

"That's what the Pokedex is for, it's able to study potential moves that a Pokémon can learn. According to the Pokedex, Poliwhirl is capable of learning Psychic," Paul explained.

"Squirtle try using Water Gun once more," Serena cried out.

"Not going to happen, Poliwhirl use Brick Break," Paul told his Poliwhirl.

This Poliwhirl was full of tricks, not only did she know Psychic, but Brick Break as well. Poliwhirl came closing in on Squirtle and smashed him with her amazing power from the fighting-type attack. Squirtle fell onto the ground and was out cold. Serena couldn't believe it, Squirtle who was unconscious didn't believe it. Paul's Poliwhirl actually outmatched Serena's Squirtle.

"Squirtle is unable to battle, the winner is Poliwhirl," Rotom Dex muttered as Squirtle's picture turned grey and Paul's image appeared with the words WINNER underneath, "Which means the winner of this match as well, is Paul Aggrot."

After Squirtle's defeat, Serena walked up to Squirtle. She bent down and looked at her Pokémon. Squirtle fought hard, but Paul was more strategic than Serena. Serena had nothing but a sad look on her face.

"Squirtle," Serena said looking at her fallen Pokémon.

Squirtle started to quickly regain consciousness and glare at the Poliwhirl. Squirtle was getting up and was preparing to go for another attack at Poliwhirl.

"Squirtle!" Serena exclaimed, "The match is over!"

Squirtle was charging at Poliwhirl for another Tackle attack, but Paul immediately called back the Tadpole Pokémon. Paul looked at Squirtle with a frown on his face. He wasn't going to give Squirtle another chance.

"Squirtle Squirtle!" Squirtle angrily cried.

"I think this battle already proves how pathetic you and your trainer truly are," Paul told Squirtle.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle angrily cried.

"Squirtle that's enough," Serena said grabbing Squirtle, "Just take it easy. Rotom Dex called the match and the way you're acting will only make him see you worse."

Squirtle tried to struggle out of Serena's grip to give Paul a piece of his mind, but Serena was able to hold him tight. Squirtle continued to struggle out and then, he just gave up. Squirtle began to cry.

"It's okay Squirtle," Serena said soothing Squirtle.

Squirtle just glared at Serena for holding him back. He was clearly upset about losing to Paul's Poliwhirl. He wanted to show Paul that releasing him was a mistake, but instead he made it look like it was the right decision for him. Squirtle continued to cry.

"See, what did I tell you. That Squirtle is a lost cause, and I think it's best you got rid of it. It won't amount to anything," Paul told Serena.

"No way, I'm going to give up on Squirtle!" Serena said.

She then looked at Ash and he saw everything. Ash really couldn't stand Paul's behavior towards his Pokémon, and the fact he tied him and beat him just made him look more like a fool in front of him.

"If I never met Ash Ketchum, I would've never learned his motto of never giving up until the end. I will not give up on this Squirtle by any means necessary. Squirtle has already been hurt by you, and I will not let him be hurt again!" Serena stated.

"Paul," Ash muttered as he stood, "If those two battles proved anything, it doesn't prove that we're pathetic, it only proves that you're better than us and we can just work harder with our Pokémon."

Ash was right, Paul was the better trainer. He beaten both Ash and Serena, but it didn't prove Paul's point that they were losers, it only proved that he was better. Serena turned around and knew the truth within Ash's words.

"Paul, next time I see you I won't lose to you," Ash told Paul looking at him in the eye.

"Whatever, if you ever want to have any hopes of furthering yourself, I suggest you ditch that girl. You will always be pathetic when you're with her, especially with that pathetic Squirtle," Paul told Ash.

Serena heard Paul said. He called Ash pathetic, and he called Squirtle pathetic. Serena knew the pain that Squirtle was in, and Paul wanted to make them look bad. Serena didn't like that she trash talk about Ash and Squirtle like that, and he even considered her a loser. Serena couldn't take it anymore.

"Paul," Serena angrily commented.

"What?" Paul spat.

Serena raised her leg and kicked Paul in the crotch. Paul cringed on the ground in pain from the force of Serena's kick. She was not going to let him talk down about them like that anymore. Squirtle saw what Serena did and couldn't help but show more appreciation in her, but the pain of losing to his Poliwhirl was still in his head. Squirtle was happy though that Serena stood up for him.

"What was that for?" Paul asked while still cringing in pain.

"Do whatever you want with your Pokémon training, I don't care! But don't talk down about Ash or Squirtle like that ever again!" Serena screamed.

Paul was now recovering from Serena's kick. He got up and looked a bit surprised. He had to give credit that this girl was pretty tough. He thought at first that this was some girl Ash dragged along to possibly babysit, but Serena has proven to handle her own.

"Whatever," Paul muttered, "I'm out of here."

Paul got back on his bike and began to cycle away from the two Pokémon trainers. As Ash saw Paul riding away, he couldn't help but look at Serena with a smile. Despite losing to Paul, Serena stood up for him.

"I was wondering when somebody was going to do something like that," Ash said with a chuckle.

The mood was sour, but after that stunt Serena just pulled, they couldn't help but feel like they got a moral victory.

"Ash, I don't want Paul to treat us like that anymore because we don't follow his methods of raising Pokémon. They aren't right, and it's not right that we called pathetic for the fact that we care about our Pokémon," Serena explained.

"I hear you Serena, great job," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

Serena then looked on over towards Squirtle. Squirtle was still having mixed feelings about what happened.

"Hey Squirtle, I just want to tell you that you're a great Pokémon and you'll be able to do great things. If anything, it was a good thing Paul released you because he was not the trainer for you. I can be that trainer who will love you and care for you, and not let you go down the path you went down last time after you were with Paul," Serena explained.

Squirtle heard out Serena. It's true, he did not want another Pokémon trainer like Paul. Serena has shown him nothing but kindness and love. Come to think of it, Pokémon contests might be more of his forte. With that, Squirtle jumped up and gave Serena a big hug.

"Squirtle, I promise you and I will make a great team," Serena told Squirtle.

"Squirtle Squirtle!" Squirtle happily chirped.

Ash and Serena were quite amazed of how far Squirtle has come since Serena got it. Now knowing of his backstory with Paul, she was more determined to be the best trainer Squirtle could ever had.

* * *

 _ **Evening**_

The sun was starting to set, and Ash and Serena were back on the main road. The two were happy to be riding the tandem bike again with Pikachu in the basket. What felt like was could've been a bike ride that felt romantic ended up becoming an eventful day knowing more about Squirtle's past trainer. They finally agree to put that behind them and enjoy the rest of the ride.

"You know, I think if we didn't have this bike with us, we would've been at the end of Cycling Road by nightfall, but I got a good feeling we'll reach Celadon City before the sun sets," Ash said.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing our moms again," Serena said.

What Nurse Joy said was true, it took them nearly the whole day to cross Cycling Road. They actually made it across quicker than they thought, especially with the battles with Paul. The two already saw the end of the road where there was another Pokémon Center awaiting. This must be the Pokémon Center where trainers come and drop off their bikes.

"There's the Pokémon Center!" Serena happily exclaimed pointing to the Pokémon Center.

"Alright, we'll give our moms a call when we arrive," Ash told Serena.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu happily said.

"That's right Pikachu, you're going to meet mom for the first time," Ash told the yellow mouse.

Ash and Serena quickly pedaled as hard as they could to the Pokémon Center that marked the end of Cycling Road. While Ash and Serena were happy to see their moms again along with Ash's next gym battle and Serena's next contest, the two still remembered that grim memory of what the trio told them on the S.S. Anne. They had to be careful, and if it's true that Team Rocket ran that hotel they were staying in, there was going to be some problems.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Yellow was being dragged by Rose through the casino with Chu Chu following from behind. They weren't expecting themselves to be back in the hotel after that one experience with the badly cooked dinner. Rose had another motive to drag Yellow along, they wanted her to meet up with Petrel again.

"I'm not sure on this Rose," Yellow said feeling timid.

"Come on Yellow, you got him to take his pants off in front of you, so you can see if you can have another little get together," Rose said smirking at Yellow.

Rose wanted Yellow to hit up on Petrel again, but she had to understand that it was just a one-night gig. When they arrived at the bar, it was a different person who was running the bartending booth. This was a man with short brown hair. The two questioned themselves, where in the world was Petrel?

"Um, excuse me?" Yellow asked nervously.

"Yeah, may I help you?" the bartender questioned in a stern tone.

"Where's…Petrel?" Yellow asked nervously as she was elbowed by Rose.

"Petrel is off for the night so I'm running the booth," the bartender answered.

Little do they know, Petrel who is actually a Team Rocket executive, returned to headquarters and right now Archer along with Cassidy and Butch were running the operation.

"Okay," Yellow replied.

"Rose, Yellow!" Delia squealed as she ran towards the two women.

Grace and Jade were following her along with Mimey and Happy, and they were given some delightful news. The two ladies got off the phone with Ash and Serena knowing that their arrival was coming up.

"We just spoke with Ash and Serena, they will be in Celadon City before sunset," Jade announced, "They want us to meet them at the Pokémon Center."

Their babies were finally going to be in the city. They also remembered that Ash's birthday was coming up and they got their presents. Thankfully they purchased them before the incident the other day, because they don't want to go back to the department store after what happened.

"That's wonderful, you two get to meet your kids during their journey," Rose happily said, "Heh, I wish we had some sort of accident that would get Leaf to come on over."

"Well, it would actually be great to see my nephew again," Yellow said with a smile.

"You know sis, Ash and Serena are sharing a Pikachu, I'm sure their Pikachu will love Chu Chu," said Delia.

"I know, she enjoyed her time with Mimey and Happy, but getting a chance to meet the other Pokémon will be a treat for her," Yellow said.

It truly was going to be a great reunion not only meeting their kids but having their kid's Pokémon interact with the Pokémon they got at the casino. The only Pokémon from Ash and Serena that Delia, Grace, and Jade met in person were Froakie and Fennekin, and they saw Pikachu on the video phone along with Rotom Dex. Now they get to meet their Pokémon in person.

"Well what are you waiting for, let's go," Grace said giving the hand signal to tell Rose and Yellow to come.

"Okay," Yellow confirmed as she turned to the bartender, "If you see Petrel, tell him I said hi."

"Will do," the bartender responded.

With that, the ladies asked what they were going to talk about with Ash and Serena. Furthermore, they have to remember the embarrassing incident with the Celadon City Gym Leader Erika. Little did they know, the bartender made sure to listen to the entire conversation.

* * *

 _ **Security Room**_

There were monitors inside the room to keep surveillance inside the hotel. Some security cameras were in the casino, others were in the hotel hallways, but there were others in the basement. In the basement were cages filled with different kinds of Pokémon. The basement was where Team Rocket were storing the Pokémon. There were more Pokémon in the basement now after Team Rocket's successful attempt in seizing the Pokémon from trainers aboard the S.S. Anne.

In there Archer was sitting there watching what was going on. He kept monitor over everything that was going on in the casino, but he made sure that they kept the surveillance over Delia and the two Gabena mothers. Archer was getting a response from his communicator.

"Sir Archer," someone replied.

"What is it?" Archer questioned.

"We have been informed by the subjects we have been keeping an eye on that Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena are coming to Celadon City," the rocket responded.

So that bartender was a rocket all along. Well, everyone was a rocket in the casino and hotel, but no one knew.

"What!" Archer yelled, "I thought Proton finally took them out on the S.S. Anne!"

"Well we were hearing words that they're coming to Celadon City," the rocket confirmed.

Archer got enough bad news that Jessie, James, and Meowth survived, and Proton never told anyone he left them on the ship to die. Ash and Serena have gotten in the way of their plans, and now Team Rocket feared that they would be coming to the casino.

"Alright listen up, and report this to Cassidy and Biff as well," Archer announced, "Start telling our agents to step up security. If we know those two little pieces of shit, they will come in and wreck the place."

"Yes sir!" the rocket responded, "And by the way, the blonde hair lady wanted me to let you know that she wanted to say hi to Petrel."

"Indeed, he is back at headquarters, but I'll put in a word for him," Archer told the rocket, "Just be prepared for anything."

"Yes sir!" the rocket responded.

With that Archer shut his communicator off. There was no doubt that Ash and Serena could be coming to their casino. This casino was in business for many years as a money-making scheme for Team Rocket to reach their ultimate finical goal. Now here these two going to attempt to mess this up too.

Team Rocket knew they got in the way at the Viridian City Pokémon Center, the Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon, and just recently the S.S. Anne. There was no doubt that Ash and Serena were coming to the casino too. Team Rocket has no clue that Ash and Serena already know about the scheme hearing it from Jessie, James, and Meowth when they tried to escape the shipwreck.

Now Team Rocket was ready for Ash and Serena if they should come. Archer was the only executive that they haven't met yet, and they haven't met Cassidy and Butch either. Team Rocket was not going to let those two kids have their way.

"Alright Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena let's see you press your luck," Archer said darkly.

* * *

 **There you have it, Paul was Squirtle's original trainer, I did leave some hints along the way that Paul was his trainer. Paul was pretty much a jerk in this chapter, so I figured maybe he get a kick in the crotch.**

 **Sorry to say this, but don't expect Squirtle to have a rematch against Paul's Poliwhirl anytime soon. Squirtle did not take this loss well, and the only thing he can do now is get stronger and move on.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll about the Mega Stone Ash should get for Charmadner when he becomes Charizard. I'll close the poll once Ash gets his 4** **th** **badge.**

 **Coming up next, the Celadon City Arc where Ash and Serena finally pay a visit to Team Rocket's casino. I've decided to give the chapter title a video game reference.**

 **Chapter 28: Casino Night Act 1**


	30. Casino Night Act 1

**Here we are, the beginning of the Celadon City Arc. Ash and Serena will now reunite with their mothers after being away for so long. They will hang around for the entire Celadon Arc before returning to Pallet Town.**

 **Even though Ash and Serena heard about the casino from the trio and what they did, I'm not going to have them just walk into Celadon City and have them look for them because if they did that on something that without any evidence that Team Rocket was behind it, they could look like the bad guys and get in trouble. They actually know better than that, especially since their moms and everyone else at the hotel have no idea that it's an operation run by Team Rocket. I'm just going to have them be aware of the situation and there will be scenarios that will eventually lead them into the Team Rocket operation.**

 **There is going to be some drama in this chapter, and probably some characters are going to go overboard and take wrong actions. One thing I promise is that I will make sure everything with these situations work out in the end.**

 **Now without further ado, here is part one of Team Rocket Casino Climax. I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City**_

As the sun went down, the city lights began to turn on. Ash and Serena have finally arrived in Celadon City. There were so many buildings, many stores for shopping which was something Serena would be looking forward to, and the air felt clean. Some of the sights in Celadon City included many casinos since there was plenty of gambling in this town.

As Ash and Serena were walking through the beautiful lights of the city, they also had to be aware of their surroundings since big cities have intended to be more common for muggings and prostitution, not to mention Team Rocket had a casino they were running.

"Celadon City is so beautiful," Serena said clasping her hands.

"Yeah, Rose grew up here and met Daniel here too," Ash told Serena.

That was a good explanation why Rose wanted to drag his mom, his aunt, and Serena's moms over to Celadon City. They knew of all of cool things adults could do. What was even better was that Ash was going to be celebrating his eleventh birthday in this city because the day after his birthday will be Serena's next Pokémon Contest. Right now, they needed to find the Pokémon Center to meet up with their moms.

"So Rotom Dex, give us directions to the Pokémon Center," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Certainly!" Rotom Dex giving a salute.

Rotom Dex was able to process a map of Celadon City. The city was huge, and it almost acted like a maze. This was after all the second largest city in Kanto behind Saffron. Then Rotom Dex gave them the quickest route to the Pokémon Center.

"Great, let's go," Ash said following Rotom Dex.

"Right back at ya," Rotom Dex responded.

So, Ash and Serena went down the road, but despite Rotom Dex's great feature of giving layouts of major cities, it did not determine if the roads were safe. As to their expense, they felt unsettling.

As Ash and Serena walked down the road, they could see this area of Celadon City has been somewhat run down. There were many tough guys smoking, and just as expected, there were some hookers walking down the sidewalk.

"Ash, I don't like the looks of this place," Serena said feeling nervous.

"I'm sorry, but Rotom Dex can't analyze if a place looks safe or not," Ash told Serena as he looked her in the eye, "Just keep walking and stay close to me."

Serena heard the genuine words of Ash. She smiled and kept her eyes on him. The two continued to walk through the bad parts of the neighborhood and made sure not to inhale any cigarette smoke, because if there is anything worse than smoking, it's second hand smoke.

Ash made sure to keep an eye out for any muggers or hookers. This was no place for children to roam around in. Another thing that could give them trouble were drug dealers offering them illegal drugs that could get them arrested, like crack. Ash had his hand near his Pokeballs just in case someone tried to attack, and of course Pikachu was ready to attack if necessary.

"Hey, I got some Jigglypuff eyeballs for 500 Pokedollars followed by Slowpoke tails for 2000 Pokedollars," a guy out in the distance said showing gutted out eyeballs of Jigglypuff and tails from Slowpokes.

Serena gagged in her mouth and was about to shriek.

"Just keep going, don't look," Ash told Serena as he pushed her forward.

Wow, these parts of the neighborhood are just awful. If Serena were to be mayor of Celadon City, she would make sure these parts of the city were cleaned out.

After a half-hour, Ash and Serena were finally back in a decent part of Celadon City. The two were relieved that they made it through that. Sometimes, dangerous obstacles in a Pokémon journey aren't just dark forests, scary caves, or treacherous mountains, but also run-down parts of the city.

"You okay Serena?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine," Serena answered giving out an approving sigh.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Pokémon Center**_

Nightfall was coming and waiting in the Pokémon Center were none other than Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose. They got a phone call that the two were going to be arriving soon in Celadon City and agreed to meet in the Pokémon Center. Delia wasn't sure what she was going to say about her run in with Erika, and how it would affect Ash. After all, he did suggest that his mom watches his next gym battle.

"He's going to find out soon," Yellow said putting her hands-on Delia.

"I know, I just don't know what will happen," Delia responded, "But for right now, I'm just happy that my son is coming."

"You have a wonderful family Delia, I wished I had a family like yours," Yellow commented.

What Yellow said was true, Delia did get the best family she could ask for. She had a loving husband who was once champion of Kanto, a son with a great gift of bonding with Pokémon and a sense of adventure, and now she had an addition with Mimey whom she could treat as a second child. Yellow had no family of her own except for her sister and Chu Chu. They had parents, but they were no longer around. Just like Yellow, until Delia married Red, the only family she had was Yellow.

The two sisters had some pretty hard times throughout the years when they grew up in Viridian City, and they never really wanted to talk about it. Delia meeting Red and them having Ash only eased the pain for the two about their past, but never fully helped get over it.

Delia sure hoped that Yellow could have a family of her own to help her ease the pain of the past along with her. Maybe there could be someone out there for Yellow, heck Rose tried pairing her up with Petrel because of a one-night stand. How could she know that was true love? It was drunken sex!

"I'm sure you'll find your soulmate someday Yellow," Delia told her sister pressing her hands on hers.

"Pika," Chu Chu said looking up towards her.

"Thanks Delia," Yellow kindly said.

Then a moment later, the sliding doors opened. The group of women heard, and it was Jade who was the first to spot who it was. There was a girl in a pink hat with honey blonde hair who was with a boy with spiky raven hair wearing an official Pokémon League hat and traveling alongside them was a Pikachu and a floating Pokedex.

It was them, Ash and Serena have arrived!

"They're here!" Jade announced.

"Hey there!" Ash greeted.

Their moms were so happy to see their kids once again. What was starting as a ladies getaway turned into a family reunion. Ash was greeted with a warm hug from Delia while Grace and Jade embraced Serena in a hug as well.

"It's great to see you again Ash," Delia happily said until she had a serious look, "By the way have you been changing your underwear every day?"

"Mom!" Ash exclaimed in embarrassment.

"That's your mom for you Ash," Yellow said as she looked over at Ash.

Ash was really happy to see his Aunt Yellow. She would come over once in a while and bring along Chu Chu. When Ash got Pikachu in the Viridian City Pokémon Center, Chu Chu wasn't ever in his mind, just a Pokémon that he and Serena could become great friends with.

"Ash, it's nice to see you again," Yellow happily said as she now gave Ash a hug.

"Hi Aunt Yellow," Ash said hugging his aunt.

Chu Chu was looking at Ash and Serena. Chu Chu knew Ash since he was a baby and would start to know Serena as well. Then to her surprise, she noticed another Pikachu with them. Pikachu looked at Chu Chu with curiosity and then smiled to see it was another Pikachu with a flower on her head. Pikachu walked on over to Chu Chu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said greeting Chu Chu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied greeting Chu Chu.

"I take it that's your Pikachu?" Yellow asked.

"Actually, it's both mine and Serena's. We're using Pikachu together, and just recently he was in both my Vermillion Gym battle and Serena's Vermillion Contest," Ash explained.

"That's wonderful," Yellow happily said as she witnessed the scene with Pikachu and Chu Chu, "I see Pikachu and Chu Chu are getting along just fine."

It truly was a scene to see the two Pikachu getting along. While Ash was happy getting hugs from his mom and aunt and Serena getting hugs from her mom, there was still one other person who wasn't being known.

"Hey, what about me," Rose questioned with her hands on her hips.

Ash and Serena couldn't forget about Rose Green, Leaf's mom. It was her who suggested the idea for the ladies to get out and have some fun, but it never crossed her mind that they would meet their kids in Celadon City. Rose sighed and wished Leaf was there too.

"We can't forget about you Rose," Serena brightly said.

"Ash and Serena, how have you two kids been?" Rose asked with a positive attitude.

"We've been great," Serena answered.

It was then that Ash and Serena noticed two other Pokémon with them. A Mime Jr. and a Happiny.

"Mom," Serena trailed.

"Kids, we wanted to surprise you when we saw each other again, but when we were staying in the hotel, we were able to get ourselves new family members," Delia explained showing off Mimey and Happy.

"You got Pokémon?" Ash asked in surprise.

"Yes," Delia answered gesturing Mimey to come on over, "Ash, this is Mime Jr., but I like to call him Mimey."

"Hi there," Ash happily said greeting the Mime Pokémon.

"Mime mime," Mimey responded.

"And Serena, this is Happiny," Grace said gesturing Happy to come on over, "We gave him a name like Delia did with Mime Jr."

"We called him Happy," Jade said with happiness.

"Aww, how cute," Serena said picking up Happiny, "It's so nice to meet you, I'm Grace and Jade's daughter Serena. Don't worry, I'm friendly."

It was weird for Serena to call her moms by their first names, but it was a way to introduce herself to Happy. Ash and Serena could also consider their moms thankful for getting two Pokémon out of Team Rocket's possession, even though they spent some money on them. Rotom Dex took a look at the Pokémon and began to scan them.

 _#439-Mime Jr.: Mime Pokémon_

 _When this gifted mimic surprises an opponent, Mime Jr. feels so happy that it ends up forgetting it was imitating something._

 _#440-Happiny: Playhouse Pokémon_

 _When it sees something round and white, Happiny puts it into the pouch on its stomach. It sometimes becomes overloaded and can't move._

The ladies looked over at Rotom Dex who just analyzed their Pokémon. When Ash and Serena left on their journey, they showed their moms a giant Pokedex, but it wasn't operational yet. They then met Rotom at the Viridian City Pokémon Center and were truly introduced to Rotom Dex.

"I take it this is the Pokedex you kids were given by Professor Oak?" Yellow asked looking at Rotom Dex.

"Yeah," Ash confirmed after hearing his aunt, "This was the Pokedex that Professor Oak got from the Alola Region. He said we needed a part to operate it, and it turns out it was a Pokémon called Rotom who operates the Pokedex."

"Everyone meet Rotom Dex," Serena said introducing Rotom Dex.

Of course, their moms already saw Rotom Dex over the video phone, but they have yet to meet the live Pokedex in person.

"Greetings everyone! I am Rotom Dex and I've been programed to accompany Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena in their travels around the Pokémon world," Rotom Dex said introducing itself.

"Rotom Dex, you don't need to formally introduce us to everyone all the time," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"But I think it's a great way to know who you are and what my purpose is," Rotom Dex told Ash.

"I know, but what if you introduced us to the wrong people?" Serena questioned.

Serena made a good point, and Rotom Dex figured that out. When they came across Team Rocket in Viridian Forest, he told them who it was and who Ash and Serena, and they immediately sent their identities over to Team Rocket Headquarters. Rotom Dex may want to not always give out proper introductions.

"Sorry," Rotom Dex said looking down.

"It's okay Rotom Dex," Serena said patting the Pokedex on the back which got Rotom Dex to show a happy face on it's screen.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Restaurant**_

After the happy reunions, Rotom Dex being shut off for the time being, and everyone dropped their Pokémon off with Nurse Joy, the group went over to a restaurant to have dinner together. The women were hoping this dinner went better than the last one at the hotel where they all got sick.

Ash and Serena talked to their moms, Yellow, and Rose about all of the adventures they went on along with meeting with Leaf and Daisy. They already knew about the Spearow incident, but they made sure not to mention their run ins with Team Rocket and how they were caught on the S.S. Anne, and respecting that voice out of nowhere, they didn't talk about the GS Ball. Ash talked about his gym battles and how he got his three badges, and everybody was pretty much crestfallen of what happened in Ash's first battle in the Vermillion Gym with Froakie and Fennekin. Serena also spoke about her contests and the ribbon she won along with the coordinators she met on the way such as Calem, Shauna, and Miette.

"Oh, you should've seen your mom after you missed winning the Vermillion City Contest by so little," Rose said smirking.

"ROSE!" Jade ranted.

"What happened?" Serena asked.

"Nothing, I was just…vomiting," Jade lied.

Jade did not want her daughter knowing about the incident that took place in the department store after she came so close.

Ash and Serena also talked about the Pokémon they got along the way, and how they were able to get them along with the release of Butterfree. Though they didn't mention Team Rocket or the S.S. Anne, they did mention what happened when they got Bulbasaur and Abra without mentioning the hidden village and mentioned what Damien did when they got Charmander and Squirtle. Delia, Grace, and Jade all gasped in horror when they heard all of that, thankfully everything turned out okay. They did get a good laugh on how Serena got Slowpoke, and they mentioned that Froakie and Fennekin were doing fine.

"Well I got to say along with Pikachu you kids got some interesting Pokémon," Rose said crossing her arms.

"Yeah, tomorrow will show you our Pokémon and then you can watch my gym battle," Ash said pumping his fist.

"Your gym battle?" Delia questioned.

"Yeah, since you're here you can watch me get my fourth badge," Ash told his mom, "I know you'll be proud of me when I win."

"Yeah, of course I will," Delia said with a false smile.

Delia was going to have to explain to Ash eventually what happened in the department store when they all got sick. Was this going to affect Ash's gym battle in a bad way? Delia hoped that maybe the incident would be put aside.

"Is something wrong?" Ash questioned.

"No, it's fine," Delia lied as she didn't want to mention what happened yet.

Ash of course had to think carefully of who he was going to use in the Celadon Gym. Charmander hasn't had a gym battle yet so a grass type like Erika would be a good chance for him to get some gym experience, and maybe he could use Pidgeotto as well. Butterfree was no longer with him so who else could give it a go? Ash might consider Bulbasaur and see how he fares with Erika's Pokémon.

Then another topic had to be brought up, Ash's birthday.

"So, Ash, had you plan on what you're going to do for your birthday?" Yellow asked.

"To be honest, I don't know yet, but I know you will all be here," Ash said, "After all we're going to be here for Serena's contest as well."

"Well if you think of something, just let us know," Delia confirmed with a tint of worry.

"Speaking of Serena's contest, there's something we need to tell you about the upcoming Pokémon contest that she might want to know," Grace announced.

Serena started to pay attention to her mom Grace. She learned something about the upcoming Pokémon contest that was going to take place in Celadon City. Was it cancelled, was it postponed? No, but something had to be going on, but what?

"What is it?" Serena questioned.

"Well when we were in the Pokémon Center waiting for you, we were talking to Nurse Joy mentioning how we were going to spend some time with you kids watching your gym battle and contest, and she mentioned something about the Celadon City contest," Jade stated.

"And?" Serena questioned.

"It turns out that the coordinators taking part in the upcoming contest are going to be participating in a double performance," Jade explained.

"A double performance?" Serena questioned in shock.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

What could they mean by a double performance? Serena was hoping to get some information on this because this could be a big deal when she enters the Celadon City Pokémon Contest after Ash's birthday.

"We had Nurse Joy give information to us about that," Grace said as she was about to explain double performances to Serena, "A double performance is like an ordinary Pokémon Contest but this time you will use two Pokémon at a time. They have two Pokémon come out for an appeal and work together to impress the crowd, and then coordinators that move on can either switch both Pokémon or one Pokémon or stick with the same two Pokémon for the contest battles where those two Pokémon will dazzle the audience together with combinations in a contest battle."

Grace just gave out a big explanation of a double performance to Serena, and she was amazed to hear that. Her moms wanted her to pursue a career in Rhyhorn Racing, but now he was her mother giving information on contest double performances. This was a great way to show that Serena's moms completely supported her.

That was also going to be a whole new ballgame for Serena. Now she was going to have to practice appealing the audience with two Pokémon and she also had to choose the right Pokémon. She needed to figure out which two Pokémon were going to work together to give out an appeal and which two Pokémon were going to battle on the stage. The tough part was going to be picking out the perfect pair for both.

Serena definitely wants to use Gyarados in this upcoming contest, but who would she be working with and in what portion of the contest? Serena just got Slowpoke, but he doesn't even know what he could do, or if he even knew he was on a contest stage. Abra could only use Teleport, so she has no idea when Abra and Slowpoke will enter a contest. Fennekin, Beedrill, and Squirtle definitely got experience, and Serena would like to give Squirtle a chance at redeeming himself from Paul. This was going to be tough for Serena, she had some thinking and training to do.

"Another thing you'll have to learn Serena is that double performances are going to be taking place at the Grand Festival as well, so this is good practice when you get there," Jade explained.

"Wow, I got a lot of thinking to do," Serena muttered to herself.

Serena was going to train hard for the upcoming double performance contest and figure out which Pokémon combinations would be perfect for the upcoming contest. Now they were finished eating and they paid the bill.

"Well, we're going to head back to the hotel," Rose said, "Sorry they don't let kids stay in the hotel, but we'll be back tomorrow."

Wait, they're going back to that hotel! Ash and Serena clearly remembered hearing from the trio that they gave them a special dinner and tried to poison them to death. They were completely worried that something like that could happen again and didn't want to chance it. Also, since Team Rocket may be keeping tabs on them, they could be aware that they were in Celadon City and strike during the night. Ash and Serena didn't want that to happen.

"Um, I have a better idea," Ash suggested.

"What's that?" Yellow asked.

"Why don't you skip the hotel for one night and stay at the Pokémon Center," Ash suggested.

"Stay with you at the Pokémon Center?" Rose questioned.

"Yeah," Serena trailed, "It's just…we haven't seen you for so long that maybe we could bunk in the same building and we can see you when we wake up."

She sounded like they wanted to feel like they were at home again, but the truth was it was for their safety. If it's true that Team Rocket had a casino and hotel operation here in Celadon City, they want to do everything in their power to keep them safe.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Delia happily said agreeing on it.

"We might not have those hotel beds but sleeping with you kids in the same building would make it feel like we're at home," Grace said.

"Definitely, plus I don't know what could happen to you kids during the night at the Pokémon Center," Jade said, "Maybe a break in would take place or something."

"Mom, mom, it's fine," Serena told her mom.

"We've been gone for over two months and slept outside, so we can take care of ourselves," Ash stated, "But still, I would love for you all to be here tonight."

Delia, Grace, and Jade all were happy to spend the night with their kids while they were on their journey. Yellow agreed to stay with the kids as well, and besides Chu Chu was back at the Pokémon Center along with Mimey and Happy. Rose wanted to return for a night of fun, but after hearing the women wimping out, she gave in and decided to call it a night with them. After all, Ash and Serena were friends of her daughter.

"Okay, let's go," Rose said.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino & Hotel**_

Archer was aware that those pesky kids were in Celadon City, and Team Rocket wouldn't be surprised if they came into this casino. Archer has started to step up security since their arrival, but that also meant they needed to prepare not only for Ash and Serena, but a potential getaway too because if they cause problems in their business, it would be no surprise that the police would be coming in.

It was well past midnight, and as Archer sat at the chair looking at the security monitors, he has noticed something, the women Team Rocket have been monitoring aren't in the hotel. Where could those women have gone off to? Archer then went into his communicator to speak with his teammates.

"Cassidy, Bitch," Archer growled.

"It's Butch!" Butch hollered on the other end.

"I don't fucking care if your name is Mary, I need to speak to you both," Archer spoke.

"What do you want Archer?" Cassidy questioned on the other end.

"I've taken a close look at the video monitors, and I've noticed that Delia Ketchum, Grace and Jade Gabena are not on the premises along with Yellow Presley and Rose Green," Archer explained.

"Wait, they're not in the building?" Butch questioned.

"Our guests who stay in the hotel are to actually spend the night here, and I have a bad feeling that those two sad excuses of living human beings may have noticed something and got them out," Archer explained.

"How the hell would they know about the casino?" Cassidy asked.

"I don't know, I know they always get in the way of our business somehow, but taking actions so early? They at least didn't take actions on us unless we encountered them," Archer stated until he had a horrified expression, "Unless."

Archer then remembered that Jessie, James, and Meowth were caught in the S.S. Anne shipwreck, but somehow made it back to the surface, and he also heard that Ash and Serena made it back to the surface as well. If the pieces of the puzzle fit that all five were alive, then it would make probable sense that the trio may have slipped up to Ash and Serena. Upon them hearing, Ash and Serena could've warned them about the hotel they were staying in and they made a run for it.

"Cassidy, Butch, I have this feeling that Jessie, James, and Meowth could be responsible for this, like every other Arceus damn thing," Archer said.

"The name is!" Butch screamed until the words processed through his head, "Oh, you got my name right."

"Whatever, I would like us to keep an eye out for the boy and girl, and I will alert headquarters about the situation. You'll know they're here if we see a Pikachu and that red floating computer," Archer told Cassidy and Butch.

"Yes sir!" Cassidy and Butch said on the other end of the communicator.

"Thank you, report back to your positions. Even though kids are not allowed in this hotel, there's a way that those two will show up," Archer stated, "Archer out!"

Archer shut off his communicator and continued to look up on the video monitors. They were going to show up one way or another whether it's recklessly coming in or just some strange occurrence that brings them here. Archer picked up the phone to call Giovanni and Arianna to let them know that the operation could be in jeopardy.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Celadon City-Pokémon Center**_

Outside behind the Celadon City Pokémon Center, Ash and Serena stepped outside with Pikachu and Rotom Dex with their moms, Yellow, and Rose following them along with Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu. Ash was ready to face Erika today for his fourth badge after going out for a big breakfast, but before they left, Ash and Serena wanted them to meet their Pokémon.

"So, let's see what Pokémon you kids got on your travels," Rose said.

"Well before we send out Pokémon out, let's start by sending out the two that you already know," Serena suggested.

Ash got Froakie's Pokeball and Serena had Fennekin's Pokeball. The two tossed them up in the air and released the Bubble Frog Pokémon and the Fox Pokémon. Froakie and Fennekin have already met Delia, Grace, Jade, and Rose before leaving Pallet Town, but this was their first time meeting Yellow.

Both Froakie and Fennekin had pretty neutral expressions when they met the women in front of them. The two were really uncomfortable around humans except Ash and Serena, but after a few battles, and handling situations with Team Rocket, they have gotten better. A neutral expression instead of looking scared of nervous was considered a great improvement.

"I've never seen those Pokémon before," Yellow said looking at the two Kalos starters.

"Aunt Yellow, this is my starter Froakie," Ash said introducing Froakie, "Say hi Froakie."

"Froakie," Froakie responded waving in a friendly matter.

"He's so cute," Yellow giggled.

"And of course, this is my starter Fennekin," Serena said introducing Fennekin to Yellow.

"Fennekin," Fennekin chirped.

"So adorable," Yellow happily said.

Froakie and Fennekin gave positive responses to Yellow, and despite just only meeting the other four once for a small second a while back, they were cheerful to them as well.

Afterwards, Ash and Serena retrieved all of their Pokeballs ready for more introductions.

"Alright, are you already to meet our Pokémon," Ash told everyone.

"We are Ash, I want to see all of the friends you made," Delia happily told Ash.

"Great, come on out everyone!" Ash called out releasing all of his Pokémon.

While Ash told everyone about the Pokémon he has gotten, they haven't personally met them yet. Coming out of Ash's Pokeballs were Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, and Charmander. Pidgeotto gave out a loud caw, Bulbasaur gave out a friendly hello, and Charmander waved hi to the group as well.

"Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, this is my mom Delia and my Aunt Yellow," Ash said introducing his Pokémon to his mom and aunt. It was kind of weird of Ash to introduce his mom formally.

"Aww, they're so cute," Delia said as see looked at the Pokémon.

Being Ash's mother and his aunt, Delia and Yellow walked up towards the two Pokémon. Yellow was pretty nervous around Ash's Pokémon. She went up to Pidgeotto and said hello, and Pidgeotto gave a happy coo. Delia went up to Bulbasaur and Charmander. She rubbed Bulbasaur's head which he liked and then picked up Charmander to give him a hug. Both Pokémon returned happy gestures. Despite not being a Pokémon trainer herself, Delia had a nice touch with Pokémon.

"So, it's true, you got two of the Kanto starters," Rose said smirking.

"I sure did, both Bulbasaur and Charmander had previous trainers. I don't know anything about Bulbasaur's trainer except he ended up being an ambassador to Pokémon after his trainer left him, and Charmander's former trainer left him a rock to die but I took him under my care," Ash explained, "We have been great friends since."

"How could you have not taken them, they're such adorable Pokémon," Delia said which Bulbasaur kind of grunted too.

Bulbasaur seemed adorable, but he was also prideful of his strengths as a Bulbasaur. If he ever evolved, he would only wait until he couldn't progress any further as a Bulbasaur.

"So, Serena, now that we have seen Ash's Pokémon, let's see what Pokémon you got besides Fennekin," Jade said turning towards Serena.

"You got it," Serena responded as she pulled out her Pokeballs, "Come on out everyone and meet my moms!"

Serena tossed her Pokeballs up in the air, and Beedrill, Gyarados, Abra, Squirtle, and Slowpoke came out. The ladies except for Rose were all pretty terrified when they saw a Gyarados in front of them. Serena didn't want to tell them how she got Magikarp, and if she told the story of how Magikarp evolved into Gyarados, then she be mentioning the shipwreck.

"Beedrill, Gyarados, Abra, Squirtle, Slowpoke, these are my moms Grace and Jade," Serena said formally introducing her moms.

That was the second time she formally introduce her two moms. However, the lesbian parents were still pretty timid of the Gyarados in front of them.

"That thing is scary," Grace muttered looking at Gyarados.

"Don't worry, Gyarados won't hurt you," Serena assured her moms, "Why don't you go up and say hello."

The lesbian couple walked up to the Atrocious Pokémon and looked at her. Gyarados looked at Grace and Jade with curiosity. They wondered where she got that Pokémon, and would she try to eat them?

"Hi, we're Serena's moms Grace and Jade," Grace said introducing herself to Gyarados.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you," Jade said feeling nervous.

Gyarados could hear that these two women were Serena's moms. The Atrocious Pokémon wondered how a being could have two moms, but she didn't think about that. Right now, Gyarados licked Jade showing that she was friendly.

"She likes you mom," Serena happily said.

"Well, at least Gyarados isn't eating her," Grace said giving out a sigh of relief as she then went into thought, _"That thing seems dangerous. I sure hope Serena has her under control."_

Grace then turned over to greet her other Pokémon, and when she got to Slowpoke, she felt a bit puzzled. Grace looked at Serena's most recent capture and all Slowpoke does is just stand there staring. Does Slowpoke even know where he is?

"Slowpoke seems…interesting," Grace said.

"Yeah, thanks mom," Serena muttered as she went into thought, _"I wonder when I can get to Slowpoke."_

Serena then noticed something, it was her Squirtle. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon would usually run up and affectionally hug her leg, but he actually wasn't. Ever since their meeting with Paul and learning he was his former trainer, Squirtle hasn't been himself. Did Squirtle think to himself that acting the way he did in front of Paul only proved him more right in releasing him?

"Are you alright Squirtle?" Serena asked, "You aren't hugging me like you used to."

"Squirtle," Squirtle muttered.

"Are you still upset about losing to Poliwhirl?" Serena questioned.

Squirtle didn't want to admit it, but he was still somewhat upset. Even though Serena kicked him in his testicles, Squirtle didn't prove Paul wrong in his battle and that his replacement was much better. Did that mean Paul was a better trainer than Serena?

"Do you feel like you got a lot more to prove?" Serena asked.

"Squirtle," Squirtle answered.

"Hey, tell you what, I'm actually going to use you my next Pokémon Contest, and you'll be in the contest battle portion," Serena told Squirtle.

Squirtle felt better when Serena was going to use him in her next contest. Maybe a couple of more battles in which he wins will help Squirtle get his mind off of Paul. Jade noticed Serena interacting with her Squirtle and she went up to meet Squirtle while Grace still looked at Slowpoke.

"That's a nice Squirtle you got there Serena," Jade said looking over at Squirtle.

"Yeah," Serena answered looking at her mother, "He used to belong to another trainer, but he let him go because he didn't meet the trainer's needs, we just met his former trainer recently and I had Squirtle battle him only to lose."

"I see," Jade replied sadly.

"I'm thinking of using him in my next contest to help him get over his former trainer," Serena stated.

"I think that's a good idea sweetie," Jade said.

Serena and Jade looked on over at Grace who was still looking at Slowpoke, in fact all four women were looking at the Dopey Pokémon with confusion. All Slowpoke does is just stand there and…stare at them. Does he do anything?

"Slow," Slowpoke said.

"Well it talks at least," Delia said with a chuckle.

What was Serena going to do with Slowpoke?

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

After meeting all of the Pokémon and the meetings with Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu, Ash was more than ready to visit the Celadon City Pokémon Gym. Ash wanted to use Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Froakie. Ash figured he should bring Froakie because if Paul was able to beat the gym leader with a water-type, he figures that he should do the same.

While Ash suggested that they all could come, Delia also wanted them to go around Celadon City to see if there was anything that they could do for Ash's birthday, and also do some shopping for his upcoming birthday. It would consist of Grace, Jade, Rose, and Yellow as Serena and Delia were obviously going to be watching his gym battle.

"Are you sure you don't want to see me get my fourth badge?" Ash asked.

"We're sure Ash, this would be a good chance for us to plan for your birthday," Yellow answered.

Yellow did have a little worrisome look on her face as she was concerned what would happen when Ash and Delia reach the Celadon Gym. Hopefully it would be swept under the rug.

"Alright, whatever you all have planned, I bet it will be supertastic!" Rotom Dex exclaimed, "Now it's time for Ash's journey to the Indigo League to be 50% complete."

"Hey, if Ash doesn't win, we can watch his rematch," Serena suggested.

Serena didn't believe that one bit, she knew that her crush was going to win. Would've helped to get a little more training in though.

"That would be fine, but you all enjoy, and we like to hear how it went," Jade said giving a thumbs up.

"You bet, there won't be a rematch because I will have four badges by the time I get back," Ash said tipping his cap, "Wish me luck!"

With that the ladies waived off to Ash, Serena, and Delia as they made their way to the Celadon City Pokémon Gym. Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose were now ready to search the city for something they could do together.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Gym**_

Thanks to the layout of Celadon City on Rotom Dex, Ash was able to find the gym with Serena and Delia right behind him. Pikachu and Mimey were with them too. There Ash looked at the Pokémon Gym in front of him. It was built in the form of a giant Vileplume if the roof were to indicate anything. Delia on the other hand looked kind of worried.

"Alright Rainbow Badge, here I come!" Ash exclaimed as he marched up towards the gym door.

The door opened and coming out on the other side was none other than the gym leader Erika. The Celadon Gym leader took a look at who was in front of her and saw Ash, Serena, and Delia. Erika had a look of disgust when she saw Delia, and the mother of Ash was looking anxious. While Ash looked pumped, something wasn't right. Her eyes were more fixated on Delia rather than Ash.

"Excuse me," Ash stated, "Is the gym leader here, because I'm here looking for a gym battle."

"Well I happen to be the gym leader right here," Erika said as she loomed over towards Delia.

"So, you must be Erika?" Serena questioned.

"That's right," Erika confirmed as she then looked over at Delia, "And what is she doing here?"

Ash saw that Erika had a look of disgust on her face. She remembers Delia from that day in the department store when she got sick and ended up barging into her bathroom stall and…she didn't want to think about it.

"I'm Ash's mom Delia, and I was going to come here and watch my son battle you," Delia nervously said.

Erika gave a glare at Delia. Ash, Serena, and Rotom Dex were getting kind of worried. Maybe it was a good idea for Serena's moms, Rose, and Yellow not to be around. It looks as if Erika was pretty upset.

"Do you, know my mom?" Ash questioned.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Erika confirmed as she glared at his mother, "Just the other day I was sponsoring my perfume at the department store and when I paid a visit to the ladies room, she barged in and…crapped on me."

Ash looked at his mom in total shock, sure she did tell him that she had uncontrollable diarrhea, but it happens to turn out she had a scene with the Celadon City Gym Leader! Serena and Pikachu were just as surprised along with Rotom Dex, Mimey wasn't because he was there when that happened.

"I'm so sorry about that, it's just one night at the hotel we were staying, they offered us a luxurious dinner for me, my sister, and my friends. The next day we all got sick while shopping and I was trying to look for a place where I can let it all out. I ended up running into you by mistake, I was trying to hold it in, but unfortunately some of the…you know came out." Delia explained.

"You probably didn't realize how much I stunk, after that I had to go home for the rest of the day and wash that off! I had to miss out on meeting customers who were going to give reviews on a new perfume I released because of you! It took me days to get that stench off, because you didn't use any common sense to check who's in those bathroom stalls before charging in!" Erika ranted.

"It was a complete accident, I was so caught up with the food poisoning that I didn't think straight, and I'm deeply sorry," Delia muttered.

"You better be," Erika muttered.

Delia took a few deep breaths and turned away from Erika and over towards Ash. Ash couldn't believe that his mom didn't tell him about this. He would talk to her later, but for right now he wanted to focus on his match.

"Anyway Erika, I challenge you to a gym battle," Ash declared.

Erika glared at Ash now. What did he do? His mom, Serena's moms, his aunt, and Rose all got sick which had to be Team Rocket's fault, and she's angry at Ash. He didn't do anything wrong.

"If that's your mom and she recklessly doesn't think things through, then it's likely you're worse," Erika stated.

"What are you talking about?" Ash questioned in a surprised tone.

"Your mom didn't rationally think about where she could go, like maybe on the floor, or another stall, but no it had to be near me," Erika ranted.

"I left after I saw you," Delia stated.

"Quiet!" Erika ranted.

"And if this woman is your mom, then the no rational genes would be worse on you. You would show no manners to anyone," Erika explained, "You are probably considered even worse! You will not be getting a gym battle from me. You just proven you could be more irresponsible than the woman who raises you."

Ash was struck with grief after hearing this. Erika has rejected a gym battle from Ash because of what his mom did. He didn't do anything wrong. What his mom did was a complete accident. She should've known what was going on, and that she didn't see it coming.

"Now all of you leave," Erika said pointing away from the gym.

The doors shut on Ash, Serena, and Delia. Ash was starting to tremble, and Serena went up to put her hand on his shoulder for comfort. Ash just brushed Serena's hand off as she got a heartbroken expression.

"Ash," Rotom Dex whispered.

"Let's go," Ash muttered.

They all walked away from the Celadon City Pokémon Gym. The incident at the department store has cost Ash his chance at getting a gym battle. Pikachu looked up at Ash and he could tell that he was feeling unhappy. The fact that he brushed off Serena like that wasn't a good sign. Delia couldn't help but have tears of regret in her eyes.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City**_

It's been an hour since they parted from the Celadon Gym. No one has said a word since they left. Ash looked down at the ground with the brim of his cap covering his eyes. Serena and Pikachu looked hurt by Ash's feelings, but it was Delia who was feeling the most guilt. They figured a walk would help, but it didn't help Ash ease his nerves.

Ash wanted to enter the Pokémon League since he was a little kid, and he had to conquer the eight gyms of Kanto to take part in the Indigo League. Ash may never have that chance since Erika will not accept a challenge from Ash.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ash asked his mother.

"I apologized to her," Delia answered.

"No, I mean why didn't you say anything to me?" Ash questioned with a glare in his eyes, "I could've had you hang out with the others to avoid this from happening."

They found a park bench to sit on and Ash decided to take a seat. His mom sat next to him and Serena just stood to the side. Meanwhile one of Ash's Pokeballs began to wiggle, it was his blue Pokeball containing Froakie. Froakie came out as he could feel the tension Ash was having right now.

"Hey Froakie, Ash isn't doing well right now," Serena sadly said.

Froakie took a look at Ash and he could see that he wasn't in the mood. He at first heard that he would take part in his gym battle, but why aren't they at the gym?

"Froakie," Froakie muttered.

"Hey Froakie," Ash responded in a bitter tone.

Froakie wasn't feeling comfortable with Ash's tone right now. Pikachu was there standing by Froakie, and Serena thought maybe she could have Fennekin come out. Though things aren't going well with Ash, Froakie can always count on Fennekin to be on his side.

Ash was just upset with this. He didn't want to say anything about Team Rocket possibly doing this to her which lead to those events because that might get her scared. This just didn't seem fair, something happened to his mom that she couldn't control, and he had to pay the price. Ash just couldn't think straight.

"I'm sorry Ash," Delia said as she started to have tears come from her eyes, "I didn't want this to happen.

"Why didn't you stay?" Ash questioned.

"You wanted me to see your gym battle, and I was hoping to see how far you've come," Delia answered.

"Well guess what, this is as far as I'm going to go now," Ash responded.

"Ash, please know that this isn't your fault," Serena said, "I'm sure we can think of something to get you a chance at facing Erika."

"No, you can't, none of you can!" Ash yelled as he went off on Serena.

The honey-blonde coordinator quivered her lips as he went off on her. Froakie could only see hurt in Ash, and so did Pikachu.

"I'm never going to get a badge from here ever, and it's all your fault!" Ash yelled turning to his mom who now had a completely hurt expression, "You should've maybe try clearing your head and not just mindlessly go wherever you please! Maybe you should've just went on the floor like Serena's mom! You ruined my chance at ever getting into the Pokémon League, you ruined my life! Now I know why dad left us!"

This was not honorable for what Ash did. He had hatred in his eyes for the woman who raised him his whole life, especially the last couple of years after Red left Kanto. Delia was greatly hurt in what Ash said, and even blames her for his dad leaving. Ash didn't know the whole story behind his dad.

"Ash," Delia trembled.

This just had to hurt Serena. Ash was lashing out on his mom over something that was an accident that possibly caused his career to suffer a setback. Froakie then turned to Ash with a hurt look on his face. He hopped onto Ash's lap and looked at him with a completely concerned look on his face.

"Froakie," Froakie sadly said trying to think of something to cheer him up.

"GO AWAY FROAKIE! WE AREN'T EVER GOING TO DO ANYTHING EVER AGAIN!" Ash shouted angrily.

The whole park just heard Ash's outburst. Froakie just looked at Ash and trembled with tears coming out of his eyes. This was the one trainer who he looked up to, the one who helped him slowly overcome his fears of Siegfried, and now he just screamed at him.

Froakie gingerly hopped off Ash's lap and began to cry. He heard what Ash said that was never going to get a gym battle against Erika because of what happened. Froakie knew who's fault it was that made Ash like this, not his mom, but that Erika lady. Froakie began to hop away.

"Fennekin," Fennekin said feeling worried.

Froakie was running away, and that would leave Fennekin alone. Fennekin didn't want to go through that separation from Froakie again. She already suffered that when they dealt with Damien. With that, Fennekin ran off after Froakie. The two were gone in the city streets.

Nobody noticed because all eyes were focused on Ash and he was just staring straight out with tears in his eyes. He realized what he just did. He just screamed at Froakie, and then he looked around to see where Froakie was. Despite that outburst, Pikachu was still there and so was Serena, and Delia was still sitting next to her. Rotom Dex was looking with a horrified look on it's face. But Froakie and Fennekin were nowhere to be found.

"Froakie," Ash whispered.

Ash's upset face of anger turned into a face of worry. He just scared Froakie away, and it was all his fault. That was his first Pokémon, and he has run off. Ash then turned to his mom who still had a hurt look on her face. Ash now completely regretted it. He couldn't hold it in anymore and began to cry.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry I shouted like that. None of that stuff is true!" Ash cried as he began to sob into his mother's chest, "I'm just upset and I took my emotions out on the wrong people. Now I caused Froakie to run away."

"Froakie ran away," Serena said as she looked around.

Delia and Serena both noticed that Froakie was nowhere to be found, and not only that, Fennekin wasn't with them either. It was very likely that Fennekin had to have followed him.

"Ash, I don't think Froakie was the only one who ran away," Rotom Dex said in worry.

"He's right," Serena trembled, "Fennekin is gone too!"

"What have I done! What have I done!" Ash cried as he continued to cry.

Serena would consider giving Ash a comforting hug, but that wasn't the case since two Pokémon were missing. Serena began to panic as she learned her Fennekin ran off. She was worried for her Pokémon as much as Ash.

"Ash, I'm disappointed in both of us with my actions and how you're handling this with those emotional outbursts," Delia told Ash, "But sitting there crying blaming yourself for your Pokémon running away isn't going to do anything."

"Probably proves her point," Ash grunted.

Serena was worried for her Pokémon, but she was worried for Ash too. If anyone would help get Fennekin back it would be Ash, but he couldn't do it in the state he was in. She knew that she and Ash were in this together for their whole journey. It was time to smack some sense into him like after Damien ran off with his Pokémon.

"Ash listen!" Serena exclaimed as she approached Ash, "Fennekin is gone and so is Froakie! We would do anything for our Pokémon. I know you may have frightened them off, but that doesn't mean we sit here in defeat."

"Even if I did find Froakie, what good will he do since I can't enter the gym," Ash muttered.

"Forget the Celadon Gym Ash! Your Pokémon come first! Froakie was hurt with how you screamed at him and feel like he wants nothing to do with you anymore. If you can find Froakie and give him an understanding of how you're feeling and that it was wrong of how you acted, then Froakie will understand. You have brought a positive influence on Froakie, you have a positive influence on your family and friends including me, and you brought a positive influence on the Pokémon we have met on our journey. I want the person that I have greatly accepted in my life, the Ash Ketchum that loves Pokémon and will do anything to make sure they're okay and that they love you back!" Serena announced.

Ash had to come to his senses, that Froakie was his best friend. He was the only human he could be comfortable around, and not even Professor Sycamore's care helped him for some reason. Ash just treated Froakie horribly because of being rejected a gym battle. Ash found a new sense of determination to make sure Froakie was alright and that any damage to their relationship could be repaired.

Another important note for Ash was Fennekin. She was Serena's Pokémon, and Ash wanted to find Fennekin as well to make Serena happy. Just like Froakie, Fennekin had a troublesome four years as well as they both couldn't accept anyone as their trainers. Serena has been special to him, and just like Ash she too had a huge love for her Pokémon. It wasn't just for Serena's heart, but for the well being of Fennekin too. That was the kind of person Ash was.

And of course, there was the worst-case scenario, and that was Team Rocket. If they end up wondering into that casino that Team Rocket has been running, they could be in great danger. Ash knew what had to be done, he dried his tears and stood up with determination.

"Thanks Serena," Ash said with confidence, "And I'm sorry again mom."

"I love you son, and we forgive you on one condition," Delia told Ash as she finally dried her tears.

"What's that?" Ash questioned.

"We find Froakie and Fennekin, and make sure they're alright!" Delia declared.

"Alright," Ash confirmed until he saw the sights of the city, "It's going to be tough depending on how big this city is."

"Rotom Dex, have the layout of Celadon City handy just in case we get lost," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"I don't want to talk about what just happened but finding Froakie and Fennekin is our main objective as of now!" Rotom Dex announced.

Celadon City was big, but they will always remember those words from Ash Ketchum, never give up until the end! It's time to find Froakie and Fennekin, and with Pikachu's ability to pick up scents, he might be able to find them.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Gym**_

Someone was approaching the Celadon City Pokémon Gym. It wasn't a Pokémon trainer, and it wasn't a person either. It was actually a Pokémon. It was Froakie, and despite being in a Pokeball, he figured out where the gym was.

The Bubble Frog Pokémon glared at the Celadon Gym. Ash was supposed to have a gym battle here, but Erika refused because of what his mom did. Ash was hurt and he yelled at him, but Froakie knew who's fault it really was. It was that gym leader's fault that made Ash upset. He wanted to give Erika a piece of her mind. He was going to have to be aware that she did have grass-types, but he knew Ice Beam so that could help him out a bit.

As he was approaching the gym doors, he heard someone call him out. Froakie turned around to see that it was Fennekin. Froakie must have had her worried.

"Fennekin?" Froakie questioned.

"Froakie, why did you run away?" Fennekin asked feeling upset, "Is it because Ash yelled at you isn't it. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Froakie heard what Fennekin said, but then he glared at the grass type gym.

"It's not Ash's fault, I know why acted like that towards me," Froakie spoke, "It's her fault! It's that gym leader's fault! She didn't want Ash to battle because of an accident from his mom. That's not fair!"

"That does not give you any reason to run off like that," Fennekin told Froakie.

"It's what she said saying that he could be worse than his mom, and what his mom did was a complete accident! I heard from inside that Pokeball, she didn't just reject a gym battle, she insulted Ash!" Froakie cried.

Fennekin was surprised. Here she thought him running off was because of Ash's attitude, but the truth was he came all the way over here to defend Ash's honor. Sure, Ash's other Pokémon may have heard inside their balls, but it was Froakie who was the closest to Ash. Since he was the first Pokémon of Ash Ketchum, he probably was considered the leader.

"So, you were just going to go on the defense on Ash," Fennekin said.

"That's right, I already had those visions of that mental hospital escapee killing Pokémon, I have dealt with a Pokémon terrorist organization trying to kill Ash for messing up their evil plans, but now I came here to deal with a gym leader who insulted Ash. After I'm done with her, Erika will pay the ultimate price!" Froakie said in a threating tone.

Fennekin couldn't believe it! Froakie was going to go in there and try to hurt Erika. She wasn't aware that a cute little water type Pokémon was coming on over to either Bubble her, Water Pulse her, or Ice Beam her. This wasn't right! Fennekin had to say something!

"Froakie don't! What Erika did to Ash was wrong, but ask yourself, would attacking Erika make him look any better?" Fennekin questioned.

Froakie stopped in his tracks and gave it thought. If Froakie were to go into the Celadon Gym and confront Erika, what would it accomplish? First off, Erika wouldn't be able to understand Froakie since humans can't speak Pokémon, second if Froakie did do something and learned that he was connected to Ash, his best friend would only go further down and not back up. After all, he may be the only Pokémon trainer in Kanto who has a Froakie.

"I know you're upset about what she has done but going after her like this won't do you any good. She'll be hurt, but there will be no justice to the situation. I like you Froakie, but this is not the Froakie I like. Froakie, the best thing to do is go back to Ash, see if he apologizes and you apologize too for running away, and we can think of someway to give Ash a gym battle," Fennekin explained.

Froakie turned around to see the look in Fennekin's eyes as tears were coming down. Froakie always has seen Fennekin as a close friend, but as time as gone by and during this journey, the two have been getting closer than they did at Professor Sycamore's lab. They got to travel with two humans who they believe in their hearts who they can get along with, and they've noticed those two humans have gotten closer as well. Froakie has seemed to see Fennekin as a great friend, and a crush, and maybe even more. Fennekin has felt the same way. He didn't want to hurt her anymore.

"Alright Fennekin, you win. It's not worth it," Froakie muttered.

The Bubble Frog Pokémon turned his back on the gym and Fennekin was there to follow. Maybe Froakie overreacted like Ash just did. He always were taught those words never give up until the end. No one felt more impact hearing those words than Serena which she could pass on to Fennekin. Maybe this group wouldn't be so strong if it weren't for Ash which is why Froakie was so upset.

With that, the Fox Pokémon began to embrace Froakie in a hug. The two Pokémon stood there hugging for a couple of seconds. They were going to be there for each other and be there for Ash and Serena too. Siegfried still ran in their heads, and they learned that if they want to be strong enough to take on this maniac, they will need Ash and Serena's help. They weren't just their trainers, they were their best friends.

"Let's head back to the others," Fennekin happily said.

"Okay," Froakie responded.

As the two began to walk down the path away from the gym, they noticed the maze of streets. Froakie has completely forgotten how he got himself here in the first place. The bigger question was where were Ash and Serena? It wouldn't surprise them if they started searching this whole city for them.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City**_

Celadon City was big for sure, and Ash, Serena, and Delia who was carrying Mimey knew it could be very tough to find Froakie and Fennekin. While Pikachu did try to pick up Froakie and Fennekin's scent, Ash had Pidgeotto out while Serena had Beedrill out to look up from the air. Those two Pokémon were small, but Pidgeotto and Beedrill had great eyesight. So far, they had no luck in finding the two Kalos Pokémon.

"Found anything Pidgeotto?" Ash asked.

"Pidgeot," Pidgeotto answered with her head down.

"What about you Beedrill?" Serena asked.

"Buzz," Beedrill answered with his head down.

"We can always keep following Pikachu's scent, it sure would lead us to them," said Rotom Dex.

"That's our best bet so far," Ash confirmed.

As they were walking through the city, a group of familiar faces spotted them. Despite being a big city, they couldn't believe they spotted the two Pokémon trainers and Ash's mom. It was Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose along with Happy and Chu Chu.

"Hey there guys!" Rose yelled out waving to the three.

"Ladies," Delia said as she ran up to them with Ash and Serena following them.

When they saw Ash, Serena, Delia, Mimey, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex, they could see that they all had a worrisome expression on their faces. Judging by that, they knew something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" Yellow asked.

"How did the gym battle go?" Rose asked.

All of them had a grim expression on their faces. Two bad things happened to them, and not having his gym battle was just one of them.

"I didn't get to have a gym battle," Ash answered.

"What?" Rose questioned.

"Apparently, I found out about something that happened where my mom and the gym leader got involved, and nobody told me about it," Ash explained feeling a bit upset again, "And knowing that I'm my mom's son, she rejected me from having a gym battle."

All four ladies gasped when they heard what Ash said. The incident at the store cost Ash a chance at having a gym battle. He didn't want to mention the nasty thought she had about him even though he never met her.

"I let my emotions get the best of me where I ended up lashing out on mom, and then I lashed out on Froakie which caused him to run away," Ash explained while trying to hold his tears.

"Fennekin must've ran off with Froakie so he wouldn't be alone," said Serena, "So now we have two missing Pokémon."

Everyone was in total shock when they heard how Ash let the situation get to him and that his Pokémon ran way. The truth was that most of them felt as if Erika may have gone a bit extreme over something that was an embarrassing accident, with Yellow being upset the most because that was not just her sister taking the heat, but her nephew too.

"Ash, even though it was wrong for you to lash out on your mother like that and your Pokémon as well, what Erika did seemed more wrong," Yellow stated.

"Pika," Chu Chu responded.

"We'll find a way to work something out for you Ash," Jade said giving Ash a comforting hug.

"Actually, our first order of business is finding Fennekin and Froakie," Serena told everyone, "We don't know where they could be. They could be in trouble as far as we could know."

"Serena is right, the gym can wait," Delia told everyone.

"Right now, our Pokémon are far more important. Not only do I want them to be okay, but I need to apologize to Froakie," Ash said as he looked up towards Pidgeotto, "Keep looking Pidgeotto."

"You too Beedrill," Serena told Beedrill.

With that, Pidgeotto and Beedrill flew back up in the air to see if they could find Froakie or Fennekin anywhere. Ash and Serena just hoped they were together.

"So, did you find anything we could do?" Ash asked trying to change the subject despite keeping Froakie in his mind.

"Well there's this resort that has an indoor water park," Grace answered.

"I checked it out, and it looked pretty awesome," Jade stated.

"Surprised you didn't go there," Serena said.

"Well to be fair it was more of a family resort, and when we came to Celadon City, we wanted it to just be us girls having a great time. We figured a hotel where we could do some gambling would do since we didn't have you kids around at the time," Rose explained.

"But hey, now that we have you here, we could consider checking out and going their for the rest of stay in Celadon City," Yellow suggested.

"An indoor water park sounds awesome," Ash said feeling a little excited as he still can remember the current situation, "But right now, I have to focus on finding Froakie, him and Fennekin are my top priorities."

"That would be amazing, but as said, let's find our Pokémon first," Serena stated.

Well it looks like they may have their plans for Ash's birthday ready, but right now Froakie and Fennekin needed to be found. Who knows where they could be?

* * *

 _ **Back with Froakie and Fennekin**_

Froakie and Fennekin had no idea where they were. They have been going around the city for almost two hours and evening was approaching. Where was the Pokémon Center? Where were Ash and Serena?

"Fennekin, I think were lost," Froakie said with worry.

"No Froakie, we are lost," Fennekin confirmed.

Froakie hated to admit it, but he was starting to become pretty scared. He had no idea where he and Fennekin were, and it was getting dark. None of these people were going to understand them because they can't speak Pokémon. It would've been great if Rotom Dex was with them to translate for them. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was feeling nothing but regret.

"Fennekin, I just want to say I'm sorry," Froakie said, "I should've never hopped away like that."

"And the worst part, I dragged you into this too," Froakie confessed.

Froakie was upset that he and Fennekin were lost. The truth was that Fennekin didn't get dragged, she followed Froakie. She knew that Froakie was upset with himself. The one thing he didn't want to do was have his best friend hurt.

"You didn't drag me Froakie, I chose to follow you," Fennekin told Froakie.

"What why?" Froakie questioned, "Aren't you Serena's Pokémon?"

"I am, and I share a very close connection with her like how you do with Ash. However, the reason I followed you was because you're considered an…extremely close friend, and I didn't want you to be alone if you got lost. I don't know what I would do without you," Fennekin said as tears came into her eyes.

Froakie knew what Fennekin said was true. Despite being close with their trainers, they've been closer with each other. After all, they both hatched together four years ago in Pallet Town and were going to be Pokémon for new trainers. However, they rejected those people who wanted to take them in as trainers until they were brought to Ash and Serena, and Professor Sycamore and his assistants were offering them all the love and care they could get but turned them down too. After what they felt before they were born, all they had were each other.

"The truth was I didn't want to be apart from you. After what we've been through, I didn't want to be taken by another person and never see you again," Fennekin said with tears in her eyes.

"Fennekin," Froakie said as he was about to tear up, "That was very sweet of you, and the truth is, I feel the same way about you. That was one of the other reasons I kept pushing off starting trainers."

It was true, despite having little trust in humans because of the events with Siegfried, they also wanted to be together which is another reason why they kept rejecting trainers. Those two felt safe together.

"And that's what was great about being with Ash and Serena, they don't just love Pokémon, but they do what they can to make them happy. Those two just have some special gift when it comes to Pokémon. What they probably didn't know what that the two of them traveling together kept us together," Fennekin explained.

"You're right Fennekin, and to be true, I'm glad I waited for Ash. Not only was he with Serena so I can continue to maybe get closer with you, but also, I feel some sort of special connection with him," Froakie confirmed.

"I have that same thing with Serena," Fennekin confirmed.

"Yeah," Froakie said until he paused and chuckled, "To be fair, I never told anyone this especially Ash. Aside from the nights where I have nightmares about Siegfried, I also have these dreams where I'm with Ash in one of those Pokémon battles, but I'm bigger."

"Bigger?" Fennekin questioned.

"Yeah, probably my fully evolved form. The strange thing is that my connection with Ash is so powerful that I…almost resemble him," Froakie said.

"Resemble Ash?" Fennekin questioned, "What do you mean?"

Froakie was about to speak more until a red van pulled up in front of the two Kalos Pokémon. There were two men in the van who looked at the two Pokémon with devious looks on their faces.

"We were told to keep an eye out for the boy and girl with the Pikachu and the floating computer," one of the men said.

"But Team Rocket does recall our two people of interest have these Pokémon that can't be found in Kanto," the other man said.

It was revealed to be members of Team Rocket. Despite knowing that Ash and Serena have Pikachu and Rotom Dex with them, the organization has studied their Pokémon as well. The executives knew that Ash had a Froakie and Serena had a Fennekin, and it was pretty clear that since those two Pokémon were not found in Kanto, they had to belong to Ash and Serena.

The rockets grabbed the two Pokémon by the throats and started strangling them until they were unconscious. Thankfully Froakie and Fennekin were not dead, but they were unconscious where they can fully subdue them. They were thrown into separate brown bags and placed in the van. The rockets then called Archer.

"We didn't find the brats, but we got their foreign Pokémon," one of the rocket grunts addressed.

"Are the Pokémon alive?" Archer asked angrily.

"They are, we strangled them enough just so they pass out," the other grunt answered.

"Alright, bring those two Pokémon here. We can actually make a great profit off of foreign Pokémon," Archer replied, "If Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena are here and those two Pokémon are not with them, they're likely searching for them which could lead them here and that's when we can strike."

After speaking with Archer, the two men sped off in the van and back to Team Rocket's casino. They now had Froakie and Fennekin.

* * *

 _ **In the evening**_

Evening was now approaching in Celadon City, and the group still had no luck in finding Froakie and Fennekin. It was starting to get dark and the lights were coming on. Ash and Serena were starting to get worried about their Pokémon. They must be lost and scared. Delia was now holding Mimey, Jade was holding Happy, and Yellow was holding Chu Chu.

Pikachu still had their scent, but then they got to a certain part of the city where it felt strong, but then felt completely weak.

"Pikachu, did you find anything?" Serena asked.

Pikachu was sniffing and knew that Froakie and Fennekin were definitely in this part of the city. Then it felt completely weak in another direction for some reason. Pikachu spoke and Rotom Dex translated.

"Pikachu says that Froakie and Fennekin were definitely here, but despite still getting a hold of their scent, it's weaker than usual," Rotom Dex explained.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Yellow asked in worry.

Pikachu was starting to think of the situation. If Pikachu was able to sense that Froakie and Fennekin were at the spot they were in, and that their scent trail felt weaker from that point, chances are they were taken by vehicle somewhere. Pikachu felt like it did a great job working on picking up scents when traveling with Ash and Serena. Despite the fact that Pikachu's can pick up a scent, they likely can't follow something if it was moving at a faster rate like the speed of a car. Thankfully Pikachu has been able to improve his scent pick ups greatly and now can seem to keep a trace of who he's looking for despite the rate they go.

"I think Pikachu knows what happened. Pikachu says that Froakie and Fennekin were probably taken by some sort of automobile or faster form of transportation somewhere in the city in that direction," Rotom Dex said looking at the direction the scent was, "It's weak, but Pikachu was able to get a hold of it."

"How did Pikachu figure that out?" Delia asked in astonishment

"Well since traveling with Ash, Serena, and me, Pikachu has been improving on picking up our scents along with their Pokémon. Knowing the dangers that could be lurking around, it was best that Pikachu worked on his nose," Rotom Dex explained.

"That's great, let's keep going we might find out where they could be," Ash said with hope.

They continued to follow Pikachu as it continued to get dark. It was best that Pikachu worked on his scent after those run ins with Team Rocket, and not to forget Damien. Speaking of Team Rocket, Ash and Serena were hoping they were not going to the place that the trio mentioned, not to forget that their moms, Ash's aunt, and Rose still had no idea about their run ins with Team Rocket, especially that one-time Leaf was with them at Mt. Moon. Little did they know, the spot they were at was the exact spot where Froakie and Fennekin were abducted by the rocket grunts.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Casino & Hotel**_

The two rocket grunts made their way back to the hotel with Froakie and Fennekin. They were then greeted by Cassidy and Butch who noticed the two Pokémon with them.

"So those are the so called Kalos Pokémon we've been hearing about those kids having?" Cassidy asked.

"Yes, they are," one of the grunts said giving them the Pokémon, "We'll strike them should they show up."

"You mean when they show up," Cassidy said glaring.

"Yes ma'am!" the other grunt said as he and the other grunt gave a salute.

Cassidy took hold of Fennekin while Butch took hold of Froakie. They were going to be taking them to where the Pokémon were being kept.

"So, Cassidy, Biff, how much money do you think we can make off of these Pokémon?" one of the grunts asked.

"Well knowing that they're from another region and that they've been raised by trainers, who are indeed troublesome," Cassidy addressed.

"I say we could be looking at possibly 10000 Pokedollars or maybe even higher," Butch confirmed until he had angry face, "And my name is Butch!"

* * *

 _ **Nighttime**_

Night time has come, and Pikachu continued to follow their scent. Pikachu has a very good nose which came in handy for Ash and Serena. They've been looking around for Froakie and Fennekin almost all day and they haven't taken a break at all. That shows how much Ash and Serena were determined to find their Pokémon.

"My legs are getting tired," Jade said as she was holding Happy.

"Mine too honey, mine too," Grace said reassuring her partner.

It could be true that their age is catching up. Delia and Yellow never traveled, Grace's and Jade's have taken somewhat of a toll from their time as Rhyhorn Racers, Rose on the other hand felt completely normal. She's been traveling around as a Pokémon trainer, so she's used to it.

"Ash, we've been searching for hours and we've lost daylight," Delia told her son as she was holding Mimey who felt exhausted.

"I'm going to stop until I find Froakie," Ash told his mom.

Despite everyone being tired, Ash and Serena decided to call back Pidgeotto and Beedrill a while back. Frankly with the nightlights possibly blinding them and making it hard to see anything, it was for the best.

Then Pikachu finally stopped as he looked at a building. The big building was beige with about 40 stories, there were some neon lights that were turned showing neon signs of Pokémon, dice, and the words WIN BIG. The women recognized that building well as this was the place, they were staying in. They opted not to come back last night because of Ash and Serena's arrival.

"This is the place we've been staying at," Rose told Ash and Serena.

So, Rose just told Ash and Serena they've been staying at this hotel. They remember what the trio told them about their attempted assassination of their mothers when they were here in Celadon City. It acted both as a hotel and casino where they would sell Pokémon to people. This must be the place!

"I got a feeling that might be the casino we've heard about," Rotom Dex said to itself without anyone hearing.

"Do you really think Froakie and Fennekin could've gone in there?" Ash asked Serena.

"Well Ash, Pikachu's scent followed us here, so this has to be the place," Serena answered to Ash as she then turned to her moms, "Do you think you can show us around since you've all been here for a good amount of time?"

"We could, but they don't allow kids in here," Grace answered.

"We can go in and look for your Pokémon," Rose stated, "Pikachu can still lead the way while you two wait out here."

"Who would keep an eye on these two?" Delia questioned, "We can't leave the kids out here by themselves."

"We have to go in," Ash declared, "If our Pokémon are in there, then we have to go get them back. I don't care if they don't allow kids, I'm not going to stop until I find Froakie."

The five of them heard Ash out really well. If Ash and Serena wanted to get their Pokémon back, they would need to go in. They would also have to be careful because if this place is run by Team Rocket, they could pull something off on them.

"Alright, you can come in," Rose said, "But you two are going to be accompanied by your mothers at all time."

"Thank you," Serena replied.

That would be good news for the two Pokémon trainers. Being accompanied by their moms also meant they could protect them if anything were to come their way. Mimey and Happy were not ready to battle yet.

When they all got to the door, they were greeted by two bellhops. They looked at the group sternly. They knew it was them, but they had to be professional.

"I'm sorry, no children are allowed here," the bellhop said.

"You don't understand sir, these kids lost their Pokémon and they might have ended up coming in here," Yellow explained.

The two bellhops who were rocket grunts looked at each other. They studied Ash and Serena's appearances and noticed the familiar women around them as they were staying at this hotel.

"Hold on a second," the bellhop said as they walked away which left the group confused.

The two bellhops got their transmission devices out. They had to report to Archer that Ash and Serena were at the front door.

"Executive Archer, just as we expected, they arrived," the rocket grunt said, "And they said that their Pokémon may have ended up coming in here."

"I should've known they were going to come, it was only a matter of time since we did get their precious Pokémon," Archer said on the transmission device, "Let them in, but keep an eye on them. We'll strike when the time is right."

"Roger," the rocket responded.

After speaking with Archer, the two bellhops who were rocket grunts came up towards the group again.

"Alright, just don't cause any trouble," the rocket in disguise told them.

"They won't, because we're keeping an eye on them," Delia told the bellhop.

With that, the group got access into the hotel. As soon as the group went inside, the two bellhops had evil smirks on their faces. Soon, they were going to get what was coming towards them.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

The group were all in the lobby trying to figure out where Froakie and Fennekin could be. This hotel was big, and they sure hope to know where they were. They stopped using Pikachu's scent once they arrived at the building and that wasn't a good idea as when they were inside, Pikachu lost their scent. Maybe it would've been best if they continued to follow their scent to know exactly where they were.

"How are we going to find them?" Serena asked.

"I say we split up," Rose suggested, "Delia, Yellow, and Ash can search the casino while me, Grace, Jade, and Serena can search the other portions of the hotel."

Ash wasn't comfortable with the idea, and neither was Serena. What if one of them got into trouble? Rose had Pokémon with her that actually could battle, but the others didn't. Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu weren't meant to be great battlers. This could also lower their guard just in case anything happens.

"If it's okay Rose, can I actually be with Serena on this one?" Ash asked, "I definitely want my mom with me though."

"I agree with Ash," Serena suggested.

Rose thought it over. These two seemed like they wanted to do everything together, and it also looked like they were very concerned about something and wanted to be there for them. She was thinking that these two had to be in love, but now wasn't the time for that stuff.

"Alright, it will be me and Yellow who will search the other portions of this hotel. As long as your moms are with you, you may explore the casino," Rose said.

"Thank you very much," Ash said appreciating what Rose is doing.

"Is that okay with you Yellow?" Delia asked.

"It's fine," Yellow answered, "Let's just agree to meet back up here."

The group agreed as they decided to let them explore the casino. Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, Jade, Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex went over to the casino while Yellow, Rose, and Chu Chu went over to the shops, restaurants, and pool area.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Casino**_

It had to be pretty strange for three ladies to bring two children into the casino. People were wondering what on earth were children doing in the casino? If the casino was where people would get their Pokémon from, then…no they didn't want to think that.

Right now, they saw people playing the slot machines, poker, and the roulette table. These two kids were not old enough yet to play these types of games. All they wanted was their Pokémon back. There was also a screen in the casino that was showing Pokémon that were going to be given away. Right now, it looked like there was an Abra being given away for 3000 Pokedollars. Despite Serena having an Abra of her own and her moms and Delia getting Pokémon from here, she just couldn't bare Pokémon being sold for money.

"Hey mom, I want to ask you something," Serena told her mom Grace.

"What is it Serena?" Grace questioned.

"When you, mom, and Delia ended up getting Mimey and Happy, did you know where they came from?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, we can show you where we got those Pokémon," Grace answered.

"Good, that can maybe give us a clue," Rotom Dex replied.

Finding where they purchased their Pokémon was the first step in figuring out where Froakie and Fennekin went. As they were walking by, there were people smoking at the slots in which case everyone covered their faces with their hands with the exception of their eyes so they can see. Ash and Serena already dealt with people smoking when they came into Celadon City, now they had to deal with it again with these people in the casino.

They finally reached the counter where they were greeted by a woman with blonde hair and pigtails who happened to be Cassidy. It looks like she was in charge of the booth at this time.

"Hello there," Cassidy said greeting them until she started to glare, "Excuse me, but children aren't allowed here."

"It's okay, as long as they stay with us, they're fine," Jade commented.

"Hmph, whatever," Cassidy muttered.

"Excuse me, did you happen to come across a Froakie or Fennekin?" Ash asked, "If you did, they belong to us."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen such Pokémon," Cassidy said apologically where she was actually acting and lying.

It probably didn't ring a bell that they had didn't find them. For Ash and Serena, if this really was being run by Team Rocket, they wouldn't say anything to them about finding their Pokémon, but rather keep them for themselves, another thing was they were in the Kanto Region and those two Pokémon weren't native to Kanto, so they probably had no idea who they were.

"Excuse me, but where do you keep the Pokémon you sell?" Delia asked.

"That information is classified lady," Cassidy answered with a rude tone, "We haven't found anything, and unless you want to purchase a Pokémon, good day!"

They were not getting anywhere with this so with that, they continued to walk around the casino. Pikachu couldn't help but sense that something wasn't right with that lady. Right now, they need to worry about where Froakie and Fennekin were.

With that they continued to search the casino floors. When Delia, Grace, and Jade were staying here, the workers seemed nice, but now they've become pretty rude. That woman at the counter ended up being pretty nasty towards Delia when she asked about where the Pokémon were. How were they going to find Froakie and Fennekin if they weren't going to be nice?

"Hopefully we'll get a clue soon on where they could be," Serena said reassuring Ash.

"I hope so," Ash responded.

Then all of sudden there was a sound in the intercom. It sounded like someone was about to make an announcement. Ash and Serena kept their focus as if something could happen at any time. Delia, Grace, and Jade all stood there to hear what was going on.

"Attention casino patrons! We have a special treat for all of you!" the voice on the intercom said.

They all stopped to listen in, this had to get their attention.

"We would like to inform everybody that here in our beloved casino we ask you to win big, and maybe you can take a special Pokémon home with you. Well today is your lucky day because we have a surprise for all of you!" the voice announced.

The ladies never had a special announcement come to the casino when they were staying. Something big must be going on that they had to make a special announcement. Then the screen showed something and when Ash saw what was on the screen, his face broke out in complete horror.

It was an image of Froakie with a price underneath.

"We have a special Kalos Region Pokémon called Froakie being sold at ten-thousand Pokedollars!" the voice announced, "Win big and you could take this Pokemon home!"

"FROAKIE!" Ash screamed.

They couldn't believe it, they were going to give away Ash's Pokemon like some sort of prize. Delia could feel nothing but anger coming from her heart now. She could live with the food poisoning, but the fact they were giving away what could be Ash's Froakie and no one said they even saw him. Ash was ready to charge at someone until something else came onto the screen.

"And that's not all, we have another special Pokemon from the Kalos Region!" the voice announced showing an image of Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Serena whispered in shock.

It shouldn't surprise her that Fennekin would end up on there if they got Froakie and she was with them. The good news was that both Pokemon were definitely in the casino at this time, the bad news is they could be sold. This was just vile; did they even realize that those Pokemon belonged to people?

After the announcement was made, people were starting to go crazy. Everybody started to pile up towards the nearest gambling station in hopes of winning lots of money so they could get their hands on those Pokemon.

" _This has to be Team Rocket's work,"_ Serena thought to herself.

"What on earth is going here?" Grace questioned in disgust.

"If those are the same Froakie and Fennekin that Ash and Serena have, then we're going to have a talk with someone," Jade stated.

The people here were just crazy over two Pokemon not found in Kanto. The group scurried back to the counter they were just at. Those two said they haven't seen those Pokemon, and now here they were being up as prizes.

"You said you haven't found a Froakie and Fennekin so why did this place mention that those Pokemon were being sold off?" Grace angrily questioned.

"None of your business," Butch answered.

"I like to speak to management because those two Pokemon belong to them!" Jade yelled.

"Those Pokemon are casino property, if you want them then pay up 10000 Pokedollars," Cassidy barked snapping her fingers.

This is ridiculous, they had to pay to get their Pokemon back or worse they will end up with one of these drunken gambling fools. Not only could they lose their Pokemon, but they could end up in the care of someone bad. There's no clue if that person could be worse than Team Rocket.

Ash wasn't going to take this anymore. He drove his Froakie away because of how he acted when Erika turned him down, and now he was paying a big price as he now became a casino prize. Ash Ketchum has had it.

"I'm not paying you anything, we want those Pokemon now!" Delia argued.

"10000 Pokedollars, 20000 Pokedollars if you want both," Butch told them.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Ash yelled as he finally began to take matters into his own hands.

He jumped over the counter and made a dash towards the door behind them. This was indeed rash of Ash, but he wanted to make sure Froakie was safe.

"You're not allowed back there!" Cassidy yelled as she and Butch began to chase them.

"Pikachu use Thundershock," Serena told Pikachu.

Pikachu gathered electricity and unleashed a Thundershock right at Cassidy and Butch, thus knocking them out. The ladies didn't even bother with the scene as Serena and Pikachu followed Ash with Delia, Grace, Jade, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex following from behind.

Cassidy and Butch was able to move in just a matter of seconds, boy were they tough. She immediately called her fellow teammates on the transmission device.

"Attention be on a look for the boy, girl, and three women with them. They may soon discover where the Pokemon are," Cassidy said on her transmission device.

The blonde-haired rocket looked pretty angry for being shocked like that. The two stood up and began to look where the others went. They've headed for the break room.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Break Room**_

"Was it really necessary to have Pikachu shock them like that?" Delia questioned her son.

"Yeah, and there was a reason for this," Ash confirmed.

"Because they're selling Froakie off?" Delia questioned.

"That…and something else," Ash answered.

As they entered the break room, all they saw were some tables, a TV, a counter, a microwave, and a refrigerator. It looked like a normal break room at your local work station.

"So, where do we start looking?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, I don't think we'll find anything in here," Jade stated.

Pikachu went back to sniffing around. Now it was fully confirmed that Froakie and Fennekin ended up in here, but where were they? Pikachu didn't pick up the Pokémon's scent, but he picked up another scent from the fridge. It was something he loves. Of course, ketchup.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu said pointing to the fridge.

"Pikachu, this is no time for a snack," Ash stated.

Pikachu got angry and unleashed an electric shock at Ash. No one was going to come between him and the smell of ketchup.

"Alright, but let's make it quick," Ash told Pikachu.

Ash reluctantly walked over to the fridge and opened it. He was looking for the ketchup when he should be looking for his Pokemon. Ash was looking around for the ketchup until he spotted something. Indeed, Ash found the ketchup, but he found something else in the fridge. There was a small red button all the way to the back. Why was there a button inside the fridge?

"Hey everyone, come over here. You're not going to believe what I just found," Ash said calling everyone over while handing Pikachu the bottle of ketchup, "Here's your ketchup buddy."

"Pikachu," Pikachu happily responded receiving the ketchup.

Though Pikachu was happy about getting the ketchup, he noticed what was in the fridge. Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade all gathered around with Rotom Dex and the rest of the Pokemon. Why was there a button inside the fridge?

"What is it Ash?" Serena asked.

"It's a button," Ash answered.

"Why is there a button in the fridge?" Delia asked.

"Maybe the fridge wanted us to push its buttons," Rotom Dex answered sarcastically.

"I have no idea," Ash answered.

It had to be strange to see a button inside the refrigerator, but what was the purpose of that button? If there were any indications about a secret button inside the fridge, it might be the best way to reveal something, or something dangerous happens.

"Are you going to press it?" Serena asked.

"I probably will because who knows what could happen," Ash answered.

Ash decided to reach into the fridge and press the button. As soon as Ash pressed the button, he heard something.

It was rumbling.

They all looked over to another side of the room with surprise only to see a portion of the wall sliding over to reveal a staircase. Judging by the staircase and how dark it was, it clearly was going down.

"A secret passage?" Delia questioned.

"In the employee's breakroom?" Jade questioned.

"I say we go down, this might be a clue on where Froakie and Fennekin are being held," Ash confirmed.

Ash was on to something that caught his mom's attention. This casino was notorious for selling Pokemon, and that's how she got Mimey and also how the Gabena's got Happy. Maybe this was going to lead to where they keep the Pokemon.

"Let's go," Serena said as she turned to Rotom Dex, "Rotom Dex, lead the way."

"With pleasure Serena!" Rotom Dex said giving a salute.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Secret Basement**_

Rotom Dex used it's flashlight to light up to area as it was dark. Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade remained behind Rotom Dex. As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs, they started to look around. What was down here and why did they need a secret passage to get in?

As Rotom Dex illuminated the area with it's bright screen, they ended up making a discovery. Inside this room were a bunch of cages holding different Pokemon big and small. Some of the Pokemon were struggling to get out, others just sat there depressed.

"I take it this is where they're keeping the Pokemon," said Delia.

Ash and Serena could feel their hearts sink once they saw the conditions these Pokemon were in. None of these Pokemon had seen daylight or been feed properly, and the crammed space in those cages could be hurting the Pokemon. So, this is where they've been keeping the Pokemon.

"I know they've been giving Pokemon away to people, but it doesn't look like they're taking care of them at all," Grace said with a tint of sadness in her voice.

So, judging by the conditions these Pokemon were in whether they were sick, sad, or probably nearing death, Ash and Serena can come to conclusion that this is definitely the casino the trio we're talking about. This definitely had Team Rocket written all over it.

"Team Rocket," Rotom Dex quietly muttered.

"Listen, I hate to say this, but after we find Froakie and Fennekin, we're immediately calling in a check-out, getting Rose and Yellow, and reporting this to the police," Jade angrily said.

As they continued to look around the room filled with cages, Ash and Serena noticed two particular Pokemon. One would think they found Froakie and Fennekin, but that clearly was not the case, it was two bug Pokemon they came across.

One was a green mantis with sword like blades while the other was a brown stag beetle with white spiky pincers. It appears that these two Pokemon have been weakened and are in a state to break out of their cages. Those two Pokemon were Scyther and Pinsir.

"A Scyther and a Pinsir, I remember seeing those on the S.S. Anne," Ash said observing the two Pokemon.

Back on the S.S. Anne, Ash battled a trainer named Yaso and he used a Scyther. Scyther was a pretty strong Pokemon, but his Charmander bested the Scyther in a sudden death match. Serena on the other hand took on a Pinsir owned by a trainer named Sean, and her Squirtle came out on top. But something about Scyther and Pinsir caught their interest. These two Pokemon looked like they remembered their faces.

"Ash, it almost looks like they know us," Serena said looking at the two Pokemon.

This had to have caught Ash on by surprise. Why does it look like Scyther and Pinsir know them? Maybe they saw Serena on TV when she partook in a Pokemon Contest, but what about Ash? Maybe it was the Viridian City Pokemon Contest since that was the only other time Ash was on TV.

"This can't be right, there's no way they know us," Ash said in shock.

Scyther had a determined look towards Ash while Pinsir had a determined look towards Serena. They've just seen these Pokemon and they look like they've just met them for the first time in years.

"Have we seen you before?" Ash asked Scyther.

"Scyther," Scyther answered nodding his head yes.

"I don't think I recall seeing you before," Ash said in confusion.

"Ash let me talk to Scyther," Rotom Dex called out as it approached Scyther.

Rotom Dex knew the situation with Scyther and Pinsir. Delia, Grace, and Jade were wondering what was going on. They were supposed to find Froakie and Fennekin and here Rotom Dex was talking to a Scyther. Rotom Dex was speaking with the Mantis Pokemon wondering how he knew Ash, or maybe he might have seen Froakie and Fennekin. Rotom Dex looked at Ash with a shocked look on its face.

"What is it Rotom Dex?" Ash asked.

"Ash, this Scyther knows you because you battled him before," Rotom Dex answered in shock.

"What!" Ash exclaimed which echoed in the room.

"And Serena, the Pinsir you see was the one you battled once before," Rotom Dex confirmed.

"What!" Serena exclaimed.

This was crazy! Ash and Serena just came face to face with the same Scyther and Pinsir that they battled while they were on the S.S. Anne. How did they get here? Wait, didn't they rescue them from Team Rocket back when they were on the S.S. Anne?

"You two have seen these Pokemon before?" Jade asked in shock.

"Yeah, they each belonged to another trainer," Ash answered, "But I want to know how they ended up here?"

"I shall speak to them again!" Rotom Dex said giving a salute.

Rotom Dex continued the conversation with Scyther and Pinsir.

"Pinsir told us that these evil men in black took us away from our trainers on the S.S. Anne, and then told us that they killed them by sinking the ship and leaving the trainers out on the ship to die," Rotom Dex explained.

"So that explains what happened to the S.S. Anne," Delia cried.

"How did you know about the S.S. Anne?" Ash asked.

"We've heard about it on the news while we were in the hospital," Delia answered, "Don't you remember Ash, it was heard all over the Kanto Region and possibly the world."

Ash and Serena didn't hear on the news about the S.S. Anne because they were barely near any TVs on their travels. Then again, they didn't need to hear about it, because they were caught in that actual chaos.

"There's more, those evil men called themselves Team Rocket and that they were either going to die or be sold off by some stranger for a hunk of cash," Rotom Dex explained, "They don't even care about the health of us or the other Pokemon."

Ash and Serena wanted to question how on earth did Team Rocket get these Pokemon? Didn't they knock the rockets out when Rotom Dex activated it's Roto Lotto to power up Pikachu's speed? They were able to recover their Pokemon along with the rest of the trainers, but how did the rockets still get their Pokemon?

Ash and Serena were not in the room at the time when Proton attacked inside the main room to awake the rockets and retake their Pokemon and flee while they let the ship sink. Guess that marble falling out of Serena's backpack would be somewhat of a blessing in disguise because otherwise, their Pokemon would be here and not with them.

Ash and Serena knew they couldn't keep this in the bag much longer. They were going to find out soon, and this might be the time.

"I don't know what just happened, but I promise we'll get you all out of here," Ash told Scyther and Pinsir.

"I don't think so," a voice darkly said.

Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, Jade, Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex all looked behind them and saw something that made them froze in complete terror. It was a group of rocket grunts glaring at them, but that wasn't what scared them.

They all had guns in their hands.

"End of the line," one of the grunts said pointing the gun at the group.

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER!**

 **What a long chapter, and that's only part one. We still got part two coming up.**

 **This chapter really kicked Ash into the gutter in this chapter, first he is not allowed to have a gym battle with Erika due to the incident with his mom, then he gets upset about it and lashes out at Froakie causing him to run away with Fennekin following him, then Ash learns that his Froakie was caught by Team Rocket and they're selling him off as a casino prize, and now the chapter ends with him and the others being held at gunpoint.**

 **Remember back on the S.S. Anne when Ash and Serena had their fun Pokemon battles before Team Rocket came into the picture. That is the same Scyther and Pinsir that Ash and Serena fought in their Pokemon battles. Their trainers sadly were killed, and now they're being pawned off by Team Rocket along with the other Pokemon.**

 **I promise you that the Celadon Gym situation Ash has been cursed with will be taken of, just not right now.**

 **So how will Ash and Serena get out of this, and judging by the fact they're now confronting Team Rocket, how will they explain this to their mothers? What will become of them? Do Rose and Yellow know what's going on? Find out in the next chapter.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll of which Mega Stone Ash will give his Charmander.**

 **Chapter 29: Casino Night Act 2**


	31. Casino Night Act 2

**And now here is Casino Night Act 2. Last time Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade along with Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex were held at gunpoint by Team Rocket after they discovered their Pokémon storage. What will happen to them? Well let's find out and enjoy part two.**

 **I also have a surprise guest appearing in this chapter. This guest was originally not supposed to be here, but I figured out a way for this guest to appear.**

 **I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Restaurant**_

With Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade looking in the casino area for Froakie and Fennekin, Rose and Yellow have been searching the outer casino parts of the hotel. So far there have not been any leads on the two Kalos Pokémon whereabouts. While they were walking, Rose decided to stir up some small talk.

"So, do you think anyone here will remember Petrel?" Rose asked winking at Yellow.

"Come on Rose, it was just one night," Yellow snarled.

Yellow did not like the fact that she kept being reminded of Petrel. Though Petrel did come to her mind once in a while, but she refused to talk about him, especially in front of Rose. She thought that despite that hunched look as a bartender, there might be a sweet guy underneath.

"Are you thinking about him right now?" Rose asked smirking.

"Remember Rose, we're looking for Froakie and Fennekin, not Petrel," Yellow barked.

"Right, focus on the mission," Rose commented.

Yellow gave her a stern look in the eye, and Chu Chu was looking at Yellow with curiosity. She was wondering who was this Petrel, and what was he like?

As they continued walking, they saw a TV screen which showed an image of Froakie and Fennekin being given away as special prizes at the casino. Rose's and Yellow's jaws dropped when they saw this. This can't be Ash's Froakie and Serena's Fennekin, right?

"Yellow?" Rose asked.

"Yes?" Yellow questioned.

"Do you think those are the same Froakie and Fennekin that we're looking for?" Rose asked.

"I think so," Yellow answered, "But where are they?"

It drew their attention that Froakie and Fennekin were now up to be won. Chu Chu was wondering what to do. She has been a true friend for Yellow for years, and she knew her sister and her son who was also Yellow's nephew. Chu Chu wondered where were they and how can she help?

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Secret Basement**_

Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade stood there not moving after seeing the numerous amount of rockets with guns. Pikachu was backing off and so was Rotom Dex. Delia tightly clutched Mimey and Grace held Happy tight. This clearly was bad.

"We heard some echoes in the room, and we thank you for giving yourselves away," one of the rocket grunts said.

Great, so it seems Ash may have drawn the rockets when he gasped in surprise of Scyther remembering him. Speaking of the Mantis Pokémon and Stag Beetle Pokémon, they both looked pretty terrified.

"Now here's what you're all going to do," one of the rocket grunts angrily said, "You're going to turn over all of your Pokémon to us, or we'll shoot you all."

"We're not giving you any of our Pokémon!" Ash hollered.

"Yes, you will!" one of the rocket grunts yelled putting the gun closer to Ash, "That is your only warning. Now turn over your Pokémon or die."

They were at a lost cause, and unlike the S.S. Anne, the rockets were severely focused on them which meant Pikachu couldn't pull another surprise attack with the help of Rotom Dex. Plus, the outcome of what Pikachu could experience would be completely random, so maybe it was best not to take that chance.

Without saying a single word, Ash and Serena unclipped the Pokeballs on their belts and gave them to the rockets. Pikachu surrendered and walked over to one of the rockets with his head hung down, and Mimey and Happy were seized out of Delia's and Grace's arms.

"Sorry, no refunds!" the rocket exclaimed remembering that they did pay to get those Pokémon from them.

This was just great, first they got a hold of Froakie and Fennekin, now they got all of their other Pokémon as well including Mimey and Happy being brought back to where they once were.

"You lose," the rocket grunt said while still pointing the gun at them.

Then they started to hear footsteps. It was clear that they were coming from the direction where they came in. It was Cassidy and Butch as they recovered from Pikachu's Thundershock. They now had a menacing look on their faces.

"Well what do you know, the tides have turned on you," Cassidy said with a smirk.

"Now that we have your Pokémon, we can sell them to our guests as well," Butch said with a smirk.

"So, you knew our Pokémon were in here," Ash said growling with anger.

"You got that right," Cassidy stated, "Now in case you're all wondering, let us introduce ourselves."

Cassidy and Butch struck a pose, and that caused Ash and Serena to get a sense of déjà vu.

"Prepare for trouble!" Cassidy told the group.

"And make it double!" Butch told the group.

Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade continued to stand still as it looked like Cassidy and Butch were about to do what Jessie, James, and Meowth do. They were going to actually recite a motto.

"To infect the world with devastation!" Cassidy recited.

"To blight our people in every nation!" Butch recited.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!" Cassidy recited.

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!" Butch recited.

"Cassidy!" Cassidy recited as she introduced herself.

"Butch!" Butch recited as he introduced himself.

"We're Team Rocket circling the Earth day and night!" Cassidy recited.

"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!" Butch recited.

They couldn't believe it, another group of rockets who had their own motto. Deep down, Ash and Serena believed that Jessie and James had it better.

"So, you're names are Cassidy and Bumps," Rotom Dex stated.

"It's Butch, not Bumps!" Butch yelled, "If there's an off switch on that thing, flip it."

Without hesitation, they made sure to grab Rotom Dex as well. The rockets successfully turned off Rotom Dex as it wouldn't be able to help them. The rockets then pointed their guns back at the group.

"Excuse me for a moment," Cassidy said as she got out the transmission device, "Come in Archer."

"This is Archer, status report!" Archer ordered.

"We just caught some people deciding to snoop around where we keep the Pokémon. Our men are holding them at gunpoint right now, and I think you'll be interested to know who it is," Cassidy told Archer.

"Hmm, excellent work Cassidy," Archer responded on the other end, "Where are you right now?"

"In our secret room where we keep the Pokémon," Cassidy answered.

"Just wanted to make sure, because I'm going to be paying them a visit," Archer stated on the other end.

"Roger that, me and Buzz will be waiting for you right here," Cassidy asserted.

"It's Butch!" Butch yelled.

"Roger that," Archer responded as she signed off.

"Our superior is on his way right now as we speak. He'll be here in a few minutes," Cassidy stated.

Ash was looking down in anger, he couldn't bare to look at those rockets. There was one thing we wanted to ask though.

"Where's Froakie?" Ash asked in disgust.

"And where's Fennekin?" Serena asked in the same tone.

"Cool your skins kids, there in here but they won't be with us much longer," Butch answered, "We can show you while we wait for our superior."

Butch lead them to another part of the corridor with Cassidy with her while the rockets were still holding the five at gunpoint. As they ended up rounding a corner, Scyther and Pinsir wondered if there was anything they could do. They already remember how strong they were back on the S.S. Anne and figured if there could be any way they would lend their assistance. Right now, the only thing those two could do is sit in their cells.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

The secret basement in this casino was pretty big. There had to be over at least one-hundred Pokémon in here. Rotom Dex was shut off so it couldn't scan the Pokémon that were in here. Heck, there were even a few Pokémon not native to Kanto. Then as they continued walking, there they found two cages that were on a table and inside were two familiar looking Pokémon.

It was Froakie and Fennekin.

Ash was about to call him out, but the rocket jolted the gun at the back of his neck which made him extremely uncomfortable.

"No talking," the rocket grunt said with a cold tone.

Ash couldn't bare it, that was his Froakie and he couldn't speak to him because of Team Rocket. He would've been happy to see Froakie again, but not here. His Froakie was now crammed in that cage along with Fennekin. Serena would've called out to her Fennekin, but she probably knew that the rockets would shoot her. This was insane, they couldn't even speak to their Pokémon. Team Rocket is truly despicable.

Froakie saw Ash with worry as he was now captured along with him. Froakie couldn't help to think that this was all his fault. He ran off to try and confront Erika for rejecting a gym battle, and Fennekin didn't want to be alone so she followed him. Now they got caught, Ash and Serena come looking for them only to suffer the same fate with Team Rocket.

"It's bad enough you took our Pokémon, but you won't let us talk to them," Serena ranted.

"They're not your Pokémon, their our Pokémon that we will soon sell off," Cassidy stated.

"They're our friends!" Ash hollered until the rocket pointed the gun at him to keep him quiet.

"Pokémon are nothing but tools to meet needs end, and the Pokémon in here are only serving the purpose of us getting cash," Butch explained, "And anymore of that friend talk and you can all die!"

Froakie and Fennekin couldn't bear to see or hear any of this. They knew Team Rocket was bad and that they were taken hostage and have their other Pokémon as well so they can't defend themselves but thinking that they should only be around to make money was truly disgusting.

Then another set of footsteps were heard. The rockets stood up and looked at who was coming while Cassidy and Butch were giving a salute. The other rocket grunts made sure to keep the group at bay while the other rocket grunt held on to their Pokémon and the shut off Rotom Dex. None of the Pokémon we're going to attack because they knew it would be fatal.

It was Archer who entered the room. He showed authority on his face as the other rockets kept their composure. Archer was a high ranked executive and only his bosses Giovanni and Arianna excelled him in rank and power.

"Cassidy, Butch, you two did a fine job," Archer addressed as he looked at the scene.

"Thank you, executive Archer, and my name is," Butch ranted until he realized that he got his name right, "Oh never mind."

Archer then walked over to the group and the first thing he did was glare at Ash and Serena. Pikachu saw this man and even though it was his first time seeing him, he knew he was bad news. Froakie and Fennekin also knew this man was evil, but it still didn't compare to the effect Siegfried had.

"So, you must be Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," Archer said analyzing the two kids as he then turned to the three women, "And you happen to be Delia Ketchum and Grace and Jade Gabena."

Ash and Serena should've known that this man knew them, hell all of Team Rocket knew them. The women on the other hand were feeling pretty shocked. Getting captured by Team Rocket was one thing, but the fact they knew their names was another thing.

"The truth is all five of you should've been dead a while back, the only reason you're alive and we're having this confrontation right now is because of two mentally retarded rockets and a mentally retarded Pokémon!" Archer yelled.

" _Jessie, James, and Meowth might be our enemies, but they're not retarded,"_ Serena thought to herself.

"How did you know our names?" Delia asked.

Archer then showed a smirk at the two kids and then right back at their mothers.

"Kids are supposed to tell everything to their parents, but they haven't told you yet haven't they," Archer responded in a mocking tone, "Your son and daughter have been getting in Team Rocket's way a number of times."

Delia, Grace, and Jade all gasped when they heard what Archer just said. They looked at their kids with shock and disaprovement. Ash and Serena just hung their heads down. They didn't want to know that they were getting involved with this organization, and they sure didn't want Rose to know that Leaf got involved once.

"You three ladies and those other two girls should've been dead after your special dinner, but apparently the retards cleverly cooked the food badly instead of putting the poison in and instead of dying, the department store in Celadon City got a shit show!" Archer yelled.

"Please do not mention that," Delia muttered as she can recall that memory, especially with Erika.

"And you two should've died on the S.S. Anne with all of those other trainers but somehow, and I can tell it's their fault as well, you two sprung back onto the ground alive!" Archer yelled looking at Ash and Serena.

The two were not going to mention to Archer when they teamed up with Jessie, James, and Meowth to escape the shipwreck or the fact that it was them who told them about the casino. They had enough heat as it was, so they didn't need anymore.

"They never told us that," Grace muttered.

"Well I guess you got a lot of catching up to do in your prison cells," Butch announced.

"We don't have prison cells here Biff," Cassidy said.

"It's Butch," Butch muttered.

"We don't have prison cells here, but we do have a room where you will be staying, and I'm not talking about a hotel room," Archer told them, "All five of you will be executed at midnight tonight, until then we'll take you all to your final resting place."

The rockets then took a hold of all five of them and took them down the corridor further away from Froakie and Fennekin. That's when they finally called them out.

"Froakie!" Ash cried.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried.

Froakie and Fennekin had tears in their eyes as they were being taken by Team Rocket. Now Team Rocket was going to kill them, and Froakie couldn't help to know that it was his fault.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

They were taken to a door which was in the basement. It lead into another room and all the room had was a bare bulb and a couple of pipes. Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade were all escorted into the room as they now had to wait for their death.

"Remember at midnight tonight, you all die," Archer announced until he got a call from someone.

As they went inside, Archer looked at the phone and saw that it was his boss Arianna. Archer answered the phone.

"Yes, this is Archer," Archer responded as there was another voice on the other end, "I just want to let you know that Ash and Delia Ketchum and Serena, Grace, and Jade Gabena are captured and will soon be killed."

Archer then listened to Arianna on the other end. It was hard to make out what was being said, but this seemed to catch Archer off guard. He had a surprised look on his face after hearing from his boss and secret lover.

"Okay, I understand," Archer replied as he hung up the phone, "There has been a change of plans."

Wait, a change of plans? We're they going to do something where the group could turn it around, or was it going to be worse?

"Delia Ketchum will be a prisoner with you all, but she might get to live," Archer announced.

"Wait, you're sparing my mom?" Ash questioned.

"We might if she behaves, one of my bosses wants to have a word with her," Archer told Ash, "You and the other three females though are going to be killed at midnight."

This was strange, why was there a chance for Delia to be spared? They didn't hear the talk on the phone, but it appears that Arianna had some interest in Ash's mom.

"Now, goodnight!" Archer announced as he shut the door.

The door was locked, and Ash began to bang on the door trying to get out. He tried opening the door, but it was clearly locked so they can't get out. The only thing Ash did after all of that was that he slumped to the ground in defeat. They had his Pokémon, Serena's Pokémon, Pikachu, Mimey and Happy.

"Froakie, Pikachu, everyone, I'm sorry," Ash whimpered as tears came from his eyes.

Meanwhile, Archer, Cassidy, and Butch walked away from the door after locking them inside. They took a look at the three Pokémon that were in their possession. Now it was time for them to be locked up.

"Take the Pokémon to their cages," Cassidy ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" the rockets responded saluting Cassidy.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere in the secret basement**_

Froakie was looking down in despair. First, he and Fennekin got captured, then he sees that Ash, Serena, and their moms were captured, and now they learn that while they will be sold, they get killed. Ash was the best trainer he could ever ask for, and now he was going to pay the price because he ran away.

"It's all my fault," Froakie muttered.

"Don't say that, how we're we supposed to know that we would be caught by Team Rocket?" Fennekin questioned.

"I only wanted to go to the Celadon Gym and tell that woman off who turned down Ash in having a battle. And then you follow me, we get lost, and we get spotted by Team Rocket," Froakie explained mention what has happened.

"Because I didn't want to be apart from you, I didn't want you to be alone," Fennekin responded, "And despite all that's happened, I still would've followed you after you hopped off like that."

"Fennekin," Froakie muttered.

"And despite Ash lashing out at you for no reason, you ran off to try and stand up for him. It truly does show that no matter what happens, you care about Ash," Fennekin explained.

Fennekin was right, Froakie cared about Ash a lot like how he cared about all of his Pokémon. He was the only human he opened up to, and then he eventually opened up to Serena, and now here he was opening up to other humans. Ash did make Froakie a better Pokémon today than he was a few years ago.

"You truly did have the best trainer, braving through these scary monsters trying to find you," a voice called out.

Froakie and Fennekin heard the voice and started to look around. All of the Pokémon were just lying there feeling drained of energy, but which one spoke to them? It was a female voice, that's for sure.

"Yeah, I don't think my trainer would've done that," the voice said.

Then Froakie was able to locate the cage that contained the Pokémon that called out to him. Froakie and Fennekin could notice that they've never seen this Pokémon before. She was a small blue chameleon with big eyes with blue pupils, and she also had a yellow fin on top of her head along with a big spiral looking tail. One thing was for certain, like Froakie and Fennekin, this Pokémon was definitely not a Kanto native.

"Yeah, it's true. Ash is the best trainer I could've asked for," Froakie told the strange Pokémon, "Despite what just happened, he wanted to do everything he can to be with me. It's what makes Ash so special."

"That's so amazing," said the Pokémon, "So Froakie, I believe that is your name, how long as this Ash person been your trainer for?"

"A few months uhhhhh what's your name?" Froakie asked after answering the Pokémon's question.

"Oh sorry, you probably have no idea what species of Pokémon I am. My name is Sobble and I come from the Galar Region," Sobble said introducing herself.

"The Galar Region?" Fennekin questioned.

"Yeah, I'm actually considered to be the water-type starter in Galar," Sobble explained.

"That's awesome, me and Froakie are starters in Kalos as well. I'm the fire-type starter, and Froakie is the water-type starter," Fennekin explained.

"Kalos, I heard that place is beautiful," Sobble happily said.

Well this was amazing; a Pokémon from the Galar Region was held hostage in this casino. But where did this Pokémon come from? They hoped to Arceus that she wasn't another victim on the S.S. Anne when they got Pokémon from other regions there.

"Well I was saying Sobble, Ash has been my trainer for a few months, in fact I was his first Pokémon," Froakie explained.

"What! You're a Kalos starter and you became the first Pokémon of a Kanto trainer?" Sobble questioned in amazement.

"Yes, and the same went for Fennekin over here," Froakie answered gesturing to Fennekin.

"He's right, Serena is my trainer and I was her first Pokémon," Fennekin stated.

"Wow, just like me," Sobble said.

"What!" Froakie and Fennekin exclaimed in amazement.

"Just like your trainers, I'm also the first Pokémon of my trainer whose name is Olivia," Sobble said.

It was amazing, two Kalos starters and a Galar starter both had Pokémon trainers beginning their journey in Kanto. Froakie and Fennekin knew how they got here, but how did this Sobble get here? That's the question.

"So, you said you were Ash's first Pokémon, and have been together for a few months?" Sobble asked.

"Yes, he also started his journey at the same time as Serena," Froakie answered, "In fact, they're traveling together which explains why we ended up here."

"Fascinating," Sobble replied until she showed a glum face, "At least you had time, I've only known Olivia for a day before we could start forming a bond like the one you and Ash had."

"Really, what happened?" Froakie asked.

This was going to be an interesting story. How did this Sobble get here, who was her trainer, and what got her to end up in Team Rocket's casino?

"Well for starters, how did Olivia get a Galar starter? You see Olivia and her family originally grew up in the Galar Region, but when she was nine, she and her family moved to Kanto because her father got a new job. She was really sad about leaving Galar because her journey was going to start soon, and she was looking at the three starters of Galar. Those three starters included Grookey who was a grass-type, Scorbunny who was a fire-type, and me who is a water-type," Sobble explained telling the story.

Froakie and Fennekin were hearing the story of Sobble.

"Pokémon trainers who start their journeys in Galar choose between those three Pokémon, but here in Kanto you have to choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Olivia had no clue on anything involving those three Kanto starters, but her father knew she wanted one of the Galar starters because nor were they the ones she was looking at the most, but they made sure that a part of her Galar heritage was with her. Her father was able to work things through, and she ended up choosing me as my starter," Sobble explained still telling the story.

"Wow, I guess it's good that Serena got me as a starter to keep close to her Kalos heritage," Fennekin happily said to herself.

"Olivia lived in the suburbs of Celadon City, and when she got me just a few days ago, we decided to play in the park before she could begin her journey. There was a fountain in the park that I decided to play in, then all of a sudden, Olivia freaked out and thought I was gone. The reason for that was when I was in the water, I camouflaged with the water making it where she couldn't see me. Olivia then got freaked out and started running around looking for me, and she never realized I was still at the fountain," Sobble explained still telling the story.

Froakie and Fennekin were completely shocked at this. Sobble tends to have the ability to blend in with the water which caused her new trainer not to find her.

"When I became visible again, she was gone. I stood on the side of the fountain waiting for her because I didn't want to go into that big scary city. Then these two people showed up realizing that I was a lost Pokémon. They ended up taking me into my care, and I thought maybe they knew where Olivia was and was trying to take me back to her, or that I was being taken to a place where I can be safe until she found me. Unfortunately, no, I was taken here and was going to be sold for cash," Sobble explained finishing her story.

So, this was an unfortunate turn of events of how this Sobble ended up here in the casino. She was the first Pokémon of a new trainer, but one of Sobble's abilities ended up thinking that she was gone. Sobble only knew Olivia for less than a day which didn't give them the chance to create the bond Froakie and Fennekin had with Ash and Serena since they knew them for not just a few months, but since they hatched!

"I'm sure she's still looking for you," Fennekin assured Sobble.

"You could be right," Sobble muttered.

Even though they knew each other less than a day, it could be possible that Olivia was still looking for her, but there would be no way she find her here. Speaking of how they met, Sobble then asked Froakie and Fennekin a question.

"So, how did you two end up with your trainers?" Sobble asked.

It was a tough ride for Froakie and Fennekin dealing with what came to them throughout their lives. They had to start from the beginning.

"Well Sobble, me and Fennekin didn't have great lives until we met Ash and Serena. The truth is our parents, brothers, and sisters were murdered before we were born," said.

"It was this hunter named Siegfried, but we don't feel like we should call Siegfried him, but it because this thing was not considered human. He just went around killing Pokémon for the fun of it in possibly the most graphic way possible, and he just enjoyed it. Our families were killed, but one egg from each of our families somehow survived the massacre of Siegfried," Fennekin explained.

"Graphic, like how so?" Sobble questioned.

"He ripped out eyeballs and chewed them in front of the Pokémon, cutting their heads off, shooting them in the face, killing their own children in front of their parents after weakening them with a chainsaw, stepping on their eggs, and eating the Pokémon eggs in front of them," Fennekin explained as tears came out of her eyes.

Sobble began to tremble in fear when she heard about Siegfried. Fennekin was right, Siegfried was not considered human, in fact Sobble was even wondering why he even existed.

"No more please," Sobble begged.

"Okay," Froakie stated, "Anyway me and Fennekin before we hatched were the lone eggs that survived, and we're taken to Professor Sycamore. Then he us into Kanto for a day at Professor Oak's summer camp. That was the day we hatched. The first thing I saw was a boy with spiky black hair."

"And the first thing I saw was a girl with honey-blonde hair," Fennekin stated.

"Those kids that we saw turned out to be our future trainers Ash and Serena. Despite feeling what was around us before we hatched, we just felt something about them. Something that seemed to make us feel…happy," Froakie explained.

"We played with them for a bit until it was time for us to go back to Kalos," Fennekin told Sobble.

"Wow, that was a touching story. You actually knew your trainers before they actually got you as your Pokémon," Sobble said feeling better after hearing the earlier part of the story, "So here's my question, what got you two to join those two trainers?"

"We're getting to that Sobble. For the next three years we would be staying at Professor Sycamore's lab. Despite the professor's kind actions towards us, we just didn't feel trustworthy of him or anyone else because of the trauma we felt before we hatched. We couldn't stand to be with a trainer of any kind," Froakie explained still telling his story.

"It's true, me and Froakie have been through numerous amounts of trainers before they returned us to Professor Sycamore. It was just too hard for us to open up to any human. Siegfried emotionally messed us up," Fennekin said with tears coming in her eyes.

Froakie and Fennekin didn't want to enter their personal lives though. Despite being traumatized by Siegfried, they also didn't want Sobble to know that another reason of being returned is because they had secretly developed feelings for each other and didn't want to be apart.

"The only times we've ever happy was when we saw Ash and Serena, and that's when Professor Sycamore came up with a suggestion to send us to Kanto and serve as their starters. We finally felt a spark of joy, and Ash and Serena were happy to have us as their trainers. I got along with Ash perfectly while Fennekin got along with Serena perfectly as well," Froakie explained finishing his story.

Sobble got to truly learn about the special bond Froakie had with Ash and Fennekin had with Serena. They couldn't open up to a single human because of Siegfried, but it felt like the presence of Ash and Serena changed that. Sobble wished that could be the case with Olivia. Hell, if she were to break free and see Olivia again, she would try to form a bond like that.

"That was such a touching story. You got the best trainers you could ask for," Sobble said.

It was an emotional scene for the three Pokémon in the cages. Froakie and Fennekin now went on to tell Sobble the story of how they got here. Deep down, they sure hope to get out.

* * *

 _ **Back with the group**_

Ash and Serena sat silent on the ground with their mothers as they we're now awaiting their executions. Delia, Grace, and Jade couldn't help but have looks of disappointment on their faces. They have dealt with Team Rocket a couple of times and they have never told them about any of their encounters.

"How many times?" Delia questioned.

"What," Ash responded as he raised his head looking at his mother.

"How many times have you and Serena been dealing with these guys?" Delia questioned.

Ash sighed and answered his mom's question.

"Well there was the Viridian City Pokémon Center, twice in the Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon, and most recently the S.S. Anne," Ash answered.

"Why did you never tell us about these guys?" Grace questioned the two.

Her eyes her narrowed at her own daughter and Ash. Grace wanted an answer from someone, and she didn't care who.

"We didn't want to scare you all," Serena answered, "You were worried enough when we mentioned what happened with the Spearow on our first day, and we don't want to add anything else to the mix."

Grace had a disapproving look on her face. She was not pleased with what her daughter and Ash have just done. Now they were going to pay the price.

"Listen, we run into these guys by mistake. We're traveling around Kanto to make friends with different Pokémon, collect badges and ribbons, and see amazing sights, not walk around searching for these criminals," Ash said in defense.

"It's true, we're either ambushed or we run into these guys when we don't expect it," Serena said as she then showed a determined face, "But even though we never wanted anything to do with Team Rocket, we don't regret our actions against them."

"It's true, while we don't mean to run into them, we can't stand what they do and someone has to step up and stop them, and if we don't, who will?" Ash confirmed with a questioning tone.

Delia, Grace, and Jade heard their kids well. Despite the fact that they were going to die, maybe they would like to know more about their encounters with Team Rocket now that it was out in the open.

"So, Ash, let's hear more about your run ins with Team Rocket," Delia told her son.

With that, Ash and Serena decided to finally go into detail explaining about their run ins with Team Rocket. They mentioned the one encounter on Mt. Moon where Leaf ended up getting involved, and then they went into detail about the S.S. Anne and how they ended up working with the trio to escape the ship. They also mentioned that they didn't want the rockets to know that they worked with the trio to escape, because they already had some what of an understanding on how they get treated by Team Rocket and finding out they teamed up to escape a sunken ship would make their lives much worse.

Despite their talks, Ash and Serena knew one thing. They weren't giving up hope on getting out of here. Something was bound to happen.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Lobby**_

Yellow and Rose were about to make their way to the casino. They knew that Froakie and Fennekin just went up as prizes. As they were walking, something was going on with Chu Chu. She was smelling something.

"What is it Chu Chu?" Yellow asked.

"Pikachu," Chu Chu responded.

Chu Chu ran off and Yellow was bound to go after her. It looked like Chu Chu picked up a scent, but what was the scent? Chu Chu ran fast as she could while Yellow and Rose followed her.

It was then she pointed to a vent. Chu Chu showed Yellow the vent and she pointed to it telling her to open the vent.

"You want me to open that vent?" Yellow asked.

"Pikachu," Chu Chu answered.

"But why?" Yellow questioned.

"Yellow, I think Chu Chu wants to go into the vent. She may have found something," Rose told Yellow.

Well this had to be a turn of events. Chu Chu has been a great friend towards Yellow since she got her from Red, but now she was picking up a scent. Maybe being with Ash's and Serena's Pikachu rubbed off on her. Pikachu was doing pretty good at picking up scents which lead them here, but now Chu Chu was picking something up.

"You want to go in?" Yellow asked.

"Pika pika," Chu Chu answered.

"Alright," Yellow answered as she opened the vent, "Be very careful."

Chu Chu nodded her head in agreement, and then she went inside. What on earth did Chu Chu find inside that vent? There's a good possibility that it may help in finding Froakie and Fennekin.

"Should we let the others know?" Yellow asked.

"Sure, but first where are they?" Rose questioned.

* * *

 _ **Another room in the secret basement**_

The rocket grunts had their guns out as they were going to be placing Mimey, Happy, and Pikachu into their cages. Rotom Dex was lying on the table shut off. Mimey and Happy were already put in their cages, and the only one left was Pikachu. The rockets were prepared to shoot if Pikachu dared to use his electricity.

"Alright punks, you will remain here while we get a price for you," the rocket grunt said, "In the meantime, we get to get more cages for these Pokémon."

The rockets looked at Ash's Pokeballs followed by Serena's Pokeballs. They needed to get a closer look at what Pokémon they had as they left the room. The reason they didn't do it inside was because what if one of their Pokémon was big and caused destruction when they came out. Smart thinking by the rockets since Serena did have a Gyarados.

As soon as the rockets left the room, Pikachu turned around to see where Rotom Dex was. Then Pikachu remembered Rotom Dex was behind him. The cage was electric proof, but Pikachu was able to realize a better motive. He tackled the cage wall getting it to flip, and then again to flip again until he noticed something.

It was Rotom Dex and it. was right in front of him.

"Rotom Dex," Pikachu said.

Pikachu used his stubby arms to reach for the inactive Pokedex. Pikachu was able to grab it's feet and used all his strength to pull it up. Pikachu then got to the screen and activated the power button. Rotom Dex powered up.

"Man, that was some nightmare," Rotom Dex said, "We were inside this dark room until Team Rocket surrounded us. Glad you woke me up from that."

"Rotom Dex, that wasn't a dream. That really happened," Pikachu told the Pokedex.

"What!" Rotom Dex exclaimed with a shocked face on its screen.

"Quiet, we don't want anyone to know you're on," Pikachu told Rotom Dex.

"Sorry," Rotom Dex muttered.

Pikachu and Rotom Dex began to survey the room. There were two cages with one containing Mimey and the other containing Happy. Now they just needed to figure out how to break free.

"Hey Rotom Dex, you remember that function you used on the S.S. Anne, Roto Lotto?" Pikachu asked.

"I sure do," Rotom Dex answered.

"Do you think you can use it again? My electric attacks don't work, and this steel seems unbreakable," Pikachu explained.

"Not a problem," Rotom Dex answered with a wink, "Roto Lotto activate."

The Roto Lotto feature activated yet again. As the slots were rolling, the first one stopped revealing a shield, the second one stopped showing off a divided sign, and then the third one stopped to give out a number 4. Rotom Dex looked down in despair.

"I'm sorry Pikachu, it's defense divided by four," Rotom Dex muttered as the screen glowed red and covered Pikachu in a red glow, "Your defense has went down, and that won't help you get out."

Pikachu then remembered that Roto Lotto was a feature of chance meaning it wasn't always going to give out positive results. Pikachu was not going to get out with lower defense, and that would also hurt him if he tries to attack the cage again.

"This sucks," Pikachu muttered.

"I'm sorry Pikachu, and I can't activate it for another hour," Rotom Dex sadly muttered.

Great, this was the only chance Pikachu and the others had to possibly break out and do something, and in the end Roto Lotto was a dud this time. The rockets would be back in definitely less than an hour.

However, a miracle had happened. There was a vent in the room, and it got kicked down by another Pokémon. Coming out was a Pikachu with a flower on her head. Pikachu's eyes sparkled with hope as he knew who this Pokémon was. Mimey and Happy knew who this Pokémon was as well.

"Chu Chu," all three said in union.

Yellow's Pikachu ran up towards the cage where the co-owned Pikachu was being held captive. Chu Chu looked at Pikachu with a determined look on her face.

"Just as I expected, I somehow was picking up a scent, and it was your scent Pikachu," Chu Chu said.

"So that's how you found us," Pikachu said, "Now get us out of here."

With that Chu Chu looked around in the room to see what she could use to get Pikachu out. There was nothing there, no keys, no pins, no pens, but then Pikachu pointed to something on Chu Chu.

"Chu Chu, your tail," Pikachu told Chu Chu.

"My tail?" Chu Chu questioned.

"I think I know what Pikachu wants you to do," Rotom Dex said as he turned to Chu Chu, "Your tail at the end is pretty pointy. You can use that pointy end of the tail to unlock the cages."

"Yeah, I can't because I'm on the inside of it and despite knowing Iron Tail, it wouldn't break this type of metal," Pikachu explained.

"Give it a try Chu Chu!" Happy exclaimed.

"You can be a hero," Mimey said.

Chu Chu has been with Yellow mostly as a pet, a companion, and her best friend. Now she has a chance to actually make a difference for these Pokémon. Not to mention that Roto Lotto has already been used. Then without any hesitation, Chu Chu put her tail into the lock and try jiggling with it until…it opened!

Pikachu ran out and grabbed Chu Chu's hand as they began to happily dance. There was no time to celebrate though, they had to get the others out. Then Pikachu went over to Happy while Chu Chu went over to Mimey. Both of them repeated the same process that Chu Chu did to unlock Pikachu's cage.

Then in a matter of seconds, the Mime Jr. and the Happiny walked out of the cage. The two Pokémon were free, in fact all three of them were free.

"Thanks Chu Chu," Mimey said shaking Chu Chu's hand.

"My pleasure," Chu Chu happily replied until she noticed Pikachu's serious look, "So what's going on? Where are the others?"

"Chu Chu, I got some explaining to do. This place is run by Team Rocket, and Ash, Serena, and their mothers have been captured by the rockets," Pikachu confirmed.

"We did find Froakie and Fennekin down here, but not after they were captured," Happy muttered.

"Those bad people are trying to sell them, just like how they sold us," Mimey muttered, "Speaking of, I want to go back to Delia."

"And I want to go back to Grace and Jade," Happy said.

"I know, we have to save everyone and put a stop to this," Pikachu stated as he looked at the door, "Help me turn the doorknob."

"Wait, don't you want to use one of your attacks?" Rotom Dex asked.

"And have Team Rocket know we broke out and just walk right up to the others and shoot them, absolutely not," Pikachu answered making a point.

With that the Pokémon went up to the door. They would try to stack up, but then Rotom Dex rubbed it's arms and grabbed the door handle. It turned the knob and then the door creaked opened.

"Okay, we have to get the others out, retrieve their Pokémon, and save Froakie and Fennekin. Come on," Pikachu called out as they all followed the Mouse Pokémon.

* * *

 _ **Back in the room with all of the Pokémon**_

Pikachu, Chu Chu, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex all made their way down the hall. However, there were numerous rockets in the area, and they couldn't afford to be spotted, especially since they had guns. The good thing about being small was that they could hide and conceal themselves much easier.

Rockets were surveying the area and the Pokémon and the Pokedex have to make sure they don't get caught. Rotom Dex wasn't going to be able to use Roto Lotto for at least another hour.

"So where are the others?" Chu Chu asked.

"There this way," Pikachu answered.

As they were rounding the corner, they came back to a familiar part of the room. It was the part of the Pokémon storage where the group got captured, because there were two Pokémon they remember, Scyther and Pinsir.

"Psst, hey" Pinsir whispered calling them over.

The Pokémon and Pokedex all went over to the two cages. What did these Pokémon want? They had a chance to rescue the group, and they can't squander that away because of two Pokémon who want to speak to them. Then again, they've already met these Pokémon so they should know them.

"How did you all get out?" Pinsir asked.

"Yeah, I thought those son of bitches captured all of you," Scyther responded.

Pikachu then gestured Chu Chu over to the cages. Pikachu had to let them know who the rescuer was.

"It was this Pikachu over here," Pikachu said gesturing to Chu Chu, "Her trainer calls her Chu Chu."

"Pleasure to meet you," Chu Chu said.

Scyther and Pinsir introduced themselves to Chu Chu. Now there was a bigger situation, and that was saving Ash, Serena, and the women.

"Listen, we have to go," Rotom Dex said.

"Wait," Scyther responded which got everyone's attention, "I like to help you."

"Same here, these rockets killed our trainers and our friends, and we can't let the same fate happen to all of you," Pinsir explained.

"You want to help us?" Pikachu questioned.

"Yes, we do," Scyther confirmed nodding his head.

"But how are we going to get you out?" Chu Chu questioned, "Your attacks are futile against those cages and me and Pikachu can't reach the locks with our tails since they're higher up."

"I see," Pinsir muttered.

The Pokémon were definitely at a lost cause. They could try to stack upon each other to unlock the cages, but would have a hard time balancing on each other, not to mention they would have to do this twice. It could take time, and who knows when rockets will appear.

They wanted to save Ash and Serena, but something tells them that they should get these Pokémon out. After all Team Rocket has seized Ash's and Serena's Pokeballs, so more Pokémon with them would help.

"There has to be something," Chu Chu said.

Pikachu was trying to look around to see what they could do to break Scyther and Pinsir out. Like before, they can't use Roto Lotto right now because Rotom Dex already used it, and it was a dud too. Then a lightbulb went off on Pikachu's head, Rotom Dex was a floating Pokedex so maybe there was something they could do.

"Rotom Dex, I have an idea," Pikachu said crossing his arms.

"What is it Pikachu?" Rotom Dex asked.

"I remember that you're a Pokedex. Maybe you can look up moves that we can use, and maybe we might find something that could come in handy," Pikachu suggested.

"That might be a super idea," Rotom Dex said brightly.

With that Rotom Dex began to do analysis on all four Pokémon. It already knew Pikachu's attacks, Chu Chu didn't have a massive verity of attacks, but then Rotom Dex may have found the answer within Mimey and Happy. Both of them knew a particular move that could help them out.

"Despite Mimey and Happy not battling, they do have a few moves. But there is one move they each have that could benefit us," Rotom Dex explained.

"What move do me and Happy know?" Mimey asked.

"Helping Hand," Rotom Dex answered, "It will boost the power of an ally Pokémon."

This was amazing, Rotom Dex has some valuable assets, but it's most important feature is being a Pokedex and gathering data on all of the Pokémon. Pikachu then turned over to Mimey and Happy. They just heard what Rotom Dex said.

"So, we can use Helping Hand?" Mimey asked.

"Correct," Rotom Dex answered.

"And how do we plan on using that move?" Happy asked.

"Use it on them," Rotom Dex answered looking at Scyther and Pinsir, "Scyther, Pinsir, this Mime Jr. and Happiny are going to use Helping Hand on both of you. Once you feel the effects, try to break out."

Scyther and Pinsir nodded their heads. Mimey and Happy were ready as they walked up to their cages. Once there, Mimey and Happy started to feel a small blue glow and they were now directing them to Scyther and Pinsir. Once Scyther and Pinsir were engulfed in the glow, the Mime Pokémon and Playhouse Pokémon backed away from the cages.

"Now," Pikachu called out.

Scyther and Pinsir charged at the bars, and then bam! The doors were knocked off their hinges and Scyther and Pinsir broke out. The Mantis Pokémon and Stag Beetle Pokémon felt so much stronger now.

"Thank you, Mime Jr.," Scyther responded shaking Mimey's hand.

"Thank you Happiny," Pinsir responded shaking Happy's hand.

"Call me Mimey," Mimey said.

"And I'm Happy," Happy stated.

"Not to intrude on the elations, but what about the others?" Chu Chu questioned.

"You're right," Pikachu said as he looked over at Rotom Dex and all of the other Pokémon, "Follow me, I know where they are."

With that, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Chu Chu, Mimey, Happy, Scyther, and Pinsir all followed Pikachu. Scyther and Pinsir knew they had to conceal themselves, despite being bigger and more visible.

* * *

 _ **Back with Froakie and Fennekin**_

Froakie and Fennekin were sitting in their cages, but then they started to hear someone coming. This caught their attention, who was it that was coming this way?

"Wonder who it is?" Fennekin asked.

"Probably more of those terrorist guys," Sobble answered solemnly.

Froakie didn't want to think like that. He thought maybe Ash found a way out and he was coming for him. Froakie and Fennekin got curious to see who was coming, maybe it was help. Once they saw who it was, their hopes dashed.

It was two rocket grunts.

"You've both been sold," the rocket said grabbing Froakie's cage, "We'll be taking you to your new owners, and we'll be getting our money."

This can't be, Froakie and Fennekin were hoping that Ash and Serena found a way out and were going to help them. That wasn't the case though, two people have successfully brought them out. The two rockets took the cages containing Froakie and Fennekin and began to proceed out of the area.

"Boy are these fucking bastards stupid wasting their money on us," the other rocket said, "But hey, they could get a cool Pokémon out of this."

Froakie and Fennekin were beginning to cry as they were being taken. The rockets angrily shook the cage telling them to shut up. They were feeling bruises right now after getting banged around the cage like that.

Rounding the corner were Pikachu, Rotom Dex, and the other Pokémon. They noticed the rockets and hid themselves. Pikachu's face lit up in horror when they saw Froakie and Fennekin being taken out of the area.

"Froakie, Fennekin," Pikachu muttered.

Pikachu wanted to shock the rockets, but he feared two things. One he might hurt Froakie and Fennekin, and two he might alarm the other rockets.

"Do you think they were sold?" Rotom Dex questioned in a worrisome tone.

"That's what I'm worried about," Pikachu answered, "How are we going to tell Ash and Serena this?"

"What about those words from Ash Ketchum, never give up until the end," Rotom Dex told Pikachu.

Rotom Dex was right, despite being sold didn't mean they lost them forever. But it sure was going to be difficult to find them, not to mention they needed to find their other Pokémon too.

"You're absolutely right Pikachu, we got to keep going," Rotom Dex said.

"Yeah, let's look for the others," Pikachu told everyone.

Everyone continued to follow Pikachu. While Froakie and Fennekin were Ash's and Serena's aces, Pikachu stood very well at a number two for both of them. If Froakie and Fennekin were ever out of commission, Pikachu surely would take the leader role of all of Ash's and Serena's Pokémon, hell he's even leading Pokémon that aren't even theirs. As they continued down the corridor, a certain Galar Region Pokémon was watching and heard everything Pikachu said.

"Wow, looks like this Ash and Serena have shown a powerful influence on their Pokémon," Sobble said, "Maybe Olivia could do the same thing if I ever see her again."

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Pikachu lead the way to a familiar looking door. Pikachu knew this door all too well. This was the door where Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade were on the other side as prisoners ready to be killed. Pikachu then gestured Scyther to the door.

"Scyther, use your blade to unlock the door," Pikachu told Scyther.

"Will do," Scyther replied.

On the other side of the door, the entire group heard what sounded like someone messing with the lock. Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade stood up in alarm to see who it was. They were likely expecting rockets coming in ready to kill them.

"It must be time for us," Jade said.

Grace and Jade gathered around Serena and hugged her. Delia had her arms around Ash as tears were coming from her eyes. Ash and Serena were hoping maybe it was some lucky miracle. As the door opened, they all saw who it was. It was a Scyther.

The Mantis Pokémon succeeded in opening the door and when the others looked outside, there they saw Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, Chu Chu, and two other Pokémon they weren't expecting, Scyther and Pinsir. It had to be the same ones they saw before they got captured.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said giving out a V sign.

"Pikachu," Ash said as he ran up and gave him a hug.

"Mimey," Delia cried.

"Happy," Grace cried.

Mimey and Happy went over to Delia and Grace as they embraced them in a hug.

"Rotom," Serena said as she went up and patted it on the head, "How did you guys get out?"

"It was a terrifying experience, first we went into this deep dark area and found all of these Pokémon, and then we came across two Pokémon that caught our attention. They happened to be a Scyther and a Pinsir," Rotom Dex explained as he was acting all heroically.

"We were there for that Rotom Dex," Serena said smiling, "I want to know how you all got out and how Scyther and Pinsir got here?"

"Yeah," Ash replied as he turned his attention to Rotom Dex knowing how exactly they got out.

"Apparently it was a good friend of yours that came to the rescue," Rotom Dex said gesturing to Chu Chu.

Delia, Grace, and Jade didn't notice Chu Chu's presence. Delia's eyes sparkled when she saw the female Pikachu with the flower on her head.

"Chu Chu," Delia cried.

"Chu Chu was with Rose and Yellow until she started to pick up a scent. That scent lead her to Pikachu, and she was able to release all of us," Rotom Dex explained as it then turned to Scyther and Pinsir, "As for Scyther and Pinsir, they want to fight beside you."

"Really, why?" Ash questioned.

"Because after knowing that their trainers were killed by this organization, they didn't want you or all of your Pokémon to suffer the same fate," Rotom Dex explained.

"Is that true?" Ash asked Scyther.

"Scyther," Scyther responded nodding his head meaning yes.

"HEY!" someone screamed.

Everyone gasped as they saw who was coming their way. It was two rockets who were about to raise their guns. However, they were too late. Scyther was quickly able to whip up enough wind to unleash a Razor Wind to blow the rockets to the wall.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed in astonishment.

"That was Razor Wind!" Rotom Dex exclaimed in shock.

Then Pinsir grabbed one of the rockets with Submission while Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt on the free rocket knocking him out. Pinsir then slammed the other rocket down knocking him out too.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Ash exclaimed in amazement as he then looked over towards Pikachu, "Good job helping out Pikachu."

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded happily.

The group ran up to the two rockets to make sure they were clearly knocked out. Judging by the state their in, it seems that those two rockets are out cold.

"I hope we didn't draw any attention," Grace said with worry in her voice.

"Guys look," Serena said pointing to the rockets, "Our Pokémon."

Ash and Serena had looks of happiness when they saw what was on the rocket's belts. It was their Pokeballs. Ash and Serena grabbed their Pokeballs and clipped them back on their belts.

"Wait, can you analyze our Pokeballs to make sure that everyone is still here," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Will do!" Rotom Dex answered giving a salute.

Rotom Dex analyzed their Pokeballs and were able to confirm that all of their Pokémon were still inside. Just as expected, Froakie and Fennekin were the only ones not in there.

"Did you find Froakie?" Ash asked in concern.

"And what about Fennekin?" Serena asked in concern as well.

The Pokémon and Rotom Dex had a grim look on their faces. Ash and Serena were about to hear the dark truth of what happened. Unfortunately for the group, they were too late.

"Ash, Serena, Team Rocket has sold your Pokémon," Rotom Dex confirmed.

"No," Ash whispered.

Ash sank to his knees. He couldn't believe that Team Rocket have sold his Froakie. The Froakie that was going to become friends with, the Froakie that he was going to help overcome his uneasiness with humans, those crooks sold him off. Team Rocket didn't even care about his well being or Ash's. Serena had tears in her eyes as she could say the same for Fennekin. Their moms went up to them and gave them a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry," Delia said as she hugged Ash.

"Excuse me," Rotom Dex said drawing everyone's attention, "Never give up until the end."

"That saying," Serena said as she heard Rotom Dex.

Serena heard the words that Rotom Dex said, and she can recall Ash saying them to her whenever she was down. Serena never gave up hope despite how bad things got. She took a good look at Ash and got down to his level and made eye contact. Delia made space and Grace and Jade had a curious look on their face.

"Ash, just because Team Rocket sold our Pokémon doesn't mean they're gone forever," Serena told Ash.

Ash heard what Serena just said. She might be right, just because they're sold doesn't mean they're gone.

"I'm upset about what happened to Fennekin as you are for what happened to Froakie. But Ash, we can still save them. I don't care who they're with, we can get them back," Serena told Ash.

Ash was feeling rejuvenated. Serena had a big influence in her life, and now here she is speaking up for him. She did this after his Pokémon were taken by Damien, and now here she is doing the same for Team Rocket.

"Froakie and Fennekin have dealt with enough in their lives, and they don't need more. No matter who they're with, they're our friends and they would rather be with us than anyone else," Serena spoke, "And the same can be said for all of our Pokémon."

Serena was right, Froakie would rather be with Ash than anyone else. Come to think of it, Ash's Pokémon got the best trainer they could ask for. Pidgeotto would still be a Pidgey near Pallet Town, Butterfree was able to find happiness, Bulbasaur was able to venture out of the hidden village, Charmander is still alive, and Pikachu wouldn't be trusting humans like he did in the past.

Serena was right, their Pokémon would rather be with them than anyone else. Ash had always had those strange feelings for Serena for a while, but if anyone can pull him up it's her. She's scared for Fennekin as much as Ash is for Froakie. Ash had a determined look on his face, and he was ready to save Froakie.

"Serena let's save Froakie and Fennekin," Ash told Serena with full determination.

"We're with you kids every step of the way," Delia stated.

The group was now going to be heading out in search of their Pokémon. Once they were out of distance, they thought they heard something. It sounded like those rockets were awake, and that they were speaking to someone.

"They've overpowered us, prepare to attack once they get upstairs," one of the rockets said.

They didn't hear what he just said, but with their best judgement, they believed the rocket may have warned them about them getting out.

* * *

 _ **Back on the main floor**_

Cassidy and Butch received the Pokémon from the grunts and were ready to hand them out, until they heard the word from one of their grunts about the group's escape.

"Biff, it appears those bastards have broken out," Cassidy growled.

"My name is Butch," Butch growled.

"I don't care! Anyway, we have to be prepared for when they get back upstairs," Cassidy told Butch, "You report to Archer while I gather up some of our men to strike when they come upstairs."

"Alright," Butch responded as he contacted Archer and she contacted some of the grunts, "Archer come in."

"What is it Bundy?" Archer questioned on the other end.

"It's Butch for crying out loud. It appears that Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena have escaped along with those ladies and their Pokémon," Butch reported.

"WHAT!" Archer screamed.

"Fear not, Cassidy is gathering men right now for an assault when they come back out from the secret passage," Butch reported, "That is the only way in or out."

"Good, you better kill those bastards when they come up here. Nothing will pleasure us than looking at those kids dead corpses," Archer responded.

Cassidy and Butch were speaking with their teammates about their next plan of attack, but little do they know there were two certain women who overheard everything. Rose and Yellow now knew that Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, and Jade were captured and Yellow may have figured out why Chu Chu ran off into the vent.

"So, they got caught by Team Rocket," Yellow muttered, "And they're running this place."

"This is not good, especially since they're going to kill them once they get back up," Rose said.

"I think that explains why Chu Chu went into the vent, she must've picked up their scent," Yellow assumed.

"Maybe," Rose stated.

Yellow and Rose were pretty helpless. Rose had some Pokémon on her but didn't want to put herself and Yellow in danger. They needed to think of something to make sure everyone was safe and then get the police, but what? As they were thinking something was going through Yellow's head.

" _Does this mean Petrel is part of Team Rocket too?"_ Yellow questioned herself in thought.

Yellow may have found some good qualities in Petrel, but now she could be concerned that the man she had that one-night stand with could be part of Team Rocket. Wait, now wasn't the time to think about Petrel. She needed to be worried about her sister and nephew. After all, they were her only family left.

* * *

 _ **Back in the basement**_

Needing to figure out a way out of the basement and knowing that there would likely be rockets waiting for them from where they came in, they needed to see if they could think of another way out. They thought it would be best to look around, and Pikachu, Scyther, and Pinsir would keep an eye out for any more rockets that could be down here.

"Rotom Dex, do you think we can get a layout of this place?" Ash asked Rotom Dex.

"Most certainly!" Rotom Dex answered giving a salute.

Rotom Dex floated trying to get a layout of the hotel. So far all it was doing was buffering. It was taking too long. Rotom Dex could get a layout of a big city, but he's taking too much time for a layout of the casino. Then it hit them, they were underground, so the signal was weak.

"Sorry Ash, weak signal," Rotom Dex muttered.

"It's okay," Ash said reassuring Rotom Dex.

"So now what do we do?" Jade asked.

Everyone was standing in thought. They didn't have much time to think since their Pokémon were going to be given out soon, so they needed to hurry up with an idea. Everyone looked around for something they could use, including their Pokémon and the newcomers in Scyther and Pinsir. As everyone looked around, Serena for some reason looked up, and then it hit her.

"Hey, Team Rocket is expecting us at the exit," Serena stated.

"Yeah so," Ash replied.

"What if we make another exit. One that Team Rocket wouldn't know about," Serena suggested.

"What are you talking about Serena?" Ash asked.

"We could get out from above. I can send out my Gyarados to make an opening in the ceiling that could lead us to the upper floors. We have Gyarados rise as high as she can and we can get off from there," Serena explained.

Serena made a good point. According to the Rotom Dex, Gyarados are over twenty-one feet tall and she could break ceilings with her head. Grace had other thoughts since her idea could put people in danger.

"Serena, what you're thinking about is completely reckless and it could lead to getting people hurt from something they weren't expecting," Grace explained.

"Do you have any other ideas mom?" Serena questioned as she placed her hands on her hips.

Grace could understand that Serena made a point, and as she looked around, Delia and Jade look like they disapproved the idea too, but they nodded their heads yes knowing that there may not be any other choice. If they wanted to catch Froakie and Fennekin, they needed to act quickly as possible.

"Alright Serena, it looks like we have no choice," Grace said putting her hands over her heart.

"Great, I'll actually have Gyarados rise up first to clear the way, and then again so we can get up," Serena said as she got out Gyarados's Pokeball, "Come on out Gyarados!"

Serena tossed her Pokeball up in the air and coming out was none other than Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon looked very cramped in the basement after coming out, and then she turned to Serena.

"Gyarados, I need you to go up as high as you can," Serena told Gyarados.

Gyarados made a curious growling sound wondering why Serena would ask for that if there is a ceiling over Gyarados's head.

"Trust me Gyarados, we're trying to get out of here and this is the best way," said Gyarados.

Gyarados listened to Serena when she heard they were trying to break out. Then without any hesitation, Gyarados started to uncoil upwards with her head smashing through the ceiling. There were a few screams, but thankfully no one got hurt. Gyarados then came back down.

"Good job Gyarados, now give us a lift up," Serena told her Gyarados.

"Everybody hop on," Ash told the ladies.

With that being said, Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, Jade, Pikachu, Scyther, Pinsir, Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy all got on Gyarados as she made another rise up. There was just one problem, they had no idea where they would be.

When Gyarados's head reached her peak, everyone could see that they ended up in a hotel room, but the strange thing was it was occupied. Serena was the first one off, and she noticed something that freaked her out.

There were two people in a bed using their sheets to cover their bodies. Rotom Dex who floated up was wondering why these people were trying to cover themselves with their bed sheets. As everyone was climbing off of Gyarados, they could be shocked with what they just saw.

"Who are you people!" the woman screamed at the group.

"So, what are you guys hiding?" Rotom Dex in a curious tone.

"Our bodies, WE WERE HAVING WILD SEX UNTIL YOU CAME IN!" the man yelled at the top of his lungs.

"What's sex?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Don't ask that question," Delia said as she grabbed a hold of Ash and Serena, "Out, out, out."

Delia, Grace, and Jade were guiding Ash and Serena out of the room making sure not to see anymore of that. The Pokémon stood there just staring at the naked couple.

"What are you looking at?" the woman questioned in an angry and embarrassed tone.

"Come on guys!" Ash called out.

Rotom Dex along with the rest of the Pokémon left the hotel room after hearing Ash's voice. Wow, it was one thing to appear in a hotel room, but a hotel room with people who were in the middle of sex.

* * *

 _ **Hotel Hallway**_

"We're not talking about what you two just saw until you're older," Grace told Ash and Serena.

After that awkward encounter, they take a look at their surroundings. Surely, they just came out of a hotel room, They looked at the numbers and they all started with two which according to hotel knowledge, they were on the second floor. This was perfect, the rockets were expecting them to come out of the secret passage, but they could launch an ambush from behind.

"Okay, so where do we go now?" Rotom Dex asked.

"This has to be the second floor, so we need to get back to the first floor. That's where the casino is, and that's probably where someone could be walking out with the Pokémon," Jade explained.

"Alright, let's get to the first floor," Ash declared.

As they made a run for it, there were two people who spotted them. They looked like housekeepers, but they gave out a mean glare. Clearly it had to be rockets.

"What the fuck! Where did you come from!" one of the rockets exclaimed.

"They have to be rockets," Ash muttered.

"Shit, they know. Kill them and report this to Archer!" the other rocket exclaimed.

The rockets made a run for the group and everyone began running for their lives. Shoot, how were they going to get to the first floor with the rockets on their tail. Their best bet was the stairs because the elevator would take too long, plus they could be waiting for them to come down.

All of them ran down the hallway in hopes of finding the stairs. Rotom Dex was in too much of a hurry to get a proper layout of the hotel to make finding the stairs easier. The group could watch in horror as they pulled out guns and were prepared to fire. They rounded a corner and had to do everything they could to stop them. The rockets rounded the corner as well, but then all of a sudden they were gone.

"Where did they go?" one of the rockets questioned.

"Shit, please don't tell one of the hotel doors opened and they into a room," the other rocket growled.

"Prepare to break these doors down until we find them!" the rocket shouted.

Little to their surprise as they were prepared to barge the first set of doors down, the two rockets were hit from behind. One rocket was slashed in the back and fell to the ground while the other rocket got gripped by a Pokémon. The Pokémon crunched the man until he was unconscious and tossed him on the ground in defeat.

It was a back attack by Pinsir and Scyther. But how? They were rounding the corner thinking they were running down the hall. However, the group was actually behind them!

Serena got Abra out and teleported right behind them once they rounded the corner. Abra definitely sensed they were in danger and right when he came out, Abra used Teleport.

"Good thinking Serena," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Serena replied giving a wink towards Ash and then turned to Pinsir, "And good job to you Pinsir."

Pinsir nodded his head in admiration towards Serena's actions. Pinsir could see that this girl knew what she was thinking. He started to feel as if maybe they could end up being a team, but it wasn't time to think about that. When they looked at the fallen rockets, the mothers had a thought as well.

"Grab their guns, we can fight fire with fire," Delia suggested.

"That's a good idea Delia," Grace said.

With that, Delia and Jade each grabbed a gun from the rockets. They put the guns in their pockets as they would be ready to shoot if needed. Just one question, how good was Delia and Jade with guns?

"If we see anymore rockets ready to attack, we'll shoot," Jade said.

"Just make sure we go for the shin Jade, that way we have the lowest chance of the bullet being fatal," Delia explained to Jade.

"Will do," Jade replied.

Luckily in the knick of time, Rotom Dex finally got a layout of the casino. It was able to pinpoint where they were and where the nearest set of stairs were. They actually were pretty close to them.

"Keep going straight, the stairs will be on the left," Rotom Dex announced.

"Alright, thanks Rotom Dex," Ash said giving a nod.

With that the group continued to make a run down the hallway. As they were running, there were another group of rockets who noticed them.

"It's Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena! They've escaped!" one of the rockets shouted.

"Report this to Cassidy and Buddy!" the other rocket shouted.

One rocket was ready to fire while another was getting on their transmission device. The yells though ended up catching their attention and the ladies reacted quickly. The rockets weren't quick enough as Delia and Jade made a successful shot at their shins knocking them down.

"I'm sorry," Delia muttered.

Blood was running out of their legs and the rockets were both grieving in pain. Right now the only thing they could do was keep running. Hopefully someone would be able to help them, and at the same time they would learn they're with Team Rocket and report them.

They finally made it to the stairs and everyone began to scurry down to the first floor. Ash was first, followed by Serena, and Pikachu was right behind them on their heels. Delia, Grace, and Jade were following them as well.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Casino**_

All of the rockets were waiting for the group to come out as they had their guns ready. However, one rocket admin was walking up to the counter as he had to give something out. It was Butch who had Froakie and Fennekin out. Then someone came to the counter. It was a woman who was in her forties wearing a pink fur coat, carrying a purse that seemed to be Liepard print.

"Excuse me, but I believe you have a Fennekin for me," the woman said.

"Do you have the ten-thousand Pokedollars?" Butch asked.

The woman went through her purse and pulled out ten-thousand Pokedollars. The woman handed the money to Butch and in exchange, Butch gave the woman Fennekin. Fennekin had a worrisome look on her face as soon as Butch gave her to the woman. Judging by her looks, this woman had a thing for Pokémon fur. She was worried that now she could become part of her collection.

"Now you're coming home with me," the woman told Fennekin.

"Fennekin," Fennekin cried pointing to Froakie.

"No crying, I'm your owner now," the woman told Fennekin.

Fennekin was starting to get teary eye as she was getting further and further away from Froakie. Froakie had an upset look on his face too, but the woman and Butch didn't care at all. They were just being used for money. Froakie knew that soon he was going to be given away as well.

Froakie then saw Fennekin get stuffed in the bag by the woman. Not only was he separated from Fennekin, but it appears this woman was going to be cruel.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-1**_ _ **st**_ _ **Floor**_

Rose and Yellow were trying to figure out what to do. Right now, it was best for them to call the police, but they didn't want to draw any attention if this place was run by Team Rocket. Another thing was why did Chu Chu run into the vent? Right now, they needed to plan their best actions. They needed to gather much evidence as they could to let them know that Team Rocket was running the casino, but where would they get it?

Yellow had no Pokémon while Rose had some Pokémon in case they needed to fight. However, they also needed to ensure the safety of the others. They were completely helpless since Team Rocket was prepared to kill them once they got upstairs. As they were nervous into thoughts, a group was coming towards them.

"Rose, Aunt Yellow!" a voice called out.

The two turned around to see who's voice that was. Then their faces were in complete shock and joy to see it was Ash along with Serena, Delia, Grace, Jade, Rotom Dex, and all of the Pokémon. Yellow was happy to even see a familiar Pikachu with a flower on her head.

"You're alright," Rose said in excitement.

Yellow was about to give Ash and her sister a hug, but the two immediately rejected the gesture because of the current situation. They had very concerned looks on their faces. Chu Chu ran up towards Yellow and rubbed her leg.

"Chu Chu," Yellow happily said as she picked her up and gave her a hug, "What happened?"

"We were captured by Team Rocket, but Chu Chu came to the rescue saving Pikachu, Mimey, and Happy and then the others," Rotom Dex answered.

"But it looked like Team Rocket had a firing squad waiting for you upstairs," Rose commented.

"I actually used Gyarados to take us upstairs. Thankfully no one got hurt, but we did get to see," Serena explained until Grace covered her mouth.

"Please don't mention that," Grace retorted.

After hearing how they escaped thanks to Chu Chu, another topic was brought up. The presence of Scyther and Pinsir.

"Where did you get those Pokémon?" Rose asked pointing to the Scyther and Pinsir.

"We found them in the basement, their trainers were killed on the S.S. Anne by Team Rocket who were responsible for the ship's sinking which killed all those trainers aboard," Ash answered, "They actually wanted to help us, and they've been pretty helpful so far."

Ash definitely gave some praise to Scyther as he helped them get their Pokémon back along with taking out another rocket which allowed Delia and Jade to each get a gun from the fallen rockets.

"By the way, we saw Froakie and Fennekin in the basement, but they're not down there anymore because Team Rocket brought them up as they got sold," Ash explained, "Have you two seen them?"

The two were about to say they haven't seen them until something caught Serena's eye. There was a woman wearing a fur coat trying to stuff some sort of a Pokémon into her purse. Serena was curious about who the Pokémon was, and then upon getting a closer look, it was Fennekin.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried out.

The woman was yelling at the Fox Pokémon to stay in the bag as she was now her property. Serena clenched her fist, not only did they sell her Fennekin, but she was sold to someone who clearly was going to abuse her. There was no sign of Froakie though.

"Ash, I think that's Fennekin," Serena said pointing to Fennekin, "And something tells me that she's in trouble."

Ash noticed the woman and Fennekin. They didn't want to lose sight of her since she could be leaving the casino. Right now, the best option was for Serena to go after her. There was clearly only one Fennekin they knew of who could be in this casino, and that was Serena's.

"I'm going to head into the casino to see if I can find Froakie, you go and get Fennekin," Ash told Serena.

"Alright," Serena confirmed.

Serena dashed off for the woman leaving everyone behind. Grace and Jade were both concerned for their daughter that if she was going to handle this properly. With that the two moms along with Pinsir ran after Serena with Happy in Jade's arms. That left just Ash, Delia, Yellow, and Rose.

"I'll call the police, you all continue searching the casino," Rose told the others.

"Good idea," Yellow stated.

With that Ash, Delia, Yellow, Pikachu, Mimey, Scyther, Chu Chu, and Rotom Dex all made a mad dash into the casino. Rose was prepared to call the police, and she had her Pokémon with her just in case anything goes wrong.

Serena confronted the woman in the fur coat. The woman had an angry look on her face. Her moms were right behind her in case anything went wrong.

"Move it young lady," the woman retorted.

"Excuse me, but that Fennekin you have," Serena said.

The woman glared at Fennekin in the bag, and when the Fox Pokémon saw who it was that confronted her, she was happy to know that it was Serena and she was here for her.

"This is my Fennekin, get your own," the woman growled.

"Pardon me, but I do have my own Fennekin and it's the one in your bag," Serena stated pointing to the bag.

The woman heard what Serena said and just gave a big huff. Serena was going to do whatever it takes to get her Fennekin back.

"Please, I just want Fennekin back," Serena softly said.

"This is my Fennekin, and I blew 10000 Pokedollars on it! It's not yours!" the woman exclaimed.

"Fenn," Fennekin muttered.

"Shut up, I brought you, so I'm your master!" the woman yelled.

"That's my Fennekin and she even knows it," Serena told the lady, "This place is run by Team Rocket and they stole Fennekin from me and tried to sell it off. I'm just saying that you just brought a stolen Pokémon."

"I don't fucking care who runs this place or if these things are stolen! Hell, I even brought a bunch of stolen values in the past! Point is I brought this Pokémon and I'm it's owner now!" the woman yelled.

This sure was causing a scene as people were starting to witness the confrontation between the woman and Serena. Grace and Jade were getting pretty nervous on wondering what this was going to lead up to. Fennekin was getting teary eyed as she heard that she has stolen other things in the past and doesn't even care that Team Rocket could be in charge.

"Fennekin already had a tough life. Fennekin was my first Pokémon, and throughout the times we've been together, I almost feel like she could be a little sister to me," Serena said as she had tears in her eyes, "She'll never listen to someone like you, because you already have set a bad example."

The woman was getting on her nerves. Fennekin was right, she will not never listen to her. She was Serena's Pokémon, not this rude rich looking woman's Pokémon. The woman was getting furious and then the next thing she did caused Grace and Jade to gasp.

She grabbed Serena by the shirt and looked at her with a furious tone.

"First off, kids should not even be in this place! Second, I don't fucking care about your Pokémon's sob story! Now beat it you underaged whore!" the woman screamed as she threw Serena onto the ground.

When Grace saw this and heard what she said to her daughter, she narrowed her eyes darkly at the fur coat wearing woman. Serena's started to grit her teeth and clenched her fist. She was about to grab Beedrill's Pokeball to go after the woman and get her Fennekin back, but something unexpected happened. The honey-blonde coordinator gasped when she saw what just happened.

Her mom Grace ran up and tackled the woman onto the ground. No one was going to treat her daughter like crap. The Liepard print purse fell off of her which caused Fennekin to escape. Then Fennekin smiled and ran up towards Serena who was still in shock in what her mom just did.

"Fenn," Fennekin happily replied which caught Serena's attention.

"Fennekin!" Serena happily cried as she hugged her.

"NO ONE TALKS ABOUT MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Grace screamed.

While Serena and Fennekin embraced in the hug, the two started to watch Grace slam her head on the ground and angrily punched her in the face repeatedly. Then the woman flipped her over where Grace was lying on her back and started slapping her. Grace then got her knees underneath and thrusted her in the air. The group of people who were watching the events were now chanting and cheering.

"Catfight! Catfight!" a patron cheered out.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Casino**_

People inside the casino heard some ruckus going on. Cassidy and Butch were wondering what it was as they were awaiting for the person to come and retrieve Froakie.

"Must be some sort of fight," Butch muttered.

"HEY!" a voice shouted.

Cassidy and Butch looked in horror to see who was coming. It was Ash along with his mom, his aunt, the two Pikachus, Rotom Dex, Mimey, and Scyther. Both of them were looking at Ash in total shock wondering what the hell just happened?

"How the hell did he get up here!?" Cassidy angrily questioned, "We had the passageway watched by our men!"

Froakie looked upon what was coming, and he smiled. It was Ash coming for him. He never let him down, and he wasn't going to do it today.

"How did you get out! And where are those other females!?" Butch angrily questioned.

"Not answering, now give back Froakie!" Ash yelled out.

"No way!" Cassidy yelled as she tossed Froakie's cage to Butch, "Bob! Take the twerp's Froakie, let our men know that those Rattatas have escaped their prisons, and get in touch with Archer to come down. I'll take care of the twerp."

"Right away, and my name is Butch!" Butch hollered as he ran off with Froakie.

"Get back here!" Ash yelled out.

"Not a chance!" Cassidy yelled as she tossed her two Pokeballs, "Raticate, Tentacruel, kill Ash Ketchum!"

A Raticate came out along with a blue jellyfish like creature with red bulbs on its head and menacing eyes and had lots of tentacles. Rotom Dex did an analysis on the Pokémon.

 _#073-Tentacruel: Jellyfish Pokémon_

 _It fires off ultrasonic waves from its red orbs to weaken its prey, and then it wraps them up in its 80 tentacles_ _._

"I don't think so, Pikachu use Thunderbolt, and Scyther use Air Slash!" Ash called out.

Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt at the two Pokémon and completely shocked them while Scyther unleashed a wave of air blades at the two Pokémon knocking them both out. Delia and Yellow were impressed that Ash successfully called out a command to a Pokémon that wasn't even his. If Ash was able to that to a Scyther that would be considered wild, then he had to be some sort of trainer.

"Awesome work!" Ash exclaimed pumping both of his fists.

Cassidy was in total shock. How could her Pokémon be defeated by a rookie trainer when she has been a promising member of Team Rocket for years.

"What the fuck just happened?" Cassidy questioned to herself.

"My son just happened," Delia answered.

Pikachu proceeded to shock Cassidy and leave her on the ground. Now there was one question, where was Butch? He ran off with Froakie and Ash wasn't going to let his first Pokémon go into the hands of Team Rocket.

" _I'm coming Froakie,"_ Ash said in thought.

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-1**_ _ **st**_ _ **Floor**_

Grace and the woman were completely beating each other up right now, but so far it looked like Grace had the upper hand as she was beating her on the ground. Grace got back up onto her feet and so did the woman. Grace charged over to the woman and started slapping her in the face. Grace then grabbed her by the hair and started pulling her hair as she delivered more punches. The woman was no match for Grace because of the years she has spent as a Rhyhorn Racer which helped strengthen her body some. Serena was impressed as she watched her mom beat up the woman for calling her a whore.

"Go mom!" Serena cheered.

"Fenn Fenn," Fennekin chanted.

It wasn't long until Grace and the woman ended up in the lobby where she then shoved her into the fountain. The woman came out of the fountain and was all drenched and coughing up water, but not until Grace stepped in and grabbed the woman by her now ruined coat.

"Anything else you want to say about my daughter," Grace retorted with a very dangerous tone.

The woman didn't say anything, instead she tried to grab her throat. Grace however was quicker with her reflexes as she slammed her into the ground inside the fountain. Grace continued to punch her, and when she was weakened, she got up and started kicking her. She wasn't going to stand someone talking about Serena like that. Then coming from behind was Jade grabbing her into submission. She had no clue that Jade also had a gun on her.

"Now here's what you're going to do you bitch. You're going to get your ass up, you're going to walk out of here, and you're going to shut your fucking mouth, or else me along with her are going to give you a complete ass beating," Jade said with a dangerous tone.

Serena couldn't help but smile at how her moms are handling this woman. They had this woman cornered until there were clicking sounds. Apparently, this fight drew the attention of some people including staff members who happened to be rockets. Everyone looked in shock as they were holding rifles at the women.

Cassidy did tell Butch to alert the others about their escape, and it looks like they found them. Serena's smile then turned into a distressed frown. Team Rocket really turned the tables on them.

"Let go of that woman and tell that girl to give up Fennekin and return it to its rightful owner," the rocket said pointing the gun at her.

"Good, the staff members don't apricate what you're doing," the woman said with a smug tone.

Grace and Jade were looking at Serena with hopelessness in their eyes. Judging by their look, they were telling Serena that there was nothing they could do, and she had to give up Fennekin. Fennekin was upset that she was going to end up being taken away by Serena no matter what and her moms weren't powerful enough to help because of those guns.

"Fennekin," Serena muttered.

Fennekin was getting livid and upset. She loved Serena, and even heard it out of her mouth. Fennekin was like a little sister to Serena. She loved that bond she shared with Serena and was not going to give it up because of some bastards with weapons. Fennekin just lost it and the next thing that happened, her eyes glowed blue. Serena was shocked at what was happening.

Fennekin was lifting the guns out of the rockets hands and dissolving them in the air, but she also accidently dissolved the gun Jade had. The rockets were in total shock in the turns of events that just happened, and Grace and Jade were just as bewildered. The rockets turned around to see that it was Fennekin as the glow in her eyes died down. Grace and Jade turned back towards the woman.

"Now, what was it that you were saying," Grace mocked to the woman.

Serena looked at her Fennekin in surprise. What did her Fennekin just do? Too bad Rotom Dex wasn't with her so she could get information on this. She would ask Rotom Dex to analyze her moves when she came back. Grace and Jade left the woman and rejoined their daughter.

As for Fennekin, she wanted to do everything she can to protect Serena and her moms. She wasn't going to let Team Rocket dictate their lives. She wasn't going to let them win. And to top it all off, she wasn't going to let Froakie fall into the hands of this terrorist organization. Then Fennekin jumped out of Serena's arms and glared at the rockets as she was ready to fight.

"You want to fight Fennekin?" Serena asked.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin confirmed.

"What about you Pinsir?" Serena asked.

The Stag Beetle Pokémon nodded yes.

The rockets still had their Pokémon as they reached for their Pokeballs. They sent out a couple of Golbat and Machoke and the two Pokémon were ready to fight. Fennekin was using Flamethrower while Pinsir attacked with X-Scissor. X-Scissor wasn't doing so much on the Golbat since it was a bug-type attack and Golbat were flying types and poison types as well, and Machoke was a fighting-type Pokémon. Fennekin's Flamethrower didn't feel as powerful because the Fox Pokémon wasn't at full health. Fennekin then used Sunny Day to boost her fire power, but it still wasn't proving to avail.

"Fennekin try using Psybeam," Serena encouraged Fennekin.

Fennekin began to use Psybeam since it was a psychic attack, while it did do some better, she just felt like her strength was drained. Pinsir continued to try and fight off the Pokémon, but the Stag Beetle was taking his toll as well. Fennekin wondered if her unexpected surprise drained energy from her? Fennekin was failing Serena, she was failing her moms, and most importantly, she was failing Froakie.

"Serena, send out the rest of your Pokémon," Jade suggested.

Serena looked at the state Fennekin was in, and she definitely could use some help. This would be a good time for Gyarados to come in and help wipe those Pokémon and rockets out. Jade didn't have her gun out to shoot those Pokémon, and besides, she wasn't going to shoot at those Pokémon. As Serena was about to grab Gyarados's Pokeball, Fennekin started to cry. She was upset that she wasn't strong enough to take on all of those Golbat and Machoke at once. This was exactly the same case for her on the first day of their journey with the Spearow. Fennekin wasn't strong enough to take on all of those Spearow. She wasn't strong enough to protect Serena then, and she wasn't strong enough to protect her now. Fennekin was done being weak, she wanted to prevail for Serena. Then a miracle happened, that shocked Serena, Grace, Jade, and Happy.

Fennekin began to glow white.

Fennekin was beginning to go through a metamorphosis as she was changing shape. Fennekin was getting bigger and when the process was complete, Fennekin was replaced with a different Pokémon.

"Fennekin," Serena muttered in shock and amazement.

This wasn't Fennekin. This Pokémon resembled a human like fox with yellow ears taller than a Fennekin, red hair sticking out further than Fennekin, a yellow upper body, a black lower body, a yellow tail with a red end, and a twig in her tail. Fennekin had clearly evolved.

After the evolution, the newly evolved Pokémon unleashed another round of the same attack she used on the rocket's guns. The Golbat and Machoke were now in submission as they were trapped in this Pokémon's power, and then she threw them up to the ceiling with her mind, and then slammed them back down to the ground. All of the Golbat and Machoke were defeated.

"What the fuck just happened?" one of the rockets questioned in shock.

"That Pokémon just evolved," another rocket muttered.

Then the Pokémon unleashed a powerful Flamethrower directed towards the rockets. Since Sunny Day was still in effect, the attack ended up being more powerful and it hit all of the rockets. The rockets fell down to the ground with major third-degree burns. The people in the lobby were in total shock to see what just happened. The attack didn't just burn the rockets but burnt their disguises as they now knew who they were.

Serena couldn't believe what this Pokémon just did. This was her Fennekin, only now she evolved. The new Pokémon turned over to Serena and walked up to her and gave her a warm look.

"Braixen," the Pokémon replied identifying herself as Braixen, but Serena didn't quite understand.

"Thank you," Serena happily said as she clasped her hands, "I can't believe it, you evolved."

Serena had no idea yet that this was a Braixen. She really needed to get back to Rotom Dex so she can get full information and learn about what she just did. Man, Froakie was going to have his socks knocked off once he sees that Fennekin evolved. Speaking of Froakie, they still needed to find him.

"We can celebrate later, right now we need to find Froakie," Grace told Serena.

Right on cue, Butch was running through into the lobby with the Froakie in the cage. Butch looked in complete shock as he saw the rockets burnt down and Serena, Grace, and Jade still standing along with Pinsir and a Pokémon he's never seen before.

"What the hell just happened?" Butch questioned in shock.

"Braixen!" Braixen cried out.

Froakie looked up in total shock to see who just called him out. Froakie's mouth hung open when he saw the Pokémon who was with Serena, Grace, Jade, Pinsir, and Happy. Froakie grew up in the Kalos Region and Professor Sycamore did teach him and Fennekin about their evolutionary stages. Froakie knew that the Pokémon with them was a Braixen. Serena probably had the only Fennekin in Kanto which ended up here, so put two and two together, Fennekin who he has considered as a close friend has just evolved. Froakie was now hoping that he would evolve soon.

"Froakie!" Froakie called out.

"After Botch!" Serena called out.

"I don't think so, and it's Butch!" Butch yelled out as he tossed out two Pokeballs, "Go Primeape and Cloyster!"

Butch sent out two Pokémon in front of the Gabena family. One was a pig monkey who looked like he's ready to fight, and the other is a large black pearl creature inside of a purple spiky bivalve.

Butch ran off, but Braixen didn't have time to put up with this. She wanted to save Froakie. She jumped over the two Pokémon and when she landed, Braixen signaled to Serena that she was going to follow Butch.

"Thanks! We can handle this," Serena said as she got out a Pokeball, "Let's go Squirtle!"

Squirtle came out of the Pokeball. Primeape and Cloyster prepared to charge at the group, but Serena wasn't going to let them stop them.

"Alright Squirtle use Aqua Tail on Cloyster," Serena told her Squirtle as she then turned to Pinsir, "And Pinsir use Vice Grip on Primeape."

Pinsir followed Serena's order and he wasn't even her Pokémon. Pinsir came at Primeape who was prepared to use a Karate Chop, but Pinsir got a hold of Primeape with his Vice Grip. Cloyster on the other hand was going to use Spike Cannon, but Squirtle struck Cloyster with Aqua Tail. Pinsir crushed Primeape and then threw him down as he was knocked out. Despite Cloyster being a water and ice type where water attacks do very little, Squirtle's Aqua Tail seemed pretty strong as it was enough to take out Cloyster.

"Way to go you two!" Serena cheered.

Pinsir was happy to help while Squirtle was pleased with beating a Cloyster. After seeing how that attack did on the Bivalve Pokémon, Squirtle had to be pleased with himself. He sure wish Paul saw that.

"Now let's go after Bumpers," Serena declared as she pointed to the direction Butch went.

It appears that Butch may be headed for the casino. Serena followed through with Squirtle and Pinsir not far behind. Jade grabbed Happy and ran after her with Grace following her. However, Grace noticed the woman in the fountain who hasn't moved since the rockets showed up. She decided to walk up to the woman and speak to her.

"I don't know if you saw that, but that was my daughter's Pokémon looking out for her. That shows you that they share a true bond. You don't know anything about that, which is why you're a total bitch," Grace told the woman.

Grace then ran back and followed Serena and Jade. That woman was now laying there in defeat. People must've heard that she had brought stolen merchandise. Would this land her behind bars?

* * *

 _ **Celadon Casino & Hotel-Casino**_

Ash was still looking around in the casino with Delia and Yellow. One would think Butch would've left the building, but Ash was thinking maybe he was running to a different part of the casino. Ash then saw someone running with a cage and it had a Froakie inside.

"There you are!" Ash declared.

"Crap," Butch muttered, "I was trying to flee, but his little girlfriend got in the way."

As Ash ran after Butch, he noticed someone or something coming after him as well. Ash noticed that it was a Pokémon, but one he never seen before. To him it looked like Fennekin, but bigger. Ash was starting to have a feeling that Fennekin evolved. Wait, now wasn't the time to notice this new Pokémon, he had to save his own.

"Rotom Dex, see what that Pokémon is," Ash told Rotom Dex, "And Pikachu use Quick Attack on Butch!"

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

"Will do," Rotom Dex replied.

"It's…wait you got my name," Butch responded before he was cut off by Pikachu's Quick Attack.

Butch lost the cage as it tumbled all across the floor. Froakie was feeling bruised up after being shaken inside such a cramped cage. Thankfully Scyther came over to the cage and help unlock it to let Froakie out. As for Rotom Dex, he analyzed the new Pokémon.

 _#654-Braixen: Fox Pokémon_

 _It has a twig stuck in its tail. With friction from its tail fur, it sets the twig on fire and launches into battle_ _._

Ash ran over to Froakie who looked completely beaten up. His eyes were now filled with tears of joy. Ash picked up Froakie in his arms and gave him a big hug.

"Froakie," Ash muttered.

"Froakie," Froakie replied.

"Froakie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to act like that. I'm sorry I scared you away. It's my fault that you got captured by Team Rocket," Ash cried as he was sobbing while hugging Froakie, "The truth is, I don't just see you as a great friend, I see you like a little brother."

Froakie was touched by the words of Ash Ketchum. Ash said Froakie was like a little brother to him. Ash was upset with how he lashed out at Froakie since Erika turned him down for a gym battle, but he didn't mean that. Delia and Yellow saw the reunion between the two, and it truly did bring tears to their eyes. Ash then turned to Pikachu and Scyther as they played a big part in saving Froakie.

"Thank you, Pikachu, and thank you Scyther," Ash happily said.

Then gunshots were fired in the air. This drew a massive panic towards everyone as they started screaming and scrambling for their lives. Everyone was running out as fast as they could except for Ash, Delia, and Yellow along with the rest of their Pokémon. They knew that this happened to be a rocket doing this, and that they would be coming for them.

As everyone in the casino started clearing out, the figure who shot up in the air was coming towards the group. Delia pulled out her gun and saw who was coming. She wanted to shoot him right in the leg and that shocked the person, but unfortunately the gun was jammed.

"No no no no," Delia panicked.

She just threw the gun away as it carried no use. The person smirked as he noticed Delia's attempt to shoot him failed. It was a man and he came closer to them, and then he glared at the group.

"You would've succeeded right there, but the gun failed you," the man smirked.

"Archer," Ash muttered.

* * *

 **Ash and Froakie have reunited and so have Serena and Fennekin, or should I say Serena and Braixen. Don't worry, Froakie's evolution is coming very soon.**

 **I was originally going to have this be the concluding chapter to the Casino Arc, but I still have plenty more content to put in. So, the battle with Archer will be coming up in the next chapter.**

 **Were you all surprised that Sobble made an appearance in this chapter? We might see her again in the next chapter, but don't expect Sobble to make another appearance after that.**

 **Stay tuned as I bring you what should be the conclusion of the Team Rocket Casino.**

 **Chapter 30: Casino Night Act 3**


	32. Casino Night Act 3

**Here is the final part of the casino showdown. Good news for this chapter, not only will this be the final part of the Team Rocket battle, but it will also get another certain something else resolved. I was trying to think of the best way possible to handle this.**

 **Now enjoy the chapter and judging by what you saw in the last chapter, I think it should be clear a certain something is going to happen in this battle at the casino.**

 **I also have a long author's note at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Somewhere in an apartment building**_

It was late at night and a blue-haired woman by the name of Erika was getting ready for bed. She was pretty aggravated when she saw Delia again after the incident in the store in which case, she denied her son a gym battle. She wasn't going to challenge anyone associated to anybody who embarrassed her or ruined her image.

With that, she got on her personal video phone to make a call to the Pokémon League. Every week, a gym leader must call Pokémon League HQ to give their progress report on what has happened between the last report and now. The strange thing is that the only gym leader who doesn't call on a regular basis is the Viridian Gym Leader because the leader is always busy. Erika called the Pokémon League and appearing on the screen was a man with long spiky black hair tied in a ponytail wearing a white shirt. This was Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four. Usually Bruno would be shirtless wearing nothing but white karate pants and spiky black bracelets around his wrists and ankles. Probably wanted to look somewhat professional since giving a report to a shirtless man seems pretty weird.

"Erika, I see you have called me. It was about time for you to give me your weekly report to the Pokémon League," Bruno said.

"Thank you, Bruno," Erika stated.

"Now, state the progress of your Pokémon and your battles," Bruno said.

"Will do. During the past week, my Pokémon have remained in top shape as I have been taking them to the Pokémon Center on a daily basis. I have beaten eight challenging trainers, and lost to two in the past week," Erika stated.

"Anything else?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah, today I just denied an opposing trainer a gym battle," Erika angrily stated.

Bruno face lit up with complete curiosity. Did he just hear that Erika denied a challenger a gym battle? He needed to hear more of this.

"What happened?" Erika asked.

"A while back when I was presenting my perfume, I was going to the bathroom. Then his mom barges in when I'm doing my business and apparently, she ended up getting crap on me! Even though she said it was an accident, it was disgusting that she barged into a stall like that and then do her business on me like that," Erika angrily explained.

"And what did this trainer do?" Bruno sternly asked.

"Since he was the woman's son, he had to be considered worse," Erika answered.

Bruno had a very stern and disapproving look on his face. A bathroom accident from their parent is not a reason to deny challengers a battle. Also, how does she even know that the trainer was worse than the parent. In some cases, the kids turn out to be better than the parents.

"Erika, that is not a valid reason to kick a Pokémon trainer out of a gym. That is a major citation to your gym leader status that you reject a gym battle because of an embarrassing accident. Just because his mom did something that she didn't mean to doesn't mean the trainer has a criminal record. Gym leaders only deny trainers a battle if there is a major citation like Pokémon abuse, numerous amounts of cheating, and of course any criminal activity they may have committed," Bruno explained, "By the way, what was this trainers name?"

"Well I heard from his mom that his name was Ash," Erika answered.

"Ash," Bruno said to himself in thought.

Bruno had been a member of the Elite Four for some time along with Lorelei, Agatha, and Lance. He remembers the previous Kanto Champion Red Ketchum who he and the rest of the Elite Four look up to as he was the only one who surpasses their rank until he left Kanto and passed on the title to Blue Oak who was still just as a great Pokémon trainer as Red. The Elite Four had heard that Red and his wife Delia had a son named Ash. Despite training under Red, they've seen pictures of him and his family in their spare time to know that he was a true family man. They all knew one thing that Ash had from his father, spiky raven hair.

"What did this Ash and his mother look like?" Bruno asked in curiosity.

"Well this Ash kid had I think spiky black hair covered by a Pokémon League cap, and his mother had long auburn hair in a ponytail," Erika answered.

"Oh, dear Arceus," Bruno said in total shock, "Erika, that woman was Delia Ketchum and the challenger was her son Ash Ketchum! The former Kanto Champion Red Ketchum's son!"

Erika may have just realized her mistake after hearing all of that. Not only was her reason for not giving Ash a gym battle wrong and unfair, but her actions was on the former champion's son. Erika knew she was in deep trouble as she may lose her gym leader status.

"Not only did you just deny a challenger a gym battle for a reason that isn't close to valid, but it was Red's boy you just denied a battle from," Bruno explained.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Erika cried.

Bruno then took a deep breath knowing the state Erika was in. If word got out, not only would she be out as gym leader, but her perfume business could greatly suffer. This could be a blow in two big ways.

"Tell you what Erika, we'll let this slide on one condition," Bruno said.

"What is it," Erika responded.

"Find this Ash Ketchum and see if he's still in Celadon City and allow him to have a gym battle against you. He will have to beat you for a badge, but you will give him an apology and admit what you did was wrong," Bruno stated, "If you do that, you can keep your gym leader status and I won't let the word out."

Well this was a generous offer by Bruno. He was going to spare Erika if she made things right with Ash and Delia. Everyone had great respect for the former champion of the Kanto Region, and Erika didn't want to look like she disrespected him.

"Alright, you have a deal," Erika responded, "I'll apologize to him and have a battle with him whenever he's ready."

"Thank you. I have great respect for our former champion and so does our current champion. Let me know if you have a battle with him and we can forget about this," Bruno said.

"Will do," Erika replied.

With that, Bruno signed off and Erika was going to see if Ash was willing to have a gym battle with her. Deep down, she only wanted to get this gym battle with Ash out of the way so she can get the Pokémon League off her back and retain her gym leader status. It may seem as if she is only doing this to make sure she keeps her job. Just after she got off the phone, the phone rang again for her. Erika picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Erika questioned.

"Hi, this is the Celadon Police Department," the voice on the other end answered.

Erika let out a gasp. Did someone hear this and reported this to the police, or did Bruno secretly sent the message out in the blink of an eye. Why was the police calling?

"What do you want?" Erika asked.

"As the gym leader of Celadon City, would you be willing to lend your assistance to us?" the voice asked.

"Really, what's going on?" Erika asked.

"We have got word that the casino here in Celadon City is being run by Team Rocket. Now we have just got word that someone is shooting up the place. We need you over here so you can help out," the voice stated.

Sometimes the official Pokémon gym leaders aren't just around to challenge trainers aiming for the Pokémon League or doing another job in between, they sometimes are needed to help their community. Erika has taken up the role to help out Celadon City when needed.

"I'm on my way," Erika responded.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel**_

Archer was standing there glaring at Ash, his mom, and his aunt.

"I have no idea how you escaped your holding cells, but I assure you that you will die here, right now," Archer said darkly.

Everyone in the casino started to flee leaving only Ash, Delia, Yellow and Archer in the room at the moment. It wasn't before long until Serena, Grace, and Jade came in as well along with Squirtle and Pinsir. Serena ran as fast as she could until she reached Ash.

"Serena," Ash said.

Serena was relieved that Ash, his mom, and his aunt were alright, but the fact she and her moms were okay too. Serena smiled when she saw Froakie in his arms as he looked like he was weakened.

"You managed to get Froakie back," Serena said.

"Yeah, everything is okay between us," Ash replied as he looked at her Fennekin which was now a Braixen, "And I take it your Fennekin evolved?"

"She sure did," Serena answered, "I still don't know what she's called now since Rotom Dex wasn't with me."

"I was able to identify that Pokémon for you Serena. That Pokémon you see right there is called Braixen, and it's the evolved form of Fennekin," Rotom Dex explained.

"Braixen," Serena happily muttered.

As she looked over at her newly evolved Braixen, she couldn't help but wonder how much stronger she could be and how she can benefit even more in contests. It wasn't the time to admire a new Pokémon though, they were face to face with Archer.

"First off, I just want to say congratulations, after years of Team Rocket running this casino, you have successfully pulled the plug on our operation because now it looks like the word is out," Archer announced.

They all greeted their teeth, sure they have ruined their long running scheme of running a gambling joint along with a hotel, but what about the Pokémon.

"As for the Pokémon, we'll just take what we can and get back to headquarters with them. However, despite putting an end to our business, the casino was a total success," Archer said smirking.

"Success?" Ash questioned.

"I'm not going to tell you what it is, but this place has served its purpose," Archer stated.

Then it felt like the temperature heated up when they saw what has just happened. Apparently, more and more rockets have entered the room. No one had a gun though, but the presence of so many rockets is still very intimidating. Ash, Serena, Delia, Yellow, Grace, and Jade were all getting pretty nervous. The only one who wasn't in the room right now was Rose as she was getting reinforcements. Delia then turned over to Chu Chu. What does Delia want to do with Chu Chu?

"Alright listen up, a fight is likely going to break out Chu Chu. When that happens, I need you to look for Rose and let her know where the Pokémon are being held. It looks like Team Rocket brought everyone in here to go after us so that means no one is in the basement," Delia quietly explained.

Chu Chu knew what Delia was talking about. She was in the basement along with the others as she even rescued Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, along with Scyther and Pinsir. Rose could be the perfect candidate to sneak in and release the Pokémon.

"You have ruined our business but trust me this is the last thing you will ever ruin from Team Rocket," Archer said as he pulled out a Pokeball, "We will kill all of you right here, right now. Everyone send out your Pokémon!"

All of the rockets released all of their Pokémon, but there was one Pokémon that stood out among all of the others. It was a purple bat with four wings and yellow eyes with red pupils. That Pokémon was sent out by the rocket executive Archer himself, and Rotom Dex did an analysis on that Pokémon.

 _#169-Crobat: Bat Pokémon_

 _Its fangs are so sharp, if it bites you in the dark and sucks your blood, you won't notice any pain or realize you've been bitten._

"Everyone come on out!" Ash yelled out releasing all of his Pokémon.

"You guys come out and help us!" Serena yelled out releasing all of her Pokémon.

Ash brought out Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, and Charmander while Serena sent out her Beedrill, Gyarados, Abra, and Slowpoke. Delia was holding Mimey while Grace was holding Happy and Yellow was holding Chu Chu until she hopped out of her arms. Everybody was beginning to run out of the way trying to dodge attacks.

Pikachu was running around unleashing Thunderbolts on numerous Zubats and Golbats, Pidgeotto was using Gust to blow most of the Pokémon away along knocking some rockets off their feet. Bulbasaur whipped his vines all around hitting different Pokémon such as Raticate, Ekans, and Sandshrew, Charmander jumped up and used Flamethrower to scorch all of the Pokémon and try to hit many rockets as possible. As for Scyther, he tried fighting the Pokémon off with Slash.

Beedrill flew around the room firing Pin Missiles at the Pokémon and the rockets knocking them out. Gyarados wasn't in a body of water so she couldn't swim but didn't stop her from using Aqua Tail to smack all of the Pokémon, and then she opened her mouth and unleashed a Dragon Rage where many rockets tried to flee, but few managed to dodge the attack as they were taken down. Squirtle was unleashing a Bubble attack on all of the Pokémon including Machop and Zubat and had great success in knocking them out. Even Pinsir had a good part in the battle as his X-Scissor cut through the Pokémon knocking them back and slamming them into the rockets where get knocked down. As for Abra, all he could do was teleport out of way of oncoming attacks and Slowpoke on the other hand just stood there not even knowing what the hell is going on. We don't know what the hell was going on, but the oncoming Pokémon attacks weren't even hitting Slowpoke who was just standing there. Did he even know a fight broke out?

Everybody was running around trying to dodge attacks, and when they had to duck, they immediately got back up and kept running because they couldn't delay themselves. Chu Chu on the other hand was able to use her speed to zip past the rockets and their Pokémon while they were fighting so she could look for Rose and they could break the Pokémon out. With all of the Pokémon fighting, the fiercest battle was going on between Serena's Braixen and Archer's Crobat. Braixen was running around looking at Crobat trying to hit the Bat Pokémon with continuous Psybeams, but Crobat kept flying around dodging attacks and then Crobat hit Braixen with a Wing Attack.

Froakie on the other hand wasn't fighting as he was still feeling battered up from his time in the cage. Ash was holding him in his arms as he was running around trying to avoid attacks while trying to protect his mom, Yellow, and Mimey. Serena on the other hand was running along with her moms hiding behind the slot machines for cover.

"This is crazy, there's too many Pokémon attacking us!" Jade shouted wide eyed.

"I don't think your Pokémon can hold all of them off," Grace said looking bug eyed.

What Jade and Grace said was true, as some of the Pokémon went down, the rockets brought out even more Pokémon to take their place. While most of the Pokémon have been able to take out the other rocket's Pokémon, they all were starting to get tired. Braixen on the other hand was struggling with Archer's Crobat. Despite Braixen just evolving, Crobat's speed was just too much as the Bat Pokémon kept flying in the air dodging every attack Braixen had.

While Ash was running and trying to keep her mom and aunt safe, he could see that Braixen wasn't hitting Crobat and that his Pokémon were going to need to get in. Froakie cocked his head to see Braixen struggling. Froakie was ecstatic that Fennekin evolved into Braixen, but he was also wistful that Braixen was struggling with Crobat.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Casino & Hotel-Lobby**_

People were now scrambling through the lobby screaming and trying to get out of the building after gunshots were fired inside. Rose already called the police while people called as well. While Rose wanted to make sure everyone was alright, she was getting a bit worried for the others. They sure hoped that they were able to get Froakie and Fennekin.

"I have a bad feeling about the others," Rose said as she reached out for a Pokeball, "I got to help them."

Rose was about to run into the casino ready to send out a Pokémon, but then she stopped as he gazed at something out in the distance. Someone was actually coming towards the casino despite all the chaos. It was a blue haired woman in a green dress who actually was being escorted by the police to the casino.

"What are you doing here, it's dangerous?" Rose questioned folding her arms.

"Excuse me, my name is Erika. I'm the Celadon City Gym Leader. I was called in by the police to help take care of what's going on in here," Erika answered putting her hands on her hips.

So here she was face to face with Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader who rejected a gym battle with Ash Ketchum because Delia accidently got shit on her. She glared at the gym leader for a second, but then her face then showed more of a concerned look rather than a hostile look. Not only did she not want Ash to sink further with this woman, but they needed help.

"Okay, we've just learned that this casino was run by Team Rocket and it looks like their cover is blown. I have a feeling the rockets are in there and," Rose explained as she turned her head to only see someone coming towards her.

Yellow's Pikachu was running out of the casino with a fixed look on Rose. Rose knew that Pikachu too well since she always had a flower on her head.

"Is that a Pikachu?" Erika asked.

"Yes, Team Rocket has been selling Pokémon here to make a profit. This Pikachu wasn't one of the Pokémon they were trying to sell, but they did attempt to sell two Pokémon from one of my friend's son and my other friend's daughter," Rose explained.

"So, this is like a Pokémon black market?" Erika asked wide eyed.

"It is," Rose sighed as she then turned to Chu Chu and knelt down to her level, "Chu Chu, where are the others?"

Chu Chu was pointing towards the casino and trying to explain that Team Rocket was inside, and they have all of the rockets ganged up fighting the group. Chu Chu was doing things by waving her arms and punching her hands together to show what the rockets were doing. Chu Chu was also trying to explain that they know where they keep the Pokémon. Chu Chu then pointed towards the casino to show that not only do they need help, but also to show them where the Pokémon are. Rose had a smile on her face. Even though she can't speak Pokémon, she was able to understand Chu Chu.

"I think Chu Chu knows where the Pokémon are," Rose said with a wink.

"Really, where are they?" Erika asked.

Chu Chu then waved her arm towards the casino as it was a gesture to follow them. Chu Chu than ran back into the casino where all the chaos was taking place.

"I think Chu Chu wants us to follow her," Rose replied.

Chu Chu ran back into the casino with Rose and Erika on her heels. Chu Chu was in that basement with all the Pokémon so she might have a clue on how to get in.

* * *

 _ **Casino & Hotel-Casino**_

These rockets kept bringing out Pokémon, and even though Ash's Pokémon and Serena's Pokémon have been keeping up, they were getting tired. Trainers are only allowed to carry up to six Pokémon, but every last one of these rockets had more than six Pokémon. Well they were criminals so they shouldn't be surprised. Of course, that pesky Crobat was still flying around attacking Braixen, and when Braixen wasn't on the offense, Crobat would attack the other Pokémon.

"There's too many of them!" Yellow screamed in panic.

"Keep it going, they will wear out eventually!" Archer called out.

Despite taking out so many Pokémon, it was really taking a toll on them. For Froakie who was watching, it almost reminded him of their first day when they were attack by the flock of Spearow, only worse. As the battle continued, Archer turned on his transmission device.

"Cassidy, Bitch, get the chopper ready we're blowing this joint as soon as we're done here," Archer responded.

"Roger, and my name is…" Butch ranted until Archer cut him off.

As the struggle continued between the Pokémon and the group continued to dodge the Pokémon attacks flying around, Rose and Erika snuck in while all of the rockets were busy trying to kill the group. Rose hoped this could hold up as it was a good diversion to sneak in. Chu Chu knew where the entrance was by hearing from some of the other Pokémon. Chu Chu lead Rose and Erika into the break room which was empty in hopes of rescuing the Pokémon.

Braixen continued to fight Crobat and she was greatly struggling. That Pokémon was just too fast. Rotom Dex was seeing the situation with Braixen as Crobat unleashed an Air Slash which knocked Braixen down. The Fox Pokémon got back up, but she gritted her teeth. Rotom Dex could now feel like it's recharge was complete.

"Braixen, do you need help?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Braixen," Braixen responded nodding her head meaning yes.

"Alright then, Roto Lotto activate!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

Rotom Dex was now able to use another case of the Roto Lotto. The slots were rolled with the first slot showing a shield, the second slot showing a multiple sign, and then the final slot showing a number 3. It wasn't what Rotom Dex was hoping for, but it was something good at least.

"You got a defense times 3!" Rotom Dex exclaimed as it now sent a blue glow on Braixen.

Braixen could feel that her defense was up so maybe she can take hits better, but that didn't stop the fact that she still can't hit Crobat. Crobat was swooping down with a Wing Attack that hit Braixen. Braixen felt only a slight tingle unlike the other attacks so she was fine.

"So Braixen's defense is up, but it doesn't help her striking that fast bat," Rotom Dex solemnly said.

At least the Roto Lotto didn't turn on them and lead to a negative result to weaken them like back in the basement, but still it didn't make a big difference. Also, Braixen's risen defense is only temporary. As Braixen continues to fight Crobat while the others still try fighting all of the Pokémon, Froakie just watched Braixen with a sad look on his face. The Pokémon that has been his best friend has evolved, but still can't beat Archer's Crobat. Froakie wished he could help her; he also wants to help Ash.

* * *

 _ **Casino & Hotel-Basement**_

Lead by Chu Chu, Rose and Erika ran downstairs to see all of the Pokémon locked in their cages. They could tell that there were many different Pokémon ranging not just from Kanto, but from other regions as well. There were two empty cages where Scyther and Pinsir clearly were locked in. However, the whole area was empty. Not a single rocket was down here. Cool, they all were in the main casino.

"It's going to take a while to get all of these Pokémon out," Erika sighed.

"I wouldn't quite give in like that. There has to be something in the basement than can unlock all of these cages at once," Rose said.

Rose then put a serious look on her face and started to run around looking for a way to get the Pokémon out quicker. Erika on the other hand had a pin with her and started to slowly unlock the cages one by one. It wasn't a fast method, but it was somewhat progress. Chu Chu stayed around trying to get Pokémon out as well.

As Rose continued to look around, she found a room that had something. It appeared to be a computer that was connected to multiple servers. Either this could be the security system, or all of these cages were computer controlled.

"Maybe there's a way to get these guys out quicker," Rose said to herself rubbing her chin.

Rose looked through the computer at numerous features, and then there was one feature that stood out. It read lock system. She clicked on the file and it revealed all of the cages that were labeled properly. Every cage in the basement had a number, and when it was time to get a Pokémon out to be sold, they would unlock that cage with the computer or go up and unlock the cage themselves in case the computer was messed up.

As Rose scrolled through the files, there was one command on the screen reading unlock all. Does that mean if she clicks on that, all of the cages would open? There was only one way to find out. Rose clicked on that commanded.

As Erika and Chu Chu were trying to unlock cages, something strange happened. All of the cages suddenly opened by themselves. Did Rose really do it? Did she really unlock all of these cages?

The Pokémon all came out of the cages and they were feeling a bit weak since they've been crammed in those cages for so long. Erika had a despondent look on her face when she saw the state all of the Pokémon were in. They looked pretty faint. Erika then pulled out a Pokeball.

"Don't worry everyone. You'll be just fine," Erika told the Pokémon as she tossed up her Pokeball, "Vileplume go!"

Coming out of the Pokeball was a Pokémon with a blue body with small red eyes, but on her head was a big red mushroom like flower. This Pokémon was a Vileplume.

"Vileplume use Aromatherapy!" Erika called out.

Vileplume then unleashed a pink pollen that was spread all over the basement. All of the Pokémon were being hit by the attack, but instead of feeling pain, the Pokémon were feeling calm and relief. They were being healed by Vileplume. Chu Chu felt relaxed as she was feeling the effects of Aromatherapy as well.

Another familiar Pokémon was breathing in the air of Vileplume's Aromatherapy, and it was the Galar native Pokémon Sobble. Sobble was feeling rather blissful from what Vileplume's Aromatherapy. Now that she was free and feeling better, this would probably be a good time to see if she can find Olivia.

"Is everyone alright?" Erika asked all of the Pokémon.

The Pokémon all nodded their heads confirming that they're fine. Rose then returned to the scene with Erika. Erika had a stern look on her face wanting to know if Rose did anything to free the Pokémon.

"Did you do something? Because all of the Pokémon are now free?" Erika asked.

"I did, I found a computer that seems to be connected with the cages and I must've ended up unlocking all of the cages freeing the Pokémon," Rose explained.

"That's great," Erika responded with a blissful face, "And I had Vileplume get them back into shape with her Aromatherapy."

Erika gestured to her Vileplume who gave a bow. The Pokémon were happily jumping up and down chanting. Rose hated to admit it, but despite what she heard from Ash and Delia about what happened earlier, Erika seems like she could be a decent person. After all, just like Ash and Serena, she was looking out for these Pokémon too.

"Now let's get the Pokémon out of here and bring them to the Pokémon Center. It would be great to get them back to their old homes or find new ones for them," Erika said.

Rose looked at all of the Pokémon and had a cheeky expression on her face. Knowing that there were a lot of rockets in the main casino and a whole bunch of Pokémon were taking on Ash's Pokémon and Serena's Pokémon, Rose turned her head and snapped her fingers as she had an idea.

"Before we take these Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, I want a little favor from them," Rose said in a mischievous tone while giving a smirk afterwards.

Erika had a confused look on her face. What did Rose want the Pokémon to do for them? They were in a cage confined and now she wants to get their assistance. Rose went over to Chu Chu to explain the details.

* * *

 _ **Casino & Hotel-Casino**_

There were just too many Pokémon, and all of Ash's and Serena's Pokémon were starting to get tired. Not to mention Braixen was still having some bad luck trying to hit the fast moving Crobat who kept firing Air Slashes towards Braixen and the group. It looked like they just had enough. They managed to keep cover behind some of the things in the room, but when an attack came at them, they had to move out.

"I don't know how much longer we can handle this," Ash said gritting his teeth.

Froakie was still cradled in Ash's arms as things started to look bleak. Ash knew that things were getting grim and so was Serena. All of the Pokémon were giving it there all, but they just kept on coming. They always knew never give up until the end, but they fear that the end is coming. It was almost like they were sending multiple armies out. Everyone was starting to get tired…until.

There was rumbling and all of the actions have stopped. Crobat was still hovering in the air, but Braixen kept an eye on the Bat Pokémon. The rest of the Pokémon just stood still as they felt the rumble. Ash, Serena, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, and Archer were all looking around wondering where that rumbling took place. It wasn't long until they saw the walls burst.

Archer and Crobat were wide eyed as they saw a massive horde of Pokémon. These were the Pokémon that they were keeping in the basement. The group had sparkles in their eyes once they saw that the Pokémon have broken out. It looks like Rose did it.

"It looks like Rose got the Pokémon out," Yellow said.

Yellow had a radiant look on her face when she saw that Chu Chu was with them. They did it, they got the Pokémon out. The Pokémon had a hostile look on their faces, and it looked like those faces were aimed at the rockets. The rockets and their Pokémon looked pretty worried, and so did the group.

All of the Pokémon began to run or fly or move in any way towards the rockets. All of the rockets were screaming and trying to run away, but it was too late as all of the Pokémon tackled all of them down. Ash and Serena didn't want these Pokémon to be mistaken for Team Rocket, so they got out their Pokeballs and called back their Pokémon while running out of the way as Delia, Yellow, Grace, and Jade began to run for it too. Braixen on the other hand wanted to stay out so Serena didn't get her Pokeball out despite the effects of Roto Lotto wearing off on her, and Scyther and Pinsir didn't have Pokeballs, but they made sure to take in on the action to make sure that they were on the right side.

After everyone got out of the way, the Pokémon began pummeling all of the other Pokémon and then they fired attacks at the rockets. Some of the attacks knocked them out, others brutally injured them leading to broken bones and massive bleeding, and other rockets ended up being killed. As for Team Rocket's Pokémon, they were all knocked out, but thankfully none of the Pokémon were killed.

"Whoa," Ash muttered in astonishment.

All of Team Rocket's Pokémon were down for the count, and so were the rockets. Blood was pouring on most of the rockets, and some of them were dead as some of the Pokémon attacks were too powerful.

"Look at all the Pokémon," Ash said wide eyed.

"Hey everyone!" a voice called out.

Everyone turned around to see where that voice came from. But for the group, that voice was completely familiar. It was Rose who had her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

"Rose!" the four women exclaimed in happiness.

"Mrs. Green!" Ash and Serena exclaimed in happiness.

Chu Chu ran over to Yellow and jumped in her arms. Yellow cradled Chu Chu and patted her on the head.

"Good job Chu Chu," Yellow happily said patting Chu Chu on the head.

"Pikachu," Chu Chu replied with a radiant look on her face.

Then the group cringed, and all had a sour look on their face including Pikachu, Froakie, and Rotom Dex. Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader who denied Ash a gym battle was in the casino. There was just one question? What was she doing in here? Erika on the other hand shuddered when she saw Delia again, and Ash too.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here?" Erika asked with what appeared to be a confused look on her face.

Delia showed a choleric look on her face. He clenched her fist as she was either ready to hit this woman or yell at her for kicking Ash out of the Celadon City Gym because of her actions. Delia knew what Ash went through after that which lead them here to almost be killed. But right before she acted, someone's voice boomed out.

"Impressive," a voice called out.

They all looked around wondering where that voice came from. All of them had confused looks on their faces. Ash, Serena, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, Rose, Erika, Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu were looking around trying to figure out where that voice came from. Then they noticed something that wasn't right. Though all the rockets were down or dead along with their Pokémon, one person and one Pokémon weren't there. Everyone had a panicked look on their face until Rotom Dex noticed them.

"Up there!" Rotom Dex yelled out.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Archer as he was hovering in the air grabbing on to his Crobat. This Crobat wasn't just fast, but strong enough to lift Archer in the air to evade all of the attacks. Crobat then proceeded to float back down where Archer was set down. The rocket executive stood on his feet crossing his arms over his chest and giving them a wrathful glare.

Ash and Serena were not going to back down and Delia, Grace, and Jade knew that they wanted to stop him. These mothers were just praying that their babies were safe. Rose then turned and faced the group.

"All of you help me get the Pokémon out of here," Rose told the ladies.

"I'm not leaving my son's side," Delia told Rose with a serious look.

"And me and Grace aren't leaving Serena's side as well," Jade rebutted as she and Grace crossed their arms with serious looks.

Rose should know that these were their kids and they want to make sure that they were safe. She then turned to Yellow.

"Guess it's just you and me Yellow," Rose said.

"Alright, I'll help you," Yellow replied.

Yellow didn't have any Pokémon of her own except Chu Chu, and Rose has some experience with Pokémon. Despite the fact that Ash and Serena want to continue this fight with Archer and that the gym leader was here, in which they could use all the help they could get and coming from a gym leader would do them some good, Rose agreed that her and Yellow would help get the Pokémon out.

Rose got out a Pokeball and threw it up in the air revealing what almost looked like a Jigglypuff but bigger as she had long tall pink and black ears, a white belly, big blue eyes, and she was light pink. It was a Wigglytuff and Rotom Dex did an analysis on the Balloon Pokémon.

 _#040-Wigglytuff: Balloon Pokémon_

 _When it gets angry, it inhales with all its might, and its body gradually inflates. Sometimes they can grow 20 times larger!_

"Wigglytuff inflate yourself so you can shield the Pokémon!" Rose called out.

Wigglytuff grinned and began to inhale lots of air and began to get even bigger. All of the Pokémon that just escaped and gave the rockets a massive beating were shielded by Wigglytuff's size.

"Now's your chance, get out!" Rose called out.

All of the Pokémon behind Wigglytuff began to file out of the casino. Archer was looking at the group after evading the Pokémon ambush. Now the Pokémon were trying to escape.

"How dare you try to take our Pokémon, I will not let them get away," Archer growled as he had a dark look on his face and glared at Wigglytuff, "Crobat use Cross Poison on that Wigglytuff!"

Crobat flew over towards Wigglytuff at breakneck speed and used his wings to slash through Wigglytuff with venom inside. Wigglytuff cried in pain since he was a fairy-type and the attack did a lot more damage. Wigglytuff did what he could to remain tough, at least until the Pokémon were all out.

"Keep going with Cross Poison!" Archer yelled out.

Wigglytuff cried as Crobat sliced his wings with another Cross Poison. Wigglytuff was staying on her ground as all of the Pokémon continued to scurry on out.

"Wigglytuff try fighting back with Disarming Voice!" Rose yelled out in panic.

Wigglytuff opened her mouth and shot out a pink wave with hearts at Crobat. The Bat Pokémon was not effected since that was a fairy attack and Crobat was a poison type making fairy attacks weak. The group knew that this was bad, if Wigglytuff goes down then Crobat could potentially fly after those Pokémon.

As Crobat attacked Wigglytuff with another Cross Poison, Ash noticed something. Crobat was flying in place attacking Wigglytuff. This could be the chance to strike. Ash has a hesitant look on his face as he turned his head towards Serena. Serena had a questioning look on her face.

"Serena, have Braixen shoot a Psybeam at Crobat," Ash told Serena, "It's flying in place and not moving so we can hit it while we have the chance."

"Alright Ash," Serena replied.

Serena and Braixen ran up towards Crobat and Wigglytuff. Erika was prepared to send out one of her own Pokémon, but her face had a quizzical look on her face. What was Serena actually planning to do?

"Braixen go!" Serena retorted pointing her finger at Crobat.

Braixen got the cue and unleashed a Psybeam at the Bat Pokémon. Crobat was hit and had a surprised look on his face as he flew up. Braixen pumped her fist as she finally hit that speedy Crobat.

"Alright!" Jade cheered.

Wigglytuff took a deep breath after taking all of those Cross Poisons. Wigglytuff deflated and lowered back to the ground. Archer's Crobat was too powerful, but Wigglytuff had enough endurance to withstand Crobat's attacks. Rose ran to Wigglytuff who was trembling after that assault.

"Are you alright Wigglytuff?" Rose said with a concerned look on her face.

Wigglytuff nodded to confirm that he was okay. However, there was an unnerving atmosphere in the room.

Crobat turned around and look at Serena and Braixen with the evil eye. Serena and Braixen both gasped when they saw how Crobat was looking at them. Crobat was thinking on the lines how dare they attack him from behind like that. Then Crobat gave out a loud screech.

"CRO!" Crobat roared.

Crobat began to fly breakneck speed towards Serena and Braixen. Ash's face paled when he saw what just happened. He thought of an idea and he ended up putting her and Braixen in danger. Grace screamed in terror as she had a terrified look in her eye knowing what was about to happen to her daughter. Jade on the other hand pulled in for a hug to also cover her eyes. Delia and Yellow were both wide eyed as they saw what was going on. Rose just trembled while comforting her Wigglytuff and Erika on the other hand had a grave look on her face.

Ash didn't want this to happen to Serena. She was her best friend, and maybe even more. Ash wanted to tell her about his feelings towards her, he wanted to continue traveling the world with her, Ash was afraid to admit this, but he loved her. Froakie on the other hand had the same pale look on his face as Ash. Despite Fennekin evolving into Braixen, Froakie also found a great friendship in Fennekin and he feels like they could be more than friends. Ash didn't want Serena to get hurt, he was determined to make sure she was okay. That's when Ash Ketchum made a brave move to show how much he cared about Serena Gabena.

Ash dashed towards Serena and Braixen and tackled them down to the ground right when Crobat swooped in and unleashed a Cross Poison that hit Ash.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Ash screamed.

"ASH!" Serena screamed as she was bug eyed to see what was happening to Ash.

"ASH!" Delia cried as tears came from her eyes.

Ash felt to the ground with a thud after taking Crobat's Cross Poison into the back. There was an open cut on Ash's back as it slit through his jacket and through his skin. Froakie fell out of Ash's arms and he tumbled onto the ground. Yellow, Rose, Grace, Jade, Mimey, Happy, Pikachu, Braixen, Chu Chu, Scyther, and Pinsir all had a terrified look on their face.

Erika on the other hand had a complete fixed and frightened look on her face. She knew that this was the trainer that she kicked out of her gym because of the unfortunate events with his mom in the bathroom, and now here he is risking his life to save someone from that evil man's Crobat. She might actually be wrong about this boy after all.

Delia was hyper-ventilating as she had tears coming out of her eyes. Her own son was now seriously hurt. Grace and Jade hugged each other as tears came out of their eyes. Sure, their daughter was okay, but seeing this happen to Ash was just as bad. He was almost like their own son to them. Rose fell to her knees as she saw what just happened to Ash and her face was filled with shock and sadness. Yellow took rapid short breaths to take in the actions of what just happened. The Pokémon all had a complete look of sadness on their faces after seeing what just happened to their friend. Then there was Serena. She was on her knees and crawled over to Ash. She had a grave look on her face. He can't be dead; he just can't be!

"Ash," Serena whispered rubbing him to shake, "Ash."

Ash was groaning in pain, but that was a good thing. At least he was alive. However, there was a massive cut on his left hip. Blood was pouring out and Ash was trying his best to stay afloat. What could be making matters even worse was that it was a Cross Poison so who knows if any toxins have gotten into Ash.

"Ash, please stay with us," Serena pleaded as he was sobbing.

"I'm fine Serena," Ash whispered as he was shaking.

Despite the state Serena was in, no one was feeling more pain with what just happened than Froakie. As the Bubble Frog Pokémon peeked at the state Ash was in, Froakie couldn't help but have a bleak look on his face. Ash was the first human he truly ever opened up to after Siegfried. He knew there was nothing but good in him and that they could be the best of friends. Froakie could've never had a better trainer than Ash.

As Froakie looked at Ash, he couldn't help but feel upset that he couldn't help him. They were in trouble with Spearow on their first day of their journey, and Froakie wasn't strong enough to help Ash that day. Then he couldn't help in stop the trio in the Viridian Forest or the Beedrill as well. Next there was Proton's Rhydon and he curb stomped him without breaking a sweat. Then when Damien attacked Ash, Froakie tried to fight back but Damien forcefully called him back into his own ball and ran off with him just when he thought he won. Now Froakie runs off to tell off the Celadon Gym Leader for how she treated Ash only for him to be captured and in result get Ash captured too, and it leads to this. Ash facing the grips of death.

Froakie couldn't help but glare at Crobat for what he did to Ash and what he almost did to Braixen. Froakie just had it, he hates letting Ash down because it could lead to him dying one day. Now with Ash hanging on by a thread, he didn't want to protect Ash from Archer and his Crobat, he wanted to beat it. Froakie then hopped over and glared at the evil man.

"I'm sorry your pathetic excuse of a trainer is dying, but that's what he gets for messing with our plans," Archer said with a scowl.

Froakie was done, he was done letting Ash down. He was done letting Braixen down, and he was even done letting Serena down. Froakie may be from the Kalos Region, but he wanted to fight for Kanto. He didn't want to challenge this Crobat, he wanted to beat it. Erika was witnessing what Ash's Froakie was doing. Now she was seeing his Pokémon going up against this powerful Crobat. Erika now couldn't help but have a curious look on her face. Froakie was now feeling a new sense of strength and jolted right at Crobat when suddenly something happened. Ash was to faint to notice, but Serena had her eyes fixed on what she saw along with Braixen. Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, Rose, Erika, Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, Chu Chu, Rotom Dex, Scyther, and Pinsir all had their eyes fixed on what they were seeing happening to Froakie as well.

Froakie began to glow white.

Froakie began to change form and in just a matter of seconds, Crobat wasn't looking at a Froakie, but a different Pokémon. The new Pokémon struck Crobat dead on with a Quick Attack as this Pokémon surely was faster than Froakie.

"What the hell!" Archer yelled as he saw Crobat fall down on the ground.

The new Pokémon that took Froakie's place was somewhat of a bigger frog. He had a dark blue upper body and back along with a light blue lower body and belly. He had eyes a bit similar to Froakie, but they seemed calmer and more serious. And he had a white bubble scarf around his neck. Everyone was in complete shock seeing the Pokémon that now stood before them. Rotom Dex scanned the new Pokémon that Froakie just evolved into.

 _#657-Frogadier: Bubble Frog Pokémon_

 _Its swiftness is unparalleled. It can scale a tower of more than 2,000 feet in a minute's time._

Braixen couldn't be any happier to see that her longtime friend has finally evolved. Frogadier was…quite handsome. Wait, now wasn't the time for that. Ash was down and Crobat was flying back up.

"Crobat attack those two with Air Slash!" Archer yelled out.

Frogadier and Braixen got out of the way of Crobat's Air Slash and all everyone could do was watch. Frogadier and Braixen were ready to fight this Crobat, and Pikachu, Scyther and Pinsir got a new look of determination and were willing to fight too. They all had angry looks at the Crobat in front of them. The Pokémon looked at the scene where Delia and Yellow were hugging each other, Grace and Jade were hugging each other, Rose was watching while hugging her Wigglytuff, and Serena tending to Ash. As all of the Pokémon were ready to fight, one person stepped in and that was Erika.

"Those trainers risked their lives to save those Pokémon from people like you. You think you can just get any Pokémon you want and try to make money off of them," Erika said in an assertive tone.

"Well they deserved it for getting in Team Rocket's way! Pokémon are nothing more than our own tools for business to get what we want!" Archer yelled, "That boy who should die soon was a fool!"

"When I saw that boy, I thought he was as worse as his mom after what she did to me. But after witnessing what I'm seeing, that boy just proved that I was wrong about him! He risked his life to save the people he cared about and now here one of his Pokémon just evolved to fight for him," Erika announced as she got out her Pokeball, "And after what I've done, I want to make it up to him by bringing you to justice and aiding his Pokémon. Go Vileplume!"

Erika threw her Pokémon and her Vileplume was sent back out. Delia and Serena just heard Erika's words. It looks like Ash may have gotten to her with his heroic actions to save Serena and Braixen.

"Vileplume, fight by their side," Erika told Vileplume.

"Kill them Crobat!" Archer yelled.

With that, all of the Pokémon started to attack. Pikachu was sending out Thunderbolts, Scyther was whipping out Air Slashes, Pinsir was using X-Scissors towards Crobat, Vileplume used Petal Dance, and Braixen kept using Flamethrower. Crobat continued to counter with Air Slash, Wing Attack, and Cross Poison. Frogadier on the other hand didn't even budge. What he waiting for something?

Everyone was watching what was taking place except for Serena as she kept her eyes on Ash. Delia on the other hand carried Mimey and ran over to Serena's side. Ash stopped shaking, but he was still bleeding but not as bad as before. They were still worried about the effects of Cross Poison.

All of their attacks kept missing as Crobat just keeps flying out of the way. Frogadier just stands there and watches waiting to make a move. Then Frogadier's reflexes kick in as he sees a Wing Attack aiming for the Pokémon, he was nearest to, Braixen. As Crobat got closer, Frogadier jolted over to the Bat Pokémon. They were hoping for a Water Pulse or Ice Beam, but something else happened instead. Frogadier used his arms to smack Crobat in the back and slam him to the ground.

"Crobat's down!" Rose exclaimed.

Crobat was down in pain and he glared at Frogadier and was ready to attack with another Air Slash until he noticed something. Crobat for some reason was unable to fly.

"Crobat isn't getting back up in the air," Yellow said in astonishment.

"I think I know what just happened," Rotom Dex happily said as he did an analysis on Frogadier's moves, "When Froakie evolved into Frogadier, he also learned Smack Down. When a flying type Pokémon or any Pokémon with the ability Levitate is hit by a Smack Down, they are unable to get back up into the air. Also, they're no longer immunized to ground attacks."

So Frogadier was waiting to use Smack Down to keep Crobat on the ground. Now that Crobat was unable to fly, the Bat Pokémon wasn't going to be able to move very much. That's when all of the Pokémon glared and smirked at him.

"Cro," Crobat muttered.

"Crobat, no!" Archer cried.

"Finish it off everyone!" Serena yelled out to the Pokémon.

Pinsir picked up Crobat and used Vice Grip to crunch him before throwing him back on the ground, Scyther used Slash to slice Crobat's wings to make sure it wasn't given another chance to fly, Vileplume used her Stun Spore to give Crobat complete paralysis so he truly can't move, and for the grand finale, Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt along with Braixen using Psybeam and Frogadier using Ice Beam together. The three attacks combined together and created an explosion.

Everyone shielded their eyes as Serena and Delia just shielded Ash. Archer had a tense look on her face, Erika looked both curious and serious, and the rest of the women just prayed that it was over. Then as the smoke cleared, the group could see a sight to behold. Crobat was now lying on the ground out cold. They have done it; they have defeated Archer.

"No," Archer muttered.

After all that has happened, everyone joined Serena and Delia near Ash. Despite defeating Archer's Crobat, everyone knew that Ash's well being was more important. Ash was now unconscious due to the blood loss, but as Serena could feel his chest, he still had a pulse. They just hope they can any poison that got into him out soon.

"Hang in there Ash, never give up until the end," Serena muttered.

All the Pokémon were around and so were the ladies. Erika then turned her head towards Delia who was looking frantically at her son. Delia's eyes noticed Erika with a curious look on her face. It looks like she wanted to talk to her.

"I want to apologize to you, but I'm going to save it until after we get your son help," Erika told Delia.

"Thank you," Delia replied.

Then a crash came in from the roof. A hole was made by someone in a helicopter who was hovering over the scene of the battle. Archer then cocked his head up to see that it was Cassidy and Butch who got the chopper ready. They threw a ladder down and Archer called back his fallen Crobat. The only thing they could do right now was retreat. Archer grabbed onto the ladder while glaring at the group. Despite getting their casino shut down, Archer knew that they were able to get what they wanted from this operation.

"You win for now, but next time you get in our way, we will show no mercy," Archer muttered.

Archer wasn't sure if he was able to kill Ash or not, but he knew Serena was still standing. He hoped that this they were not going to get in their way in the future. As of right now Archer was being raised from the air while hanging onto the ladder as the helicopter was beginning to take off. As soon as Archer was fully out of the building, the chopper began flying to the west, back to Team Rocket headquarters.

And soon they were gone. Archer, Cassidy, and Butch were the only rockets to escape.

Meanwhile as everyone was gathered around Ash, the police finally began moving in. Erika noticed the police presence and has volunteered to go up towards the Celadon City policemen. After all they called her in to see if she can handle the situation. As the police started storming inside the casino, they noticed all the rockets in the room that were either knocked out, seriously injured, or killed. Erika explained to the police everything that has happened in this scene, and she also asked to get a whole bunch of ambulances here at the scene.

Especially one for Ash.

"Just hang in there Ash," Serena whispered as she knelt next to him with tears coming from her eyes as she went into thought, _"Don't die Ash, I…love you."_

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

It was late at night and Ariana was sitting on a couch watching TV. On the television was a late-night talk show and Ariana sat there laughing at all the jokes that the host gave out.

Ariana sat there thinking why can't Giovanni do simple stuff with her like this. Sure, they ran a criminal organization, but he never wants to do stuff like this. Just get their plans into fruition and kill anyone who gets in their way. At least when Archer was around, they would take part in these activities. This is why she was cheating on Giovanni is Archer is because Giovanni only wanted time to get his demands ready. Then all of sudden, a news bulletin breaks in.

"What the hell, why is the news interrupting my shows!" Ariana yelled.

"We interrupt this program for breaking news. Police have just arrived at the Celadon City Casino & Hotel. The place is shut down after word that the terrorist organization Team Rocket was busted for selling stolen Pokémon to casino patrons. Police have also identified that serval of the rockets are declared dead while others are now being taken to jail or the hospital for questioning," the news reporter announced on the TV.

Ariana couldn't believe it. The clip joint that Team Rocket has run for a number of years in order to make money has been shut down. The TV was showing body bags being taken into ambulances along with other rockets being taken on stretchers. The other rockets were being brought out in handcuffs.

"Those rotten bastard kids, and those so-called women," Ariana growled.

She had a glazed look in the eye. Team Rocket hated those kids, and just as they feared, they got in the way of their casino. Their plans on raising money have been brought to a halt.

"Also, in related news, the police have also arrested Ms. Fran Prickler who has been wanted in four different regions for possessing stolen merchandise," the news reporter announced as it showed footage of the woman that Grace and Jade were beating up leaving in handcuffs, "Police say that Ms. Prickler was beaten by a woman over a stolen Fennekin."

It definitely was Ash and Serena now according to Ariana. Serena was clearly the only one who owned a Fennekin, and she wasn't even aware that Fennekin evolved into Braixen. Then Ariana had a tint of worry on her face, Archer was at the casino at the time, what has become of him? Then right on cue, Ariana looked at her phone to see who was calling. Son of a gun, it was Archer.

"Ariana speaking," Ariana said as she started to answer the phone.

"Ariana, I just wanted to let you know that those pesky kids destroyed our casino," Archer said on the other line.

"I know, it just came up on the news," Ariana growled.

"I thought I should let you know that me, Cassidy, and Bunkers got out of there safely. But I should warn you, these kids are a lot tougher than we thought," Archer explained.

"And how's that?" Ariana questioned.

"They were able to defeat my Crobat. They just defeated an executive's Pokémon," Archer stated.

Ariana had a frustrated look on her face, but she also took a deep breath. She looked at the TV to see the footage of what happened. Erika was speaking to reporters as it looked like the Celadon City Gym Leader had a part in helping those kids out too.

"I don't how Giovanni is going to handle this but let me assure you that Team Rocket's casino has been completely successful. We have reached our goal and we can now move forward for our big moment," said Ariana, "I know we could've used more money, but we got just enough for what we need."

"You mean…legally purchasing the Silph Company?" Archer asked with excitement.

"That's right, we need the Silph Company for their project. To perfect their creation on the Master Ball," Ariana stated.

It was true that with the power Team Rocket had to conceal themselves and ambush people, they figure why not get the police off their backs by actually making a purchase of the world famous Silph Company. Ariana knew that Team Rocket's time was coming.

"Alright Archer, return to headquarters and we'll get prepared," Ariana responded, "Like I said, I don't know how Giovanni will handle this."

"Roger," Archer responded.

"And Archer," Ariana replied.

"What?" Archer questioned.

"I love you," Ariana replied acting all hesitant.

It was true that Ariana was married to Giovanni, but now she was completely betraying that evil man's trust behind his back. Archer has been one of the most successful executives Team Rocket has had for many years. Who knows what could happen to Archer if Giovanni found out about this? Giovanni and Ariana even had a child together that ran away.

"I love you too," Archer replied as he hung up.

Ariana was now taking deep breaths. She was going to have to report this to her husband.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Pokémon Center**_

After the events that have taken place at the casino, Rose and Erika came to the Pokémon Center with the help of police escort. Rose was carrying Pikachu and all of Ash's and Serena's Pokémon as Ash was taken to the hospital with Serena, Delia, Grace, Jade, and Yellow all going with them for support. Rotom Dex was even coming with them for some reason.

Rose volunteered to help Erika and the police get all the Pokémon that were in Team Rocket's casino to the Pokémon Center for treatment and to figure out what to do with them. It was definitely a long night regarding the situation. Despite the condition Ash was in, Pikachu knew it was for the best to come to the Pokémon Center along with all of Ash's and Serena's Pokémon, because their Pokémon know that if they're alright, they be happy.

"Nurse Joy, all of these Pokémon were in possession of Team Rocket," Erika said with a serious tone, "We've just rescued them from the casino they were running, and we need to make sure you look after them."

Nurse Joy gasped as soon as she heard what Erika said.

"Well I got to say Erika, not only do you make great perfume, but you manage to look out for the Pokémon too," Nurse Joy said with a smile.

"Don't just thank me, I didn't do this alone," Erika told Nurse Joy as she gestured to Rose who handed over Pikachu and the Pokeballs.

"Nurse Joy, while the police did call for Erika's help, it was my group who actually busted Team Rocket. My friend's son had a Pokémon that ran off, they went looking for it, and the next thing we knew is that we ended up in Team Rocket's casino where we discovered their operation," Rose explained, "The police would've not known if it weren't for us."

"It's actually true, and I have to say that her friend's son's Pokémon really cared about them. Because they actually were fighting an executive and when he got hurt, his Pokémon evolved and helped all of us fight back. After the battle, the first thing he did was go up to him for support," Erika explained has she almost had tears in her eyes, "It almost reminded me of how my Pokémon stood up for me."

Erika could remember that moment. When she was a little girl, she had an Oddish who was her first Pokémon and best friend. They always played with each other, took care of each other, and even had a couple of battle together. Then one night, Erika was cornered in the room by a Grimer who somehow got into their home. Her Oddish knew that she was in trouble and fought the Grimer but had a hard time with him. That's when her Oddish evolved into Gloom and was able to beat the Grimer and drive him out of their house. What Erika saw with Froakie reminded her of that same night when he evolved into Frogadier. If Erika wasn't so caught up in her business and image, then everyone could know how she loves Pokémon and how they can help their trainer in need.

"Well whoever that was that saved you sure has to be a great trainer," Nurse Joy said with a smile.

"Yeah, and I'm actually to pay him a visit at the hospital," Erika said.

"Hospital?" Nurse Joy questioned.

"Yeah, he took a nasty cut from Crobat," Rose stated, "The rest of my group is at the hospital with him."

It was true that everyone was at the hospital except for Rose, their Pokémon, and Rotom Dex. Wait, why was Rotom Dex here? Shouldn't he be with Ash and Serena? There had to be a reason he was at the Pokémon Center with them. Well a Rotom was inside so that technically was a Pokémon.

"Alright, go ahead and bring all the Pokémon in. This is going to be a long night," Nurse Joy muttered.

All of the Pokémon were being brought in by Rose, Erika, and policemen. As the Pokémon came in, Rotom Dex was looking around for something. It actually remember before they took Ash to the hospital and called back Frogadier, he talked to Rotom Dex about something. Since Rotom Dex can translate what it hears from other Pokémon, it was its job to send an important message to Nurse Joy.

Rotom Dex was here for a favor.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Celadon City-Hospital**_

Ash was laying in a hospital bed with his family and friends by his side while all of his Pokémon and Rotom Dex were at the Pokémon Center getting rest after their fight with Team Rocket. Despite the state Ash was in, he just hoped his Pokémon were alright especially Froakie who had yet to know had evolved as he was barely conscious after taking that blow from Crobat, so he doesn't completely know yet. Doctors and nurses were doing procedures on him and tried to find any signs of poison if it was there.

Everyone was relieved to hear the good news that Ash was going to be okay as there weren't too many toxins in his body and the IVs and medicine should help eliminate any other toxins, and also injected some extra blood in him which was his type. They even patched up Ash's scar and put a bandage on it. Serena just cried tears of happiness when she heard that Ash was going to pull through. After all, the blow he took from Crobat's Cross Poison was when he tried to protect Serena and Braixen.

Ash was now sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed and when mid-morning came, Ash opened his eyes. His vision was blurry as the last thing he remember was cringing on the floor in pain after being hit by Crobat. When his vision became clear, Ash had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was being in Team Rocket's casino, now it looked he was in the hospital. Ash then saw a face appear in front of him, and it was a face that always made him happy.

It was Serena who looked at him with a warm smile and some tears coming from her eyes. Ash had a somewhat radiant look on his face to see that Serena was alright. Ash managed to sit up and Serena was able to get out of the way. He could see everyone in the room. There was his mom Delia, his aunt Yellow, Serena's moms Grace and Jade. But where was Rose, Rotom Dex, and his Pokémon?

"What happened?" Ash asked himself as he had a confused look on his face.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed in happiness.

Serena gave him a big hug after knowing how worried she was about him. His mom Delia walked over to her son to give him a hug too. Ash was feeling pretty happy about getting some love from Serena and his mom. Yellow then went on over to Ash and gave him a hug as well with Chu Chu rubbing her tail on his leg while under the covers.

"I thought we were going to lose you like we did with Annie," said Yellow which gave Ash a questioning look.

"Who's Annie?" Ash questioned.

Yellow gasped and her look darkened. Delia had a grim look on her face. Yellow couldn't believe she blurted that name out. Grace and Jade had no idea who they were talking about since they didn't fully know about the Presley sister's past. How come Ash never heard of an Annie? Maybe she was an old friend of theirs before he was born.

"She was an old friend of ours who went on a Pokémon journey and died in her travels," Delia confirmed as she was hanging her head down.

The way Delia sounded when she answered sounded like she was lying. Did they know something about Annie that they didn't want Ash to know about? Right now, Ash decided to put it aside and his mom and his aunt decided they should do the same, and the Gabenas decided it was best not to think of it right now.

"Let's not think about her shall we sis," Yellow pleaded Delia as she then regained her radiant look towards Ash, "Anyway, were just happy you're alright."

"Yeah, we were all worried about what happened after you took that nasty hit from Crobat. So were your Pokémon," Serena stated.

While Chu Chu was rubbing his leg on the bed, the ladies set Mimey and Happy down to try and hug Ash. It looks like the ladies Pokémon were giving him some love.

"Speaking of my Pokémon, where are they?" Ash asked.

"Rose took them all to the Pokémon Center along with Pikachu to give them the rest they deserve after your fight with Team Rocket," Jade answered crossing her arms, "All of your Pokémon including Froakie are going to be alright."

Jade didn't mention yet what happened to Froakie, but Ash was soon going to find out.

"And for some reason, Rotom Dex decided to go with," Serena stated.

The reason for Rotom Dex hanging at the Pokémon Center had to be some sort of mystery. Rotom Dex always accompanied Ash and Serena during their adventures, but why would Rotom Dex be at the Pokémon Center? Little did they know he was doing a favor for Frogadier.

"I'm just glad all of my Pokémon are okay, especially Froakie," Ash wept after knowing Froakie was alright.

"We can see Froakie and all of your Pokémon once we get out of the hospital," Grace said crossing her arms.

"And when we get to the Pokémon Center, we got a special surprise for you," Delia told Ash with a smile on her face.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"You'll see when we get there," Delia answered with a wink.

Well Ash's eleventh birthday is coming up so they must have something planned. Then the doctor came in, and it appeared to be a male doctor. Everyone was looking at the doctor wondering what was going on.

"Um, Ash Ketchum?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah that's me," Ash answered.

"Alright, I see you're awake. You might want to thank the people in here who saved your life. If they were maybe even a second later, you might have not made it," the doctor stated.

Ash was glad to have a great friend in Serena, and maybe more than a friend. His mom and aunt really looked out for him, and Serena's moms were like second moms to him. Hell, even Leaf's mom Rose was going to look out for Ash and help him with his situations.

"We were able to put some donated blood into your body, we eliminated any toxins that could be inside, and your scar is patched up. However, we will keep you here for one more day just to do some tests to make sure that you're alright and ready to go," the doctor explained.

"Thank you doctor," Delia praised.

"You're welcome," the doctor responded, "And one more thing mister Ketchum. Someone wanted to see you and they have been waiting here since this morning. I'll let them know you're awake and they can come in."

Somebody was here to see Ash. Maybe it was just Rose coming in, but if it was her then she would've been here the whole time. It sounded like someone wanted to come in and talk to him. There was just one question? Who?

The doctor left for a few minutes and then re-emerged with two people. There was of course Rose, but the other person was a woman. The woman Ash saw looked vaguely familiar with the blue hair. Ash was pretty shocked to see who it was, and the ladies were just as shocked. It was Erika who was with Rose.

"Ash Ketchum I presume," Erika responded.

Ash had a glazed look on his face. Erika just kicked him out of her gym because his mom had an accident on her just recently, and now here she is visiting him on her own free will. Delia's and Serena's faces look wary as they remember her from before.

"Um yeah," Ash questioned.

"I was waiting for you to wake up so I could have some words with you," Erika stated.

"Okay," Ash replied still having that glazed look.

"I wanted to apologize to you about what happened the other day. Despite how disgusted I was with what your mom did the other day, it wasn't right for me to tell you that you were not given permission to challenge me," said Erika with a sullen look on her face.

"Really?" Ash asked.

Ash, Serena, and Delia were quite shocked to see what was coming out of Erika's mouth. This woman scolded Delia for the incident in the bathroom and kicked Ash out of the gym for it which wasn't fair, and now she's starting to talk.

"At first I was going to cease my previous actions on you and give you permission to challenge the Celadon Gym whenever you were ready because I would've been facing serious consequences with the Pokémon League," Erika explained.

Well it looks like Ash might be off the hook right now because the Pokémon League heard about this and she could lose her gym, but now Ash may have done something else that got him in trouble.

"But that isn't the case anymore. Ash, when I saw you in the casino, you definitely proved that you were not what I thought you were. You not only took on Team Rocket who happened to be a Pokémon terrorist organization and busted up their casino market operations to free the Pokémon and get them to safety, but you also were looking out for those you cared about. I have to admit, though I was scared for you, that was pretty brave when you saved that girl's life," Erika explained as she now had a grateful look on her face.

They were amazed to hear what was coming from Erika. She just gave a positive remark on Ash when he saved Serena and Braixen from Crobat and was able to protect Froakie was well. Speaking of Froakie, she wasn't done.

"And as for your Pokémon, let's just say that little blue frog who looked weakened decided to step up and finish the battle for you. The fact that your Pokémon took action like that to protect and fight for you shows how amazing of a bond you have with your Pokémon," Erika said with an ecstatic look on her face, "In fact, I didn't just see a brave Pokémon trainer fighting for what was right, I also took sight and saw myself…when I was a girl."

Wait, so Erika was an adventurous Pokémon trainer like Ash was? Did she at one point in her life risk her well being to save someone, or did one of her Pokémon come in to defend her like Froakie did?

"Well, I wasn't I say brave, but I'm talking about the bond with my Pokémon. My first Pokémon was an Oddish and we were best friends. We pretty much do everything together like play, eat, and we worked on Pokémon battles too. Then one night, a Grimer came into our house and corned me. My Oddish didn't want me to be hurt so she fought the Grimer. Unfortunately, that Grimer proved to be too much for Oddish. She still wanted to help me, and she wanted to prevail. That's when she evolved into a Gloom and she was able to drive Grimer out," Erika explained telling the story about her relationship between her and her Pokémon.

"So, you're saying that what just happened in the casino was something that happened in your life?" Ash asked.

"It was," Erika answered as she turned to Rose, "This woman here doesn't want me to tell you exactly what happened, but let's just say that your Pokémon really look out for you."

They didn't want Ash to know about Froakie just yet.

"You can say the same for my Pokémon," Serena said smiling as she remember how Fennekin stood up against the rockets to protect her and her moms.

"It's true, her Fennekin really looks out after her," Jade replied.

"Braixen mom," Serena corrected.

"My bad," Jade chuckled.

"So, Ash, I want to say that I'm sorry for what I did and that you are an amazing Pokémon trainer. I heard you were the son of Kanto's former champion Red Ketchum, and that night you proved that you are indeed his son," Erika gratefully said.

"Wow, thanks Erika," Ash responded with an ecstatic look on his face which eventually turned dark.

Ash didn't like to think of his father. Sure, he was the champion of Kanto at one point, but not being around after he turned six felt like a complete betrayal to him. Erika then had a puzzled look on her face. Why would Ash feel that way?

"Is something wrong?" Erika questioned.

"It's nothing, Ash just doesn't like hearing about his father," Delia answered, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"It's okay Erika," Ash replied, "But does that mean that I can challenge the Celadon Gym if I want?"

"After knowing about you and your heroic actions, I would be greatly honored once you're ready, but under one condition," Erika said giving a bow.

"What's that?" Ash questioned.

"I want to see the best out of you," Erika answered.

"You bet I will!" Ash exclaimed as he pumped his fist, "Once I get out of here, I'll be coming for you for that badge."

"Alright, with that I'll see you soon," Erika said as she walked out of the room.

So that was it, Ash was now finally going to have his gym battle with Erika. He'll be out of the hospital by tomorrow after some test, and then he can get prepared for his battle.

"Hey Ash, I have an idea," Yellow said.

"What's that Aunt Yellow?" Ash asked.

"Your birthday is coming up in a few days. Why don't you celebrate your birthday by winning a badge? We'll be there rooting you on," Yellow suggested.

"Really? You think that's a good idea?" Ash asked.

"I agree with Yellow on this one Ash. Not only will all of us be with you to celebrate your special day, but you can give yourself more time to prepare," Rose answered while giving an explanation.

"That's a good idea Ash, and you can even help me prepare for my upcoming Pokémon Contest," Serena added.

This would actually be a good idea for Ash. He could wait a few days to celebrate his birthday with activities and winning a badge would be the perfect way to give himself a happy birthday. Also, he could be helping out Serena in her upcoming contest in Celadon City. She was still at one ribbon and after coming so close in the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest, Serena was determined to win this one. This would also give her a chance to work on double performances.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome," Ash said until his eyes were fixed on Serena's.

Ash has always been fond of Serena since she moved to Pallet Town. Ash had a crush on her for some time, but it seems those feelings have evolved from a crush. Ash has always been nervous to tell Serena how he feels about her, and what he doesn't know is that Serena thinks the same thing. Ash risked his life to save Serena and Braixen and to protect Froakie, and if he died, his biggest regret would be not telling Serena how he feels about her. Ash didn't want to hold it in anymore. He looked at his mom, Serena's moms, his aunt, Rose, Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy. He wanted to be alone.

"Everyone, I want to be alone with Serena. So, could everyone leave the room," Ash suggested.

Everyone heard what Ash said and Serena heard what Ash said. Delia grabbed Mimey, Grace grabbed happy, and Yellow grabbed Chu Chu. Afterwards, all of the women and their Pokémon walked out the door leaving just Ash and Serena in the hospital room. Serena had an alluring look on her face as he leaned in towards Ash. Ash was still sitting up.

"What did you want to talk to me about Ash?" Serena asked.

Ash took a deep breath and tried to sort out his thoughts? What was Serena going to think about him after he said this?

"Serena, when I fell on the ground like that, what was going through your mind?" Ash asked.

"I feared that I was going to lose you," Serena answered slightly choking up, "You're one of the most important people in my life Ash."

"I'd figure," Ash sighed.

No more holding back, no more delaying. Who knows what could happen in the near future? Ash's eyes were fixed on Serena's eyes.

"Serena, if I were to die, then my biggest regret in my life would be not saying this to you," Ash said.

"What's that?" Serena asked.

"Serena, when I first met you in Professor Oak's summer camp, you were just another person that I could come up and help. But when I learned you lived in Pallet Town, we became great friends and hung out together. Then, throughout time…I started to have strange feelings about you," Ash explained as he let out a sigh.

"Strange feelings?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, these feelings felt pretty warm. I just enjoyed everything about you even though things were just girly, and not to forget we both have a love for Pokémon," Ash stated.

Serena's eyes started to bug out and she felt nothing but complete bliss. Serena has had a crush on Ash since she moved to Pallet Town, and now she might learn that Ash had a crush on her too.

"Serena, I had a crush on you, and when our Pokémon journeys began, I wanted to travel with you in hopes that maybe we can get closer," Ash explained, "And it looks like my crush…has evolved into…love."

Serena's eyes started to get watery. She couldn't believe what Ash just said. He didn't just have a crush on her, he actually started to love her. She thought she would be the one to confess, but here it was Ash who actually confessed his feelings.

"Ash," Serena choked, "I feel the same way about you."

"Really?" Ash happily asked.

"Yes, you might have thought that day at summer camp was just you are helping someone out in need, but it meant the world to me. I started to see you as the best person to ever come in my life," Serena happily said as more tears came out of her eyes.

That meeting at summer camp really did change their lives. If it weren't for Ash helping her out, they would've missed out on seeing Froakie's and Fennekin's eggs hatch in front of them. Ash probably would've not gotten the chance to know her better and start having feelings for her, they would've never reunited with Froakie and Fennekin as their starters, and they wouldn't be traveling together. Yes, Ash Ketchum was the best thing to happen to Serena Gabena. Ash couldn't help but feel tears of joy coming out of him too.

"You really think that?" Ash happily asked.

"Yes Ash, and if anything happened to you, I would've fully regretted not telling you," Serena confirmed, "Ash Ketchum just like you, I have grown to…love you as well."

Ash had to process everything into his head. Not only did he confess, but it sounded like Serena confessed as well. The two have finally admitted that they loved each other. Now there was only one more thing to do.

"Well if what you said is true. Do you want to be…my girlfriend?" Ash asked holding his hand out.

Serena couldn't believe that this was happening. Ash Ketchum was about to ask her out as her girlfriend. This was a dream come true for her. Even though Ash was a patient at the hospital, and they were in a hospital room

"Just one thing Ash," Serena sighed as she grabbed his hand.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"Kiss me!" Serena happily exclaimed.

Ash pulled Serena towards her and they started to share a passionate kiss. It took them almost three and a half years, but Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena were now a couple.

Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, and Rose all had tears of happiness coming out of them after seeing that Ash and Serena have now hooked up. They were a couple and a team, and they weren't going to let anything get in their way. Yellow also had slight tears of sadness as she wished she had someone in her life. Either way, they were happy for those kids.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Celadon City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash finally was discharged from the hospital and could go on with his journey. They all stayed over at the hospital until Ash was discharged, and they were all proud of them when Ash and Serena announced that they were a couple. Also, during their time, they finally booked a reservation at that resort with the indoor water park. Ash did get the proper bandages on his wound so they shouldn't come off so at least he can enjoy the water park without having the bandages come off. It was a pretty good idea since Ash's birthday was three days away. Speaking of, now that Ash and Serena were a couple, she had to think hard about what to get him on his birthday.

Right now, Ash, Serena, and all of the ladies returned to the Pokémon Center so that they could get their Pokémon back. Rotom Dex was waiting for them as well.

"You all came back," Rotom Dex happily said.

"That's right, and Ash is all better," Serena said pointing to Ash.

"That's great to hear Ash, so what did they do?" Rotom Dex questioned with a puzzled look on its screen.

"Well they bandaged up my wound and they were able to remove the poison," Ash explained, "Also Rotom Dex, I got some good news that I like to share with you and my Pokémon."

"What is it?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Wait till I get them back," Ash stated.

Ash and Serena walked up to the counter to retrieve their Pokeballs. Nurse Joy happily went over to get their Pokémon along with Pikachu. However, when Nurse Joy came out, they all got a surprised look on their faces on who came out with her. It was the Scyther and Pinsir they helped at the casino.

"Scyther?" Ash questioned.

"Pinsir?" Serena questioned.

"Is this the surprise you were talking about?" Ash asked turning to his mom.

"No, it isn't," Delia answered.

Scyther went up and held his blade out towards Ash while Pinsir on the other hand went over and gave his hand out to Serena. What was it that Scyther and Pinsir wanted? Did they want to thank them for the other night? Ash and Serena stared at the two bug Pokémon for a couple of seconds until Nurse Joy spoke up.

"You do realize their trainers have been killed," Nurse Joy said with a grim look on her face.

Ash and Serena remember it well. Scyther's and Pinsir's trainers were killed on the S.S. Anne with the other Pokémon trainers. Ash and Serena along with the trio were the only ones who got out alive. Did they really that they could?

"Wait, do you want to come with us?" Serena asked Pinsir.

Pinsir nodded his head and Scyther nodded his head as well. Scyther's trainer did teach him to acknowledge their opponents and when he lost to Ash's Charmander, he gained some respect for Ash. Pinsir felt the same way when Serena's Squirtle was giving it everything in that little fun battle. After Butterfree's departure, Ash would love to have another bug-type. It would be kind of tough to see what Pinsir could do in contest, but Serena knew this Pokémon was going to need a new home.

"Scyther, I'm sorry for the loss of your trainer. This closes a book in the chapter of your life, and now you can write a new one with me," Ash said as he pulled out a spare Pokeball, "Welcome to the family Scyther."

"I promise Pinsir, I'm going to take good care of you," Serena said as she pulled out a Pokeball.

Nurse Joy had a blissful look on her face as she saw Ash and Serena throw their respective Pokeballs. The balls didn't even shake, they just immediately dinged to signify that they've been capture. Ash and Serena walked up to the Pokeballs to pick them up. Ash now had a Scyther and Serena now had a Pinsir.

"I got Scyther," Ash calmly said.

"And I got Pinsir," Serena replied.

Then something strange happened, Serena's Pokeball started to get all static and turned white. Serena's eyes widened at her Pokeball, and then it disappeared.

"Pinsir," Serena whimpered in fear.

"Serena it's fine," a voice called out.

Serena turned around to hear that it was Rose's voice who called her out. Rose had a smile on her face, but why was she happy? Serena's Pokeball containing her new Pokémon has completely disappeared.

"You have six Pokémon and Pikachu technically doesn't have a Pokeball. So that means Pinsir is going to be sent to Professor Oak's lab back in Pallet Town," Rose explained crossing her arms, "Trainers can only carry up to six Pokémon. If you want to get Pinsir, just go to one of those video phones and get one."

Serena settled down as she now knew where Pinsir was. He was at Professor Oak's lab. Serena wanted to spend much time with her new Pinsir when she got the chance.

"Okay, thank you Mrs. Green," Serena said.

"Or you can try another method!" Rotom Dex said butting in.

"Other method?" Serena questioned.

"I'll talk about it later," Rotom Dex replied.

Did Rotom Dex have another feature that could help them with organizing their Pokémon? Ash and Serena would find out eventually. Ash then turned to his mom.

"By the way, did you say I got a surprise," Ash asked his mom.

"Yes, indeed Ash, go ahead and open Froakie's Pokeball. I think he may have given you an early birthday present," Delia said giving out a smile.

Ash grabbed the blue Pokeball off of his belt and opened it. When Ash saw the Pokémon come out, his jaw dropped when he saw that it wasn't a Froakie, but a Frogadier.

"Surprise!" they all cheered.

"Froakie," Ash muttered.

"Frog," Frogadier responded.

"Froakie evolved into Frogadier," Serena happily said, "He took on Archer's Crobat and helped us get a chance to beat Crobat."

"Is that true Froakie, I mean Frogadier?" Ash asked as he had an ecstatic look in his eyes.

"Frogadier," Frogadier answered saying yes.

"That's amazing!" Ash exclaimed in happiness as he bent down and hugged Frogadier, "Frogadier I'm so proud of you. You've really come a long way since we first started traveling together."

It was a big step for Ash and Froakie since they started their journey together. Froakie was only willing to open up to Ash and now he has overcome his fear of humans in time, despite the attacks from Team Rocket. Serena could say the same for Fennekin. And now a big shining moment for them came in the casino when both of them evolved. This was just showing how far they've come from the pain of Siegfried.

Delia's eyes just showed tears of joy seeing how Ash and Frogadier have been getting closer since they left Pallet Town. Delia truly was proud of Ash, she and Red were happy to have a son like Ash.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

Ash, Serena, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, Rose, Pikachu, Frogadier, Pikachu, Braixen, Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu were all inside the Pokémon Center at the time. Frogadier wanted to show himself to Braixen to witness his new look. Braixen was extremely happy to see that her long-time friend has evolved. Pikachu was playing more with Chu Chu as these two Pokémon quickly became the best of friends.

Ash and Serena broke the news to Frogadier, Braixen, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex by holding hands and announcing that they were a couple. The Pokémon and the floating Pokedex were dancing with joy when they heard that Ash and Serena were now officially dating.

Frogadier looked over at Braixen with an alluring look wondering if that could be him and her one day. He was proud of Ash as Braixen was happy for Serena. Maybe the two would have an intense experience that could bring them together like Ash and Serena did at Team Rocket's casino.

The reason they all stayed at the Pokémon Center was because they were waiting for something. Rotom Dex asked Nurse Joy for a favor, and she fulfilled that. Also, when Frogadier was healing, he lent a hand in helping her.

"So, what is it that we're waiting for?" Ash asked himself as he sat on the couch.

Serena was now laying her head on Ash and Ash found that completely romantic. He could get used to that since they were a couple now. Serena could now picture herself holding hands with Ash as they continued their Pokémon journey.

Then Ash got his answered as the doors opened. There were three people coming into the Pokémon Center and approaching Nurse Joy's desk. There was a brawny man wearing a brown suit with a black tie who had scraggy brown hair and seemed pretty muscular. Then there was a woman with neat short brown hair who had on a red sweater along with a long white skirt going over her knees with the brown boots she wore.

However, it was the girl who may stand out the most. This girl had short brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a magenta button up shirt with a grey sweater over it, brown lace up boots with green socks, a green hat that could be worn by golfers, and a brown backpack. In her hands though was a Sobble. Frogadier's eyes widened when he saw that Sobble.

"Excuse me, we're looking for an Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," the man said.

"I'm glad you came, they're right over there," Nurse Joy answered pointing to them.

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard that. They've never seen these people before and they have come to speak with Ash and Serena. Did they hear about their fight with Team Rocket and wanted to praise them somehow? They looked like a family and everyone started to gather around these people.

"Are you the ones known as Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena," the woman asked.

"Um, yes," Serena answered with a shocked look in her eye.

"My daughter would like to speak to you both," the woman said turning to the girl, "Go on, go ahead."

The girl walked up to Ash and Serena and she flashed a warm smile at the two. Frogadier and Braixen turned around and saw the Sobble. Sobble happily waved to them. Then the couple's eyes were focused on the girl in front of them.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Olivia Miller," the girl said introducing herself as Olivia, "And I wanted to thank you both for reuniting me with my Sobble."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Ash," Ash said shaking her hand.

"And I'm Serena," Serena said shaking her hand.

"We should also introduce ourselves, I'm Katherine, Olivia's mother," the woman named Katherine said introducing herself, "And that's my husband and Olivia's father Brawny."

Ash and Serena had some curious look at the Pokémon. They've never seen that Pokémon before. Rotom Dex noticed the new couple's expressions and did an analysis on Sobble.

 **Since this chapter was published before the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, I am unable to do a Pokedex entry on Sobble. I may consider editing it where an entry does appear in the future.**

"So where did you get that Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"You see, we actually come from the Galar Region. We came here because I got a huge opportunity to showcase some of our Pokémon food from the Galar Region to the Pokémon Food Processing Plants so that people in Kanto can now get a taste of exotic tastes from Galar," Brawny explained.

"But this caused us to move to Kanto, and when Olivia was looking forward to beginning her Pokémon journey, she was hoping to get a Galar starter. But since she was starting in Kanto, she would have to get a Kanto Pokémon," Katherine explained.

"My daughter knew nothing about those Kanto starters, and she was studying the Galar starters her whole life. I arranged with the region's professor and Professor Oak approved. She got to select a Pokémon from Galar, and Sobble was her choice," Brawny happily explained.

"It's true," Olivia said as she looked down at Sobble, "Sobble became my beginner Pokémon."

So, it was clear to them that some special circumstances with her father's job allowed her special treatment here in Kanto and she got a Sobble as her starter. Ash and Serena were also given special circumstances of receiving Froakie and Fennekin as their starters because they turned out they were the only humans to show positive emotions to at the time.

"So how did your Sobble get lost?" Serena asked crossing her arms with a concerned look.

"Well I wanted to take some time to know my Pokémon before I started traveling. We were playing in the park near the fountain, and then all of a sudden, she was gone," Olivia explained as she had a sympathetic look on here face, "I didn't know where Sobble went. We were near the fountain and she just vanished."

Olivia wasn't aware of the case that Sobble just used her ability to camouflage with the water that caused Olivia not to see her. Olivia should've known that Sobbles were capable of doing that.

"I spent the next few days crying over losing my Sobble," Olivia stated as she was about to cry, "It was only then I should've realized that was just Sobble's nature in the water."

"We reported to the Celadon City Police about a missing Pokémon, and I was able to give the description. And just a few days ago, we heard that you found Sobble," Brawny explained.

"But we never found this Pokémon, in fact this is the first time in our lives were even seeing this Pokémon," Ash explained.

Frogadier then tugged on Ash's jacket and he turned to him. Frogadier had a smirk on his face as he knew something. Wait, Frogadier was a prisoner in Team Rocket's casino with a whole bunch of other Pokémon. It was starting to make sense now as Rotom Dex came in.

"Mr. Brawney Miller let me speak of this to Ash and Serena," Rotom Dex stated.

"Sure," Brawney said with a questioning look wondering what that thing was.

Rotom Dex actually floated near Olivia and Frogaider and Braixen actually walked over. It looks like they were about to get the explanation.

"Ash, Serena, it was actually Frogadier and Braixen who found Sobble. Sobble was one of the Pokémon held captive by Team Rocket, and she actually met them back when they were just Froakie and Fennekin. While they were in their cages, Sobble told the story of what happened," Rotom Dex explained, "Frogadier explained everything to me when you were being put in the ambulance."

So, it looks like Frogadier and Braixen were behind this happy reunion. There were many Pokémon held in those cages, and the one they knew well was Sobble.

"When Rose helped us get all the Pokémon out of Team Rocket's possession and here to the Pokémon Center, I asked Nurse Joy to seek this Olivia girl out because I'm the only one who can actually translate what a Pokémon says. We didn't get a last name, so I looked for Sobble and I found her. Once I got the full name and residence, I asked Nurse Joy to contact her," Rotom Dex explained.

"And it was then we came to the Pokémon Center and Olivia and Sobble were reunited," Katherine said with tears of joy coming out of her eyes.

Ash and Serena turned over and looked at Frogadier and Braixen. Maybe that rejection of battling Erika was a blessing in disguise. Not only did they stop Team Rocket, have their starter Pokémon evolve, develop a stronger bond between them, and get new Pokémon in the process, but they also helped reunite a Pokémon with their trainer. It wasn't even Ash and Serena who did this, it was their own Pokémon who made this happen. Their Pokémon truly were taking after their trainers.

"So, it was you guys who found Sobble," Ash said.

"Frogadier," Frogadier responded with a nod.

"Braixen," Braixen responded with a nod.

"You guys shouldn't thank us, you should thank our Pokémon because they actually found Sobble," Serena stated.

Olivia went over to the two Kalos. She had a beatific look on her face as she bent down to Frogadier and Braixen's level. These two Pokémon were forever in their debt of not only finding Sobble, but potentially saving her too.

"Thanks again…Frogadier and Braixen," Olivia gratefully said.

Brawny and Katherine had radiant looks on their faces as they clasped their hand seeing their daughter thanking the two Pokémon. Ash and Serena definitely have the best Pokémon a trainer could ask for.

"So, Olivia, you're a new trainer I presume?" Ash asked.

"Indeed, I am, I'm going to spend some more time here in Celadon City before I begin my own journey," Olivia answered.

"So, what are you going to do?" Serena asked.

"I'm going to challenge the Indigo League!" Olivia exclaimed with excitement.

So, it looks like Ash might have another rival in Olivia. She was going to be gunning for the Indigo League just like Ash. Since she was a new trainer, Ash actually thought of something.

"Hey, I have a suggestion for you," Ash stated.

"What is it Ash?" Olivia asked.

"Since you're going to be staying in Celadon City for a little while longer, why don't you hang out with us until we leave. You can watch us train, you can watch my gym battle, and you can watch Serena's contest so you can get some basic pointers before you start your journey," Ash suggested.

"You know something, that's actually not a bad idea," Brawny said crossing his arms with approvement, "Our daughter can watch person to see how being a Pokémon trainer and gym battles work so she can have some knowledge."

"It is, after all he is the son of Red Ketchum, my husband," Delia said.

"We should've known that when he heard Ash's last name," Katherine stated.

Ash didn't like to hear his father's name, but it was an opportunity to show a new trainer a few ropes before she set out on her own. Ash was only a trainer for a few months, but it would do some good to make a good impression in front of a new trainer.

"I'd be delighted Ash," Olivia happily answered.

So, it looks like Ash and Serena were going to show Olivia a few tips on Pokémon. They probably should also mention how to capture a Pokémon too. Things were now looking up for Ash and Serena, they were now a couple, Ash's birthday was coming up, they were now going to stay at another hotel, and they were going to do a little mentoring with Olivia. Their time in Celadon City was finally starting to get better.

* * *

 **And there you have it; Ash and Serena are now a couple! This wasn't the original place I was intending for Ash and Serena to hook up, it was going to be later at least before Fuchsia City. But it felt like this was better, especially since their moms were around to see it. Sorry I didn't write their reactions to the news, but they were happy. This chapter was getting way to long.**

 **Well since Fennekin evolved into Braixen in the last chapter, I have to even the relationship out in this chapter and have Froakie evolve into Frogadier. They definitely were meant to evolve in the casino arc, but I was planning for them to evolve them at the same time. They will evolve into Greninja and Delphox at the same time, and I already have planned when and where they will evolve.**

 **Ash gets his first non-canon Pokémon in Scyther and Serena gets herself a Pinsir. Ash will get the next four new Pokémon before Serena gets her next Pokémon.**

 **Now Yellow mentioned someone named Annie who happened to be an old friend of Delia and Yellow. I'll mention more about that later.**

 **I tried to think of a good way to take care of Erika's actions and maybe Bruno telling her that her actions were unconstitutional would allow her to battle Ash. At first it was only to get out of trouble until Erika saw what Ash did in the casino that allowed her to think of Ash better. Anyway, not only will Ash now be able to have a battle with Erika, that's what will happen in the next chapter. Tell me what you think about how I handled the situation if you want.**

 **And finally, Olivia. I decided that should be the name of the girl trainer from Sword and Shield, because she does look like an Olivia. We won't be seeing her battle at all…at least in the Celadon Arc, because no one knows Sobble's move set or evolutions let which is why Sobble doesn't have a Pokedex entry. Olivia will stick around to watch Ash's gym battle and Serena's contest to get some pointers before heading out on her own. I might consider her another rival for Ash.**

 **Well this group is pretty big right now, and it will get a little bigger in the next chapter as someone we know will be making their return.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll of what Mega Stone you want Ash to get for his Charizard.**

 **I'll spend some time writing the next chapter which will celebrate Ash's birthday, and what better way to celebrate his 11** **th** **birthday than a gym battle with Erika.**

 **Chapter 31: Ash's Birthday Bash**


	33. Ash's Birthday Bash

**Before we begin, we're going to show a flashback scene. Then it's right to the birthday chapter where some familiar faces will show up and celebrate with Ash. Did I forget to mention that there's a gym battle in this chapter?**

 **Also, this chapter will feature another feature on Rotom Dex which can really come in handy for Ash and Serena when they're on the road. And Olivia gets a new Pokémon.**

 **I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Flashback-30 years ago**_

 _ **Viridian City**_

 _In Viridian City, there was a small family that consisted of a mother, a father, and a daughter. They lived in a house that would be big enough for a family of four. First there was a man with smooth blonde hair who happened to be the father, then there was a woman with a reddish blonde hair color who happened to be the mother, and then there was a little girl with auburn hair._

 _This family was known as the Presleys, and they were a family that loved each other and Pokémon. The little girl with the auburn hair was none other than Delia Presley, along with her father Marcum Presley, and her mother Sharon Presley. They also carried a Pokémon that was big with brown and blue fur, and he also had white fur along his face looking almost like a mustache. This Pokémon was called Stoutland and was a Unova Region Pokémon._

 _It was going to be a big moment for the Presley family as Sharon broke the news to her husband that she was pregnant. In a matter of time, Delia was going to become a big sister. Delia was looking forward to becoming a big sister._

" _Mommy," Delia said to her mom tugging her apron as she was cooking._

" _What is it Delia sweetie?" Sharon asked with a loving smile._

" _When will I get to be a big sister?" Delia happily asked._

" _Very soon, and I know you'll be a great big sister," Sharon answered happily._

" _Ah sweet Delia, already looking forward to someone you can play with," Marcum said._

 _The two parents were incredibly happy that Delia was looking forward to becoming a big sister. There was still one question running through the family's mind, was the baby going to be a boy or a girl? Delia ran over to Stoutland and gave him a big hug._

" _Here that Stoutland, soon we get to have a little brother or sister to play with," Delia said._

" _Bark," Stoutland responded._

 _Stoutland was sure a big and powerful Pokémon. He always been a loving member of the family and he would get up and attack anyone who came in their way. Marcum trained this Stoutland since he was a Lillipup, and when he met Sharon and they had Delia, Stoutland has returned the love to the family._

 _Now he would have another human to love with his master and his family._

* * *

 _ **Viridian City-Hospital 9 months later**_

 _They were now in the Viridian City Hospital, and Sharon was due to have the baby. When she came in with Marcum wheeling her in a wheelchair, Sharon was screaming in pain as the baby was starting to kick. The soon to be mother of two couldn't wait to get this over with, but in the end, it would all be worth it._

" _May I help you," the receptionist responded._

" _My wife is in labor!" Marcum exclaimed._

 _The receptionist picked up the phone to make a call. She could clearly tell that the baby inside of her is due to come out any minute._

" _Hurry up! This is fucking painful!" Sharon screamed._

" _Calm down," Marcum told his wife._

" _No, you shut up! You did this to me twice already!" Sharon screamed, "I fucking hate you!"_

 _Marcum knew it was just the pain of giving birth that was running through her mind. She didn't really hate him, she just hated having to give birth. In the end, they would have another child to love._

 _The two scurried to the delivery room where Sharon was ready to give birth. Delia was staying with their next-door neighbor, and Stoutland was friendly enough to come alone. Thankfully he didn't cause any trouble. Right now, it was time for Sharon to give birth._

 _Sharon was placed on a bed screaming in pain with Marcum on her side. The doctors came in and got their gowns, masks, and gloves on._

" _Alright Mrs. Presley, I need you to push," the doctor told her._

" _Come on honey, push," Marcum told his wife._

 _Sharon began to push as hard as she can. She was screaming out of the top of her lungs, and the doctors were doing everything to help. The process lasted for 4 hours until it was finally over._

 _A baby girl was born._

" _Congratulations Mrs. Presley, it's a girl," the doctor announced._

 _The doctors let Sharon hold her newborn baby. The baby girl had hazel red eyes which was a trait carried by the baby's father Marcum. Sharon was so happy that they got to welcome another daughter into the world. Their family of three and Stoutland became a family of four and Stoutland._

" _Have you decided what you're going to name her?" the doctor asked._

" _We did," Marcum answered._

 _Marcum and Sharon had loving looks in their eyes. Just like Delia, their newborn baby will be the jewel of their lives. Delia and her new little sister will do so much together like play dress up, play with Stoutland, and maybe even be interested in shopping. They truly were a happy family once Sharon said the name of their new daughter._

" _Annie," Sharon responded._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

 _ **Celadon City**_

Delia was lost in thought thinking about Annie. Annie was Delia's younger sister, and Yellow would be born after her. Yellow mentioned her name for the first time in a while which got Delia to think about her again. She did love her sister, but it was confirmed that when she went on her Pokémon journey, she died.

Delia never told Ash about Annie because it brought back painful memories of her unfortunate death, but she would talk about her one day. This could also be one of the cases why Delia and Yellow have never became Pokémon trainers themselves.

"Is something bothering you sis?" Yellow asked.

Delia turned her head as she turned to Yellow with a curious look on her face. Delia looked away for a moment and then looked at Yellow again.

"I was just thinking about Annie," Delia muttered.

"I'm sorry I brought that up," Yellow said with a despondent look.

"It's okay Yellow," said Delia.

Delia changed her face and now flashed a smile at her. Right now, it was best to not think about Annie. Her death was a long time ago in the past, right now she needed to live in the present. She had a wonderful son in Ash whom she was with right now as they were going to celebrate his birthday.

Speaking of Ash, he had a serious look on his face knowing what was coming. This was going to be his greatest challenge yet. He turned his head and looked at Serena who had a radiant smile on her face. She was going to be with him every step of the way. Now that they were a couple, they felt as their support for each other is stronger than it ever was before.

"Are you ready Ash?" Serena asked.

"I am," Ash answered as his face was filled with complete determination.

Ash was ready and Serena was going to be on her side. He looked ahead and saw what was in front of him. This was going to be another major obstacle that he would have to conquer. That's right…

It was the big waves at the wave pool in the Celadon City Water Park Resort!

The buzzing sound was made as everyone stood in place getting ready for the waves. Ash and Serena were holding each other's hand and their moms, and his aunt Yellow were right there behind them. Rose was with them as well and so was were the Millers who consisted of Brawny, Katherine, and their daughter Olivia. All of their Pokémon were at a local Pokémon daycare for the time being while the group enjoys the fun at the water park, especially Pikachu, Chu Chu, and Sobble since the two Pikachus could accidently let a shock out electrifying the water and everyone in it, and Sobble blending in with the water which caused Olivia to lose Sobble in the first place.

The waves started coming in and everybody jumped along with the waves except for the people who were in the shallow end who decided to let the waves splash them. Some people were getting pushed back a little by the force of the waves, others just enjoyed the ride.

"This is fun!" Serena squealed as she was holding Ash's hand.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered.

"Ash! Don't go to far!" Delia shouted as Ash and Serena near the much deeper part of the wave pool.

"You too Serena!" Grace called out.

"We'll be fine!" Serena called out waving at her moms.

Their moms definitely worry about their kids, but this should be nothing. After all they already saw them deal with much worse at the casino. Ash and Serena were just adventurous as they loved facing challenges together. While this was a fun challenge, they had serious challenges on the way.

* * *

 _ **2 hours later**_

After having fun in the wave pool, going down water slides, riding the lazy river, and having fun in the wave pool again, the group of ten made it to a nearby table to order themselves some lunch. Everybody was in their swimsuits with flip-flops on their feet. Ash and Serena ordered themselves nachos to share along with a large drink with two straws in them while everyone else got their own thing.

Despite the fact that Ash and Serena were supposed to share those nachos, Ash couldn't help but quickly try to eat them. Ash had himself an appetite and Serena just sighed and gave herself a facepalm. Yeah not that she and Ash were dating, she had to deal with all of his quirks, including his appetite. Ash was polite and saved some for Serena. Something tells him that he might have to buy the next thing of nachos.

"You really are a glutton," Serena muttered placing her hands on her hips.

"Eh, sorry," Ash said with a cheesy grin on his face.

Serena just rolled her eyes. They continued to eat the nachos, but Ash did use his index finger to signal something towards Serena. The large fountain drink, of course. Ash and Serena each placed their mouths on their straws and sipped through the straws while staring lovingly at each other.

Delia was picking up her hot dog and couldn't help but smile at the young couple. It reminded her of herself and Red at the time. Grace placed her hand on her chin with her elbow on the table as she watched her daughter and Ash, and Jade just looked on with her arms crossed.

"They really are cute together aren't they," Grace asked.

"Most certainly," Jade answered.

After Ash and Serena had their romantic drink, they decided to talk about what's more important. Tomorrow was Ash's birthday, and they could all agree with Ash on what better way to celebrate his birthday than for him to get a Rainbow Badge. Serena thought hard on what she was going to get Ash for his birthday. She looked around the stores in Celadon City the last couple of days on what to get Ash. She finally decided what to get her, but it would take time to get ready. It should be ready by tomorrow.

While everyone was thinking of other things, they could do on Ash's eleventh birthday, Ash was thinking to himself two things, what was he going to get for his birthday, and what Pokémon would he use for his gym battle? Before he was some what banished, Ash was going to use Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Froakie, but he thought it over and things have changed since he got a new Pokémon and Froakie evolved.

"Have you thought about who you're going to use?" Serena asked.

Ash took his time thinking, and he also recalled his recent gym victories. Frogadier and Pikachu each got him two wins, Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur each helped him get one win, but Charmander and Scyther haven't partaken in a gym battle yet. Both of them had the type advantage against grass-types, but he also needed experience. That's where he decided to throw in Frogadier.

"Yeah, I was thinking of using Charmander, Scyther, and Frogadier," Ash answered.

"Are you sure that you want to use Frogadier?" Serena asked.

Ash definitely wanted to use Frogadier for three reasons. One, he wanted to prove himself to Paul by having a water-type actually beat a grass-type; two, since Charmander and Scyther haven't been used in a gym battle having a more experience Pokémon lead the way can help with the pressure especially since Scyther is Ash's newest addition; and three most importantly, after the experience in Team Rocket's casino, Ash wants this to be an opportunity to see how far him and Frogadier have come since the start of his journey.

"Yeah Serena, I really do want to use Frogadier. I feel like our bond is stronger than it was before, and I want to put our bond to the test," Ash explained.

"That makes sense, and to also make a good impression for Olivia," Serena stated.

"That reminds me, have you decided yet on who you're going to use for your contest?" Ash asked.

Serena thought hard about it. She has been training the last few days with all of her Pokémon to figure out which combination would be perfect for the two rounds. Serena wanted Gyarados to finally be in a contest so she would be in the appeals, and she wanted Squirtle a chance to bounce back from his battle against Paul's Poliwhirl so he would be in the battle portion. The question was who would they pair up with?

After training with many different Pokémon with Gyarados except Squirtle, she decided to have her paired up with Beedrill, and when the contest battles took place, Squirtle would be paired up with Braixen.

"I've decided for my appeal round it will be Gyarados and Beedrill, and then Braixen and Squirtle for my contest battles," Serena answered, "And just like you Ash, I also want to see how far me and Braixen have come."

"You know that also means Braixen will have to work with Squirtle," Ash answered.

"Yeah, I know they'll be teaming up together so I will do my best to come up with great combinations for the two," Serena stated.

"Hey, maybe later we can train together so they can test out working together," Ash suggested.

"That sounds like a good," Serena replied before she was cut off by a buzzing sound, "The wave pool is running again!"

Serena stood up and dashed out of her seat and ran towards the wave pool giggling. Ash stood up and followed her too as he wanted more action in the water. The adults were looking over seeing Ash and Serena running towards the wave pool.

"Be careful Ash!" Delia called out to her son.

Olivia smiled to the fact that these two kids were going out to have more fun in the water. She might as well enjoy the finer things in life as she now darted for the wave pool. Despite being Pokémon trainers, there was always enough time for fun.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Park**_

It was early evening and Ash and Serena were at the park practicing for their upcoming battles. Ash had Charmander and Scyther out while Serena had Braixen and Squirtle out. Though it was likely that Ash wasn't going to have a double battle, it was best for his Charmander and newly obtained Scyther to get some training in. Serena on the other hand had to make sure Braixen and Squirtle could come up with good combinations together when they battled. Charmander ended up learning Fire Punch which would work well against Erika's Pokémon, and Ash has discovered that Scyther knows Double Team, Agility, and Fury Cutter. Squirtle didn't learn anything, but Braixen ended up learning Psyshock. Olivia was sitting on a bench watching with Pikachu and Rotom Dex, and that's when Ash turned over to Olivia.

"Hey Olivia, I know you're sitting there trying to get some information from our training, but maybe it would be great if you brought your Pokémon out," Ash suggested.

"Heh, I guess you're right Ash," Olivia said rubbing the back of her head chucking as she got out two Pokeballs.

Wait, two Pokeballs?

Olivia released her Sobble of course, but the other Pokémon that came out was an adorable creature with brown fur, long ears, a white ruff around his neck, and a fluffy brown tail. Rotom Dex saw this creature before and did an analysis on him already, it was an Eevee. This was a unique Pokémon so Rotom Dex did another analysis.

 _#133-Eevee: Evolution Pokémon_

 _Its genes are easily influenced by its surroundings. Even its face starts to look like that of its Trainer_ _._

* * *

 _ **Flashback-Yesterday**_

 _Ash, Serena, and Olivia were having another training session when an Eevee came out wandering in the park. Ash suggested that Olivia should capture that Eevee so she can learn how to catch a Pokémon. Serena thought that Eevee was pretty cute and wanted it, but sadly he has to learn that you can't always get what you want._

 _Olivia and Sobble did great in their first battle weakening the Eevee. He was having a hard time getting up and that's when Ash gave the que._

" _Alright, now throw the Pokeball," Ash told Olivia._

" _Right," Olivia replied nodding her head._

 _Olivia turned towards Eevee with a fixed look in her eyes. She threw the Pokeball at the Evolution Pokémon sucking him inside. The ball wiggled three times before it made the ding sound._

" _You did it, you caught your first Pokémon," Ash gratefully said as he looked at the Pokeball, "Go on, get your new Pokémon."_

 _Olivia and Sobble walked up to the lone Pokeball. Olivia bent down and picked up the Pokeball and looked at it. That Pokeball was going to be something special. It contained her first capture, and a new friend. Olivia smiled and turned to Sobble who was also smiling._

" _Sobble, I…no, we caught Eevee," Olivia said holding out the Pokeball containing her Eevee._

" _Sobble!" Sobble happily exclaimed giving a thumbs up._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Ash was able to give Olivia the pointers in catching a Pokémon so she could be able to make more new friends along the way. Ash did advise her not to challenge a Pokémon Gym until she gets somewhat better. Serena on the other hand wished she got that Eevee as it was a pretty cute Pokémon, but it was for the best to have Olivia how to catch a Pokémon. She'll probably get another chance at an Eevee.

Right now, she was sitting down with her Sobble and Eevee and continued to watch Ash and Serena train against each other. It was a good idea for her to learn not just about Pokémon battles, but double battles too. Ash has been able to learn a little more about his Pokémon's strengths while Serena has taught her Pokémon well to work together.

"Getting all of this?" Ash asked as her turned his head towards Olivia.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting some things down," Olivia answered, "And I must say your Pokémon are amazing."

"Thanks," Serena replied with a happy gesture.

"We can agree that your Pokémon are doing alright," a voice called out.

Ash, Serena, Olivia, Rotom Dex, and the rest of the Pokémon were looking around trying to figure out where that voice came from. Ash and Serena were able to see who called them out and their faces lit with excitement while Olivia had a blank expression on her face.

It was Shauna Florry, Trevor Zynn, and Tierno Jubalie watching from out in the distance as they were smiling towards Ash and Serena. It was an amazing sight to see, they haven't seen each other since Pewter City.

"Shauna!" Serena cheered raising her arms in the air in excitement.

"Trevor and Tierno!" Ash exclaimed with excitement.

"I didn't think we'd be seeing you again!" Tierno called out.

The group ran over to each other and Serena gave Shauna a sisterly hug while Ash gave Trevor and Tierno a high-five. Olivia just stood there with a curious look as it may come to terms that Ash and Serena know these people.

"It great to see you guys, how have you been?" Serena happily asked.

"We've been doing great," Shauna answered.

They were all happy to see each other again, and then they all had curious looks on their faces. All three of them saw Olivia standing there with a nervous smile as she is meeting some people that Ash and Serena have known.

"So, guys, who's the girl?" Trevor asked.

"Oh her," Ash responded as he looked over towards Olivia.

Ash waved his hand to Olivia as a way of telling her to come over. Her Sobble and Eevee came over as well along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex. Ash and Serena wanted to introduce her to their friends they made in Pewter City.

"Everyone, this is Olivia Miller and she comes from the Galar Region," Ash said introducing Olivia to their friends, "Olivia this is Trevor Zynn and Tierno Jubalie who are competing to get into the Pokémon League, and this is Shauna Florry who is aiming to get into the Kanto Grand Festival."

"Hello everyone, it's nice to see you all," Olivia said shaking everyone's hand staring with Shauna, Trevor, and then Tierno.

"It's nice to meet you," Shauna said.

"It's an honor to meet someone from a faraway region," Trevor said.

"It's nice to meet you," Tierno said, "And I want to figure out a good dance to welcome you to Kanto."

"You guys are amazing," Olivia responded, "So I like to hear all about you guys."

"Actually, that's a good idea Olivia," Serena said looking at her and then towards Shauna, "We need to catch up on what's happened since Pewter City."

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

All of them got together and began talking about what they've been up to since Pewter City, and for the three to have a chance to know Olivia. Olivia introduced herself, and tried to mention how they rescued Sobble, but Ash and Serena lied saying Sobble was hiding in the park fountain because they didn't want to mention anything dangerous. Olivia agreed to those terms.

Ash mentioned how he beat the Cerulean Gym and Vermillion Gym and Serena mentioned her Cerulean Contest win and how she came close to winning the Vermillion Contest. Serena then learned that Shauna got another ribbon since they last met making her have two now. Trevor and Tierno mentioned that they did beat Brock in the Pewter Gym and eventually beat the Cerulean Gym and Celadon Gym as they have shown they have three badges. Ash couldn't believe it; everyone he has known has beaten the Celadon Gym except for him as he may expect that Gary probably beat her.

However, Trevor and Tierno had grim looks on their faces when they mentioned that they have challenged the Saffron City Pokémon Gym only to be beaten pretty badly. The two decided that they were going to postpone that gym for another time, but they mention that it wasn't the Pokémon that was the issue, it was the gym leader herself.

"Wow," Ash muttered.

"Yeah, Sabrina annihilated us like we were nothing," Trevor muttered as he hung his head down.

"It wasn't even a battle at all," Shauna muttered as she had a discouraged look on her face.

"We've decided not to go back to that gym until we get the other seven badges," Tierno stated with his head hung down.

"Or six depending on if the Viridian Gym is open at the time," Ash stated.

Ash was wondering what Sabrina would be like when he challenged the Saffron Gym. He wasn't sure about Gary, but he already knew that Paul beat her. Saffron City was the closest city from Celadon so that would likely be his next destination. Trevor and Tierno could agree that wouldn't be challenging the Saffron Gym again anytime soon.

"Hey, let's change the subject to something happier," Olivia suggested as she was now trembling from hearing about Sabrina, "What Pokémon have you all got?"

"Great idea Olivia," Serena stated as she was looking at the group of three, "What Pokémon do you guys have right now?"

"That depends, what Pokémon do you have right now?" Trevor asked.

They already have explained about Scyther, Charmander, and Squirtle and how Fennekin evolved into Braixen, but they haven't seen the rest of their Pokémon.

"You already have seen some of our Pokémon, so why don't we show our other Pokémon," Ash said getting out his Pokeballs.

Serena got out her Pokeballs as well and the two threw them up in the air. Coming out was Frogadier, Pidgeotto, and Bulbasaur on Ash's side, and Serena had Beedrill, Gyarados, Slowpoke, and Pinsir come out on her side. Serena decided for the time being to switch out her Abra for Pinsir since she wanted to spend time with her new Pokémon. She would've gone with Gyarados or Beedrill, but she was going to be using them in the appeal round, but one of them would be going back after the contest so Abra can return.

They already knew Pidgeotto and Beedrill, and Frogadier as Ash mentioned that Froakie evolved into Frogadier. They now were taking the time to meet their additions since Pewter City as Bulbasaur, Charmander, Scyther, Gyarados, Squirtle, and Pinsir got a chance to know the three. Slowpoke stood there with a blank expression on his face as he didn't even notice what was going on around him which caused Serena to roll her eyes in annoyance. Ash mentioned that he released his Butterfree a little while back to start a family, because they noticed Butterfree wasn't with him.

"You got some great Pokémon," Shauna said.

"Yeah," Serena replied, "I also have an Abra, but I went over my six Pokémon limit."

* * *

 _ **Flashback-three days ago**_

 _After Ash got Scyther and Serena got Pinsir, Pinsir's Pokeball went over to Professor Oak's since she passed the six Pokémon limit. Serena wanted to spend time with her newest Pokémon, but she had to send one Pokémon back. Braixen was her starter and it was best to have the starter with you at all times even though it isn't necessary, Gyarados and Squirtle were going to be used in the contest and she may be leaning on Beedrill at the time, Slowpoke was new to her team, so she needed to spend more time with him. So, with that being said, the Pokémon that Serena decided to send back would be Abra._

 _Serena was told by Rose that she wanted to switch Pokémon out, she would need to go to a Pokémon Center phone and call Professor Oak to switch, however, Rotom Dex butted in with something it wanted to say to Serena._

" _So, you want to call your local professor to switch your Pokémon, but wait, the phone lines could be dead because of a power outage, they're too lazy to pay the phone bill, or the damn line is too long," Rotom Dex said to Serena like it sounded like a voice pitching out an ad._

 _Rotom Dex showed images of the power going out, people from the phone company shutting off their service, or a group of people rough housing in line._

" _Well you won't have to deal with that with my latest feature, Rotom PC!" Rotom Dex announced as its screen showed commands on organizing Pokémon like in the Pokémon games._

" _Rotom PC?" Serena questioned._

" _That's right, with Rotom PC you don't have to call some grumpy old professor to get a Pokémon you want. Just activate my Rotom PC on my screen and you can change your team without having to wait in line for a damn phone! But wait, it can be used anywhere so that means no waiting until a Pokémon Center to use it!" Rotom Dex announced still sounding like it's pitching a TV ad._

 _Serena looked at the screen on Rotom Dex. One command says, "Withdraw Pokémon" and another says, "Deposit Pokémon"._

" _Hit Deposit Pokémon to send a Pokémon away, and then hit Withdraw Pokémon to pick the Pokémon you want to have," Rotom Dex explained to Serena._

 _Serena was looking pretty interested in this feature. Not only would it give her a chance to switch out her Pokémon, but she and Ash can switch out on the road rather than just at a Pokémon Center. Of course, the feature would not let either of them carry more than six Pokémon._

 _Serena pressed "Deposit Pokémon" and looked at the screen of the Pokémon she was carrying. There were pictures of Braixen, Beedrill, Gyarados, Abra, Squirtle, and Slowpoke. After looking at the pictures, Serena pressed Abra's picture where it disappeared. Serena then looked at her belt to see Abra's Pokeball disappearing like Pinsir's Pokeball._

 _Serena was amazed that this had to have worked. Then Serena went over to "Withdraw Pokémon" and looked at the screen showing pictures of Pinsir and Abra. Serena knew that since pressing a Pokémon's picture made her Pokeball go to Professor Oak's, meant pressing a picture of a Pokémon in this command would bring a Pokémon onto her team. Serena then pressed Pinsir's picture where it disappeared. Serena then looked at her belt to see that another Pokeball appeared on her belt._

" _Ta da! You now have Pinsir," Rotom Dex announced._

 _Serena grabbed the Pokeball that appeared and opened it. Coming out was her newly caught Pinsir. Pinsir gave a flex of his arms and then went on over to hug Serena. Serena returned the hug as she now had the Stag Beetle Pokémon while Abra was back at Professor Oak's lab._

" _This is amazing, now we can switch Pokémon whenever we want!" Serena exclaimed, "Wait till Ash hears about this."_

" _You got that right!" Rotom Dex announced as he then went into a disclaimer voice, "Rotom PC is only to be used in the cases of organizing Pokémon for Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena. This feature is not available for anyone and is approved by Professor Oak and Professor Kukui. Any use of Rotom PC by any other trainer other than Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena is prohibited."_

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Serena was impressed that Rotom Dex can actually switch Pokémon while they're on the road rather than at a Pokémon Center. When Ash heard about this feature, he was ecstatic meaning that he can switch Pokémon whenever he wanted. This was not only so that Ash and Serena can give them a chance to train evenly but give all of their Pokémon their fair share of time with their trainers.

"Hey Olivia, why don't you show them your Pokémon," Serena suggested with a smile.

"Oh, okay," Olivia replied as she brought Sobble and Eevee over.

Sobble and Eevee has already met the couple's Pokémon and so did Olivia, but they have yet to meet Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor and their Pokémon.

"Wow, you got an Eevee," Trevor said in excitement until he saw Sobble which got him curious, "And what's that?"

"Oh, this is my starter Sobble," Olivia answered, "Say hi Sobble."

"Sobble," Sobble replied happily saying hi.

"So, what Pokémon did you get?" Ash asked.

"I'm glad you asked Ash," Tierno responded pumping his fist to his chest, "Check out what we got since our last meeting."

Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor all brought out their Pokémon. Shauna had an Ivysaur, Farfetch'd, Hitmonlee, Seel whom they remembered, and Ninetales who evolved from Vulpix. Trevor had a Charmeleon, Pidgeotto, Exeggcute, Hitmonchan, and Persian who evolved from Meowth. Tierno had a Wartortle, Grimer, his own Pikachu, Hitmontop, and Primeape who evolved from Mankey. Rotom Dex began an analysis on the Pokémon they haven't met yet.

 _#083-Farfetch'd: Wild Duck Pokémon_

 _Farfetch'd is always seen with a stalk from a plant of some sort. Apparently, there are good stalks and bad stalks. This Pokémon has been known to fight with others over stalks_ _._

 _#106-Hitmonlee: Kicking Pokémon_

 _Hitmonlee's legs freely contract and stretch. Using these spring-like legs, it bowls over foes with devastating kicks. After battle, it rubs down its legs and loosens the muscles to overcome fatigue_ _._

 _#038-Ninetales: Fox Pokémon_

 _It is vindictive and relentless by nature. Those who cross it even once will be cursed for a thousand years, along with their descendants._

 _#101-Exeggcute: Egg Pokémon_

 _Six of them form a single Pokémon. Should one of the six be lost, the next morning there will once more be six._

 _#107-Hitmonchan: Punching Pokémon_

 _Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who had been working toward a world championship. This Pokémon has an indomitable spirit and will never give up in the face of adversity._

 _#053-Persian: Classy Cat Pokémon_

 _This Pokémon is popular with rich people. It's also targeted by hunters who are after the jewel in its forehead_ _._

 _#008-Wartortle: Turtle Pokémon_

 _Its tail is large and covered with a rich, thick fur. The tail becomes increasingly deeper in color as Wartortle ages. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokémon's toughness as a battler._

 _#237-Hitmontop: Handstand Pokémon_

 _Hitmontop spins on its head at high speed, all the while delivering kicks. This technique is a remarkable mix of both offense and defense at the same time. The Pokémon travels faster spinning than it does walking._

"That is a whole lot of Pokémon," Rotom Dex said in shock.

It was amazing that they had some of the same Pokémon as Ash and Serena. Each of them had a Kanto starter at their second stage, Trevor had a Pidgeotto, and Tierno had a Pikachu. However, to their surprise, all three still had one Pokémon they haven't released yet.

"You guys got some great Pokémon," Ash said.

"Thanks, but we haven't released our last Pokémon just yet," Trevor stated crossing his arms.

So, they haven't released their last Pokémon yet. What Pokémon do they have that explained why they haven't released them yet? That's when Shauna took a look at Olivia's Eevee.

"If I may recall, Olivia has an Eevee, am I correct," Shauna stated putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes, I have an Eevee," Olivia answered looking at her Eevee.

"Well I don't know if you heard, but Eevees have many different evolutions. As of now, we can recall eight possible Pokémon Eevee can evolve into," Trevor explained.

"Eight!" Olivia exclaimed as her face look completely surprised.

Serena was amazed when she heard that Eevee had potentially eight evolutions, and maybe even more. She felt even more discouraged that she didn't get that Eevee, but she hoped to get one in the future.

"Yeah, and while we were traveling, me, Shauna, and Tierno all came across a group of Eevees," Trevor explained as he got out another Pokeball along with Shauna and Tierno, "See for yourself what Eevee can become."

This was going to be a good piece of information for Olivia as she would learn about potential Eevee evolutions. All three threw their Pokeballs in the air and three different Pokémon came out.

Shauna's Pokémon was a light blue sea mammal with fins on her ears and a white fin around her neck. Trevor's Pokémon was a yellow spiky mammal with spiky white fur around his neck and long spiky yellow ears. Tierno's Pokémon was a red mammal with a dark white fur around his neck, a brushy white tail, a dark white swirl on his head, and long red ears. Rotom Dex began to do an analysis on these Pokémon, so these must be some of Eevee's evolutions.

 _#134-Vaporeon: Bubble Jet Pokémon_

 _Clean, clear waters are its usual habitat. When it's about to be attacked by an invading enemy, it dives into the water to hide._

 _#135-Jolteon: Electric Pokémon_

 _Its fur stands on end, becoming like needles it fires at enemies. Once they're weakened, it finishes them off with a 10,000-volt shock._

 _#136-Flareon: Flame Pokémon_

 _The flame chamber inside its body ignites when Flareon gets agitated, reaching temperatures of up to 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit._

"Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon," Ash muttered looking at the three Pokémon.

"Vaporeon is a water type, and for Eevee to become a Vaporeon you need to give one a Water Stone," Shauna said showing off her Vaporeon who shot out a Water Gun.

"Then there is Jolteon who is an electric type. If you choose Jolteon, then you must give Eevee a Thunder Stone," Trevor explained as Jolteon unleashed a spark of electricity.

"Finally, there's Flareon who can whip up some killer dance moves!" Tierno exclaimed as his Flareon spun around and got lowered until he was spinning on his side like he got someone served, "Flareon is a fire type and just give Eevee a Fire Stone, and this Pokémon is hot hot hot!"

They studied the three evolutions of Eevee very well. Those were three of the possible Pokémon that Eevee could evolve into. It makes them wonder what the other evolutions for Eevee are? Olivia took a look at her new Eevee and wondered if he wanted to become one of them. Right now, though, she would just let him enjoy his time as an Eevee.

"Those evolutions are pretty lovely, but I like to keep Eevee the way he is," Olivia said, "When the time comes, I'll let him evolve."

"That's a good idea, Eevee could give you some help in battles," Shauna said.

"And when the time is right, you can let Eevee into whatever you want," said Trevor.

Everyone was truly supportive of Olivia's decision with her new Eevee. Now that she has seen three evolutions, that can give her a clue on what she would like Eevee to evolve into, and she even knows how to evolve them into those Pokémon. It would take time for Olivia to decide what she'll evolve Eevee into, so having Eevee as an Eevee was just fine for now.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location in Kanto**_

The sun went down, and it was now nighttime in the grotto of the big tree. A couple of days ago, a Snorlax became a father by welcoming his newborn son, a Munchlax. Munchlax was quite a happy Pokémon and had a very controllable appetite. Munchlax's and Snorlax's were known to eat a lot in one sitting, but these two Pokémon didn't have that in their nature.

Right now, Munchlax was looking at the night sky wondering what could be out there. This Pokémon has only been in the world for a few days. He has met some of the local Pokémon that hang around the tree which is considered a sanctuary for all Pokémon. As Munchlax looked into the night sky, another figure approached Munchlax. It was his father Snorlax who sat down with his son. His mate was killed, and his son was all he had along with the Pokémon in the tree.

"Hey kiddo," Snorlax said looking at his son.

Munchlax turned to see his father looking at him with a big smile. He was young, and he didn't even know the story about his mother. He probably would learn it one day, but this wasn't the time.

"Hey daddy," Munchlax said with a cheerful look on his face.

"It's getting late son, shouldn't you come on in and get some sleep," said Snorlax.

"I will, I just want to look out into the sky," said Munchlax.

Munchlax began to lay down on the ground and look up at the stars. He then turned to his father who was watching the night sky with him. It was a magical moment for these two to have a father and son moment. Munchlax had so many questions he wanted answers to, and the only Pokémon that he knew could have the answers was his father.

"Dad, what is it like out there?" Munchlax asked.

Snorlax tried his best not to show his emotions. He didn't want to shelter Munchlax his whole life, but he wanted him to be ready for what's out there. With that, Snorlax let out a sigh and began to speak.

"Well son, the world we live in can be peaceful, but it's also dangerous," Snorlax answered.

"Peaceful and dangerous?" Munchlax questioned.

"Indeed, this world contains many good things such as trees, plants, Pokémon, and many more," Snorlax answered as he began to let out a sigh, "But there is also dangerous things in this world, like a certain group of humans."

"Humans?" Munchlax questioned with a curious tone.

"Fear not, not all humans are bad. There are definitely good humans out there, but there are also bad humans," Snorlax explained.

Snorlax admitted that there were some bad humans out there like Team Rocket, but Snorlax has to also tell Munchlax the light side to humanity, and this Snorlax has seen it.

"In fact, let me tell you the story about your grandfather, and my father," Snorlax told his son.

"Grandfather?" Munchlax questioned.

"Yes, you see some Pokémon end up being captured by humans who are known as Pokémon trainers, and there are humans out there who treat their Pokémon as equal which are the good humans. That's was the case for your grandfather," Snorlax told his son.

Munchlax was hearing this out from his father about these humans called Pokémon trainers. From what his dad was telling him, it looks like his grandpa had a Pokémon trainer back in his days.

"My father told me how he was captured by a human. He was sleeping in the middle of the road until this Pokémon trainer played a Pokeflute to wake him up. Your grandfather attacked this trainer, but he used a Pokémon to battle your grandfather. He told me it was a Charizard," Snorlax explained telling his son the story.

"Wow, was he a bad human?" Munchlax asked.

"That's what your grandfather thought of at first. Anyway, his Charizard weakened him and then he used a sphere device that was called a Pokeball and threw it at your grandpa, and he wouldn't break free. He was now with the human, but once he was captured, he took his time with your grandpa to become friends and he had him battle on his side," Snorlax explained continuing to tell the story.

"So, this human was actually good," Munchlax stated.

"Indeed, not only was he a good human, he was a greatly honorable man who loved his Pokémon. Like all of the Pokémon he obtained, he took the time to know them and figure out what they could do to make them happy. He did the same with your grandfather. He took the time to know him and surprisingly, he let him decide if he wants to stay with him or go back into the wild," Snorlax explained, "And in the end, he learned that this man was special. He felt a special bond with him, and he got along with his Pokémon just fine. He wanted to stay with him."

Munchlax was amazed about the good human out there that shared a bond with his grandpa. Snorlax told him that if a Pokémon and human share a great bond, then the Pokémon will be a lot stronger and Munchlax probably knew that was one tough Snorlax. Munchlax would love to have a trainer like…who was it?

"Dad, did you ever tell me the name of this human grandpa became friends with?" Munchlax asked.

"I know the man's name. He not only was great with Pokémon, but he ended up being one of the highest respected people in Kanto. He ended up earning a great honor of being Kanto's Champion. His name was Red Ketchum," Snorlax confirmed.

Munchlax was loving the story about his grandfather and the human named Red Ketchum. He was so ecstatic about everything that his father told him about Red. Do they know if he is still Kanto Champion?

"Your grandfather loved Red so much that he helped him overcome the odds to win many battles against many powerful Pokémon which is why he obtained that title. He didn't just consider your grandfather as a powerful Pokémon, but as a living creature and a true friend," Snorlax explained as he started to give out a big smile, "Red wanted to do what he could to make your grandfather happy, and he figured out what he needed. One day, Red took your grandfather over to the mountains and he ended up meeting with another Snorlax. Your grandfather looked at that Snorlax, and when the other Snorlax saw him, they fell in love. Red knew how much your grandfather loved that female Snorlax, so he caught her without any hesitation, and she accepted. Munchlax, that Snorlax was your grandmother."

Munchlax couldn't believe it, not only did Red train his grandfather to become a powerful Snorlax, he also introduced him to grandma and allowed them to be together.

"Then, one spring, they made an egg. That egg contained me, and when I hatched into a baby Munchlax like you, your grandparents were so happy. Red raised your grandfather well, and he did the same for your grandmother," Snorlax explained.

"So, it was this Red guy who brought grandma and grandpa together," Munchlax said in excitement.

"It was, and when I was born, my parents raised me the same way that Red raised your grandfather. They knew that despite your grandparents both being with Red, they weren't going to hold me back so when I grew up and evolved into Snorlax, my parents let me go into the mountains and Red apricated what they did," Snorlax explained as tears came from his eyes, "And it wasn't long before I met your mother."

Snorlax told his son Munchlax that he met his mom in the mountains, and they fell in love as well. Then he told them how the two mated like his grandparents producing the egg containing him. There was still one thing on Munchlax's mind.

"What happened to my mother?" Munchlax asked in curiosity.

Snorlax had a grim look on his face. He was about to learn the sad truth about his mother's unfortunate demise by the hands of Team Rocket.

"After your egg was made, we were trying to find a good home, but then we came across these bad humans who were trying to catch us," Snorlax muttered, "They wore black and called themselves Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket," Munchlax muttered.

"Yes, Team Rocket were considered bad people, and when we refused to be captured, they tried to kill us. I got away…but your mother didn't. She died trying to protect me and your egg," Snorlax said as he started to cry.

Munchlax was hurt when he heard what happened to his mother. After hearing about this good human named Red who became friends with his grandfather, he hears about this group of bad humans called Team Rocket who killed his mother before he was born. His mom died protecting them.

"I wanted to raise you somewhere safe so no human would find us, so I located to raise you in this tree to keep ourselves safe from danger. As the years went by, I welcomed many Pokémon here, but I didn't want the humans to know we lived here so we could be safe," Snorlax explained.

Munchlax was amazed to learn that he has been a father figure to all of these Pokémon, and not just him. Munchlax was able to get along well with these Pokémon, but after hearing about what happened to his mom and why they were in here, Munchlax was wondering if he would ever see the world.

"Does this mean I have to live here forever?" Munchlax asked.

"No, my son, I want you to be able to venture out into the world, and I want you to be ready for that day," Snorlax explained, "While it is scary, I can't keep you here forever."

"I understand," Munchlax said as he looked up into the stars, "But if I meet a human and that human catches me, I hope that human is as great as Red."

"Me too son, me too," Snorlax said patting Munchlax on the back.

It was a hard life for Munchlax as he had to live in a tree grotto because of his mother's murder, and that it could be a while before his dad could let him leave. Munchlax did wish for one thing, if he ever falls into the hands of a human, he definitely wanted him to be like Red Ketchum.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Celadon City-Pokémon Center**_

Today was Ash's big day, it was his eleventh birthday. He was pumped up for his day today knowing what kind of festivities they had planned for him. Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna were spending the night at the Pokémon Center, Olivia was back at her house with her parents, and Ash, Serena, and the rest were at the resort. They all agreed that they were going to meet at the Pokémon Center that morning.

Ash had a big breakfast at the buffet. Yep, that was a good way to start his birthday, with one of the things he loved third most behind only Pokémon and Serena, eating. Now they were heading for the Pokémon Center to meet with the others as they all agreed to watch Ash's gym battle and partake in tonight's activities. Serena also had to remind herself to pick up Ash's present before they got going.

Ash, Serena, Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose all walked into the Pokémon Center where they would meet Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, Olivia, Brawny, and Katherine. They told them that they met them the other night when they were training and agreed to meet at the Pokémon Center as Ash and Serena did leave their Pokémon there. When they arrived, there they were.

"Hey there," Ash called out.

"Hey!" everyone called out.

They were all happy to be together as they were going to celebrate Ash's 11th birthday which would include a visit to the Celadon Gym. Shauna went over to the same sex couple who were Serena's moms while Trevor and Tierno went on over to Delia and Yellow. Despite seeing their faces before, this was the first-time meeting in person.

"So, you must be Shauna," Grace said shaking Shauna's hand, "I'm Serena's mother Grace."

"Yeah, we met on the phone remember," Shauna replied reminding Grace.

"We know, this is just the first time we're meeting you in person," Jade said as she shook Shauna's hand.

"And you must be Trevor and Tierno," Delia said as she shook their hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Trevor said shaking Delia's hand.

"Same here," Tierno replied as he shook Delia's hand too.

It was a great time for them, now they were all together and were ready to head to the Celadon Gym for Ash's gym battle. Once Ash and Serena got their Pokémon, they were on their way.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Celadon Gym**_

It was a big group consisting of Ash, Serena, Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, Olivia, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, Brawny, Katherine, and Rose along with Pikachu, Chu Chu, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex. It definitely looked like it was going to be a party. All of them took their time to know each other as they were walking to the Celadon Gym. When they got near the gym, Delia mentioned what they had planned for later tonight.

"So, we made plans, tonight we're all going to go bowling," Delia said clasping her hands.

"Bowling?" Olivia questioned.

"Yeah, we need a special activity to celebrate Ash's birthday and what better way than for all of us to have fun at the bowling alley," Delia explained.

So, they were going to be in for a night of bowling. Sure, they could all come back to the resort after Ash's gym battle and have fun in the water park again, but they need something to do during the night, and bowling would be just perfect. They could play a couple of games and give Ash his presents as well. Most of the people in the group have never bowled in their life with Brawny being one of the few.

"I wouldn't mind going bowling," Serena said with a chuckle.

Serena definitely imagined that bowling would be something young couples would do on their first date. Of course, it wasn't going to be a date because there were so many people around. She could also imagine being a terrible bowler. Everybody else seemed pumped, but Ash was only semi-pumped. The reason for that, he needed to keep his focus on his upcoming gym battle.

As they approached the door, they opened for the group to see Erika. It wasn't anything compared to last time as Erika actually showed a warm smile rather than frustration and anger. Then that smiled turned into a surprised look as she saw the group with them.

"Well Ash, it seems you've made it," Erika said as she looked behind them, "I take it you got a big group with you."

"Well it turns out today is my 11th birthday, and what better way to celebrate my birthday than to get a badge from you," Ash declared.

"Well in that case, happy birthday Ash," Erika happily said.

"Yeah, all of them are going to be here to watch my battle," Ash explained.

"I see," Erika responded as she then saw Trevor and Tierno with the group, "Trevor Zynn and Tierno Jubalie I presume."

"Hello again Erika, we're just here to watch Ash's battle and so we can learn from him too," Trevor said.

"Yeah, and if we're lucky maybe Ash's Pokémon could show off some dance moves," Tierno said pumping his fists.

"Just like how your Pokémon did to beat mine," Erika stuttered rolling her eyes.

Erika definitely remembers that Tierno's tactics of battling involve his Pokémon dancing. Right now, Erika was ready to take the group inside for Ash's battle.

"Okay everyone, follow me and we'll get started," Erika announced.

Everyone walked inside the gym and what they saw inside amazed them, especially for Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna since they were already inside. The gym looked like a beautiful tranquility garden with trees, flowers, and a coy pond on the side. The entire battlefield was grass as Erika did use grass-type Pokémon.

"Hey Olivia, why don't you bring Sobble and Eevee out to watch," Serena suggested, "While you're going to learn a bit about gym battles, it's fair your Pokémon does too."

"Okay," Olivia said bringing out Sobble and Eevee.

Ash looked on over to Olivia who brought her Pokémon out. He then turned to Erika to let her know the situation.

"Hey Erika, I should also let you know that we have a new trainer here who's going to watch your battle," Ash said gesturing towards Olivia and her Pokémon, "Serena suggested she brings her Pokémon out so they can learn some stuff."

"I'd be delighted, and if she wants to, she can challenge me afterwards," Erika said giving a bow.

"I don't think she would, but we'll see," Ash said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright everyone, you can all sit over there," Erika said pointing to some benches, "And Ash, show me what you're made of."

"You bet," Ash said pumping his fist.

With that, Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, Delia, Mimey, Yellow, Chu Chu, Grace, Happy, Jade, Rose, Olivia, Sobble, Eevee, Brawny, Katherine, Pikachu and Rotom Dex all went over to the benches to have a seat and watch the battle. Serena on the other ran up to Ash and kissed him on the cheek which caused Ash to blush.

"That was for good luck," Serena whispered as she smiled back at Ash.

"Heh, thanks," Ash said with a sincere tone.

Serena then ran over to the group as she was going to watch him battle. Ash was now ready to get a birthday present for himself, and that was a Rainbow Badge. Ash and Erika were now on their respective sides as a woman came out who was going to be their referee.

"This will be an official Pokémon gym battle between the Celadon Gym Leader Erika, and the challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Each of you will be allowed to use three Pokémon while the challenger is the only one who can make substitutions. The match goes on until all three Pokémon on one side is unable to battle! Since Erika is the gym leader, she will reveal her Pokémon first," the referee announced.

"Very well, for my first Pokémon, I choose Weepinbell!" Erika yelled out as she spun around and then threw her Pokeball.

Coming out of the Pokémon was a Weepinbell. This brings back bad memories for Ash and Serena when Paul released his Weepinbell after his battle with Ash. Ash got a hold of Charmander's Pokeball as he was ready to send him out. Ash turned his cap backwards.

"Charmander, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Charmander.

Charmander came out of the Pokeball and he was in a battle stance. Ash was going to begin the match with a fire-type, and he had Scyther for later. This was Charmander's first gym battle and it will set the stage for Scyther when Ash brings him out.

"So, Ash is going to use Charmander," Trevor said.

"I think that might be a good idea to start with type advantages to begin a gym battle," Rose said.

"Huh?" Trevor questioned as he tilted his head towards Rose.

"He might have plenty of Pokémon he can believe in, but maybe having a type-advantage to start things off might make it easier for the other Pokémon. As you know, the leader's Pokémon will get stronger so it would be best to use your advantages and then go to skill," Rose explained.

"That might make some sense," Trevor replied.

"Ash and Serena told me never always rely on type-advantages, but to begin a gym battle might seem to be okay," Olivia stated to herself.

Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna were aware of what Erika could do since Trevor and Tierno challenged her already. Delia had her hands clasped hoping Ash can win.

"Alright Weepinbell, let's start things off with Gastro Acid!" Erika called out.

Weepinbell unleashed a green slime that was flying right towards Charmander. The Lizard Pokémon was hit by the green goo and Charmander felt like something was suppressed inside, other than that he was fine. Ash was wondering what that was about?

"What just happened?" Olivia asked.

"It's Gastro Acid, it's a move that suppresses the Pokémon's special ability, and since Charmander's special ability is Blaze, it won't activate when he's weakened," Trevor explained.

Ash may have heard what Trevor said as Charmander's Blaze wasn't to be in effect, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to completely rely on that, he was going to rely on his own skills.

"Okay Charmander, use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled.

"Jump up and use Razor Leaf!" Erika retorted.

Charmander opened his mouth and fired a Flamethrower, but Weepinbell jumped up into the air to dodge the attack and then fire off leaves at Charmander. Charmander was getting pelted by the leaves Weepinbell was sending out.

"Good job Weepinbell, now follow that up with Slam!" Erika called out.

Weepinbell then came crashing down onto Charmander and landed on top of him. Weepinbell got up and Charmander was laying down. He pushed his hands down to help himself up, but not before Erika came up with another attack.

"Alright Weepinbell, use Stun Spore!" Erika called out.

Weepinbell unleashed a brown powder onto Charmander which caused him to stand there all shaken up. Ash gritted his teeth as Charmander was getting owned so far by Weepinbell. This was nothing compared to the Weepinbell Paul released last time they met as this Pokémon was much more experienced.

"Charmander!" Ash cried.

"Char!" Charmander cried.

"Looks like Charmander is having some issues with Weepinbell," Erika said with a smug look on her face, "Use Acid!"

"Try using Dragon Rage!" Ash called out.

"Get out of the way!" Erika called out.

Weepinbell unleashed an Acid attack right at Charmander and then hopped up into the air to avoid the Dragon Rage attack. Was Weepinbell coming in for another Slam onto Charmander? Weepinbell was hovering over Charmander.

"Use Slam again!" Erika called out.

Weepinbell was coming in onto Charmander. He can't move as he is to stiff from the previous Slam attack not to mention Weepinbell's Stun Spore took some effect on him. Erika then had a surprise for Ash.

"Turn that Slam into a Wrap," Erika told Weepinbell.

Weepinbell's body then flipped forward a little bit as his mouth was now coming in onto Charmander. The Flycatcher Pokémon engulfed Charmander into his mouth and Charmander was completely stuck.

"Charmander, no!" Ash cried.

"Why don't we add to this shall we, Weepinbell use Poisonpowder," Erika told Weepinbell.

Charmander was completely helpless as he was stuck in Weepinbell's mouth, and now to add to the pain he was using Poisonpowder. Charmander was directly inside as he was now being engulfed in the purple powder, which was sprinkling out in different directions, but Charmander got a whole lot of it.

"This is bad," Serena said feeling all shaken up.

"It is bad, Weepinbell has been pretty much been in control this whole match. I don't know what else Charmander can do," Rose said.

"Wow, these gym battles seem tough," Olivia said to herself.

Sobble and Eevee were watching as they could see how painful it was for Charmander. These gym leaders were tough, and Ash has beaten three of them. This was a lesson for Olivia that she needs to bring her A game when facing a gym leader.

Ash on the other hand knew that Charmander seemed helpless. Starting right off with a Flamethrower may have been a big mistake as Erika was able to find a way to turn the whole battle south on Ash. In fact, when he then told Charmander to fire a Dragon Rage, Erika found a way to make it worse. Ash needed to think of something not only to help Charmander, but to make a good impression for Olivia.

Ash could see Charmander struggling inside of Weepinbell's mouth. Ash didn't know what to do as Charmander couldn't do anything as only his feet were free, and he didn't know any foot moves, and not to mention he was paralyzed. Then Ash thought of something, if Charmander was inside of Weepinbell's mouth, why not make this an opportunity to attack close range.

"I think I know what to do," Ash said to himself, "Charmander if you can hear me, use Flamethrower!"

Charmander heard a voice coming from outside, and he knew it was Ash's. Ash was calling him out to use Flamethrower. It made sense, he couldn't move any part of his body while being wrapped in Weepinbell's mouth, but he could open his mouth. With that, Charmander opened his mouth and fired off a Flamethrower.

"Bell!" Weepinbell cried as he was being shot upwards.

"Alright!" Serena, Trevor, Tierno, Shauna cheered.

"Hurry Weepinbell use Acid!" Erika called out.

"Counter with Slash!" Ash retorted.

Weepinbell regained his composure and fired an Acid attack at Charmander, but Charmander was able to slice through the liquid attack and Weepinbell had a look of shock on his face. Ash was ready to have Charmander deliver the finishing blow.

"Now use Fire Punch!" Ash yelled.

Charmander started heating up his hand and when Weepinbell came in close for might be another Slam attack, Charmander wasn't going to give in like that. He fought off the paralysis and smacked Weepinbell with his fiery fist. The Flycatcher Pokémon was sent flying past Erika and then slamming into a tree. Weepinbell slowly slid down after the impact, and it appeared he was now slumped onto the grass.

"Weepinbell is unable to battle, the winner is Charmander!" the referee announced.

"Good job Charmander!" Ash called out giving a thumbs up.

"Char," Charmander replied.

"Ash did it," Serena praised as she clasped her hands.

"You bet he did. The fact that Charmander was stuck inside Weepinbell's mouth was also an opportunity for a surprise Flamethrower attack which left Weepinbell's guard down. You would need both a good bond and a good brain to make that work," Rotom Dex explained.

Charmander looked weakened after taking some nasty hits from Weepinbell, but Ash couldn't have been more impressed. Olivia payed attention to the battle and saw that Pokémon will get into sticky situations, but great trainers need to know how to get out of them.

However, there was no time to celebrate. The battle was just getting started as Ash still needed to beat two more of her Pokémon. Erika called back her Weepinbell.

"Good job Weepinbell, take a good rest," Erika said as she looked at her Pokeball and then switched it with another Pokeball, "Well Ash I thought Weepinbell had you there, but you and Charmander figured a way out."

"You bet I did," Ash said pumping his fist.

"Alright then, let's see how you do against my next Pokémon. Go Tangela!" Erika yelled out sending out her next Pokémon.

Now in front of Ash was a Pokémon covered in blue vines with eyes coming out, and she had red feet as well. Erika called out Tangela, and this must be her Tangela. Rotom Dex began to analyze Tangela.

 _#114-Tangela: Vine Pokémon_

 _Tangela's vines snap off easily if they are grabbed. This happens without pain, allowing it to make a quick getaway. The lost vines are replaced by newly grown vines the very next day_ _ **.**_

"Hey Charmander, do you want me to call you back or do you want to go for a second win?" Ash asked Charmander.

"Charmander," Charmander responded saying he wants to keep going.

"Alright then Charmander, let's do it," Ash declared.

Charmander looked at Tangela with a sense of determination. Ash was going to need to think of something as he needed to remember that Weepinbell's Gastro Acid has prevented Charmander's Blaze from coming.

"You might have a big mistake of leaving Charmander in there with the state he's in. It will be your downfall Ash Ketchum. Tangela use Ingrain!" Erika called out.

Tangela stuck her roots into the grass as Charmander just watched. Just what was Erika having planned with this move Ingrain?

"Well that's not good for Ash," Rose said crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked as she turned to Rose.

"Ingrain is a move that will slowly heal the Pokémon every once in a while, and the Pokémon can't be switched out while it's in effect," Rotom Dex explained.

"That's what I was about to say. But it won't matter to Erika because she's a gym leader and the rules forbid her to switch Pokémon, so this can be used to her advantage. If Ash wants to beat Tangela, his Pokémon better beat Tangela quickly because that Pokémon will heal little by little," Rose explained.

So Tangela was going to be healing herself. This would've been a good time for Charmander's Blaze to come in handy, but that won't be the case thanks to Weepinbell. Ash was going to have to be quick. Flamethrower was stronger, but he needed a fast attack.

"Alright Charmander use Ember!" Ash retorted.

Charmander fired off pelts of ember at Tangela and the Vine Pokémon was being hit by the Ember attack. Tangela stood her ground as she toughened herself out through the attack.

"Use Vine Whip and turn it into a Bind," Erika told Tangela.

Tangela launched a whole bunch of vines at Charmander and tied up the Lizard Pokémon. The vines tightened around Charmander as he was struggling to break free. To make matters even worse, Tangela was feeling a little refreshed from the Ember that Charmander fired. Despite binding Charmander with her vines, Ash knew that Charmander's mouth was still open.

"Quick Charmander use Ember again until Tangela starts losing her grip!" Ash retorted.

Ash was right, Charmander fired away with another Ember attack. Tangela didn't seem to be getting phased by Charmander's Ember attack. He could go with Flamethrower, but the few extra seconds can make a difference with Ingrain being in effect. Ember was not working at all.

Ash needed to think of something as Charmander struggled to break out of Tangela's grip. Wait, Charmander was inside Weepinbell's mouth when he used Flamethrower, but his hands were inside of the vines. This gave Ash an idea.

"Hey Charmander, try using Fire Punch," Ash called out.

This was a good idea. Charmander could light up his fist and burn the vines within to free himself from Tangela's Bind. Charmander was about to prepare a fire punch, but then something unexpected happened which caused Ash to have a shocked look on his face.

"I forgot about Poisonpowder," Ash muttered.

The poison that effected Charmander was getting to him. Charmander's health was now out and couldn't pull the surprise attack in time. Tangela noticed Charmander's condition and she finally let him on the ground. Charmander was laying there knocked out. If Ash only knew this sooner, maybe he could of beat Tangela, or made things easier for his next Pokémon.

"Charmander is unable to battle, the winner is Tangela!" the referee announced.

Ash gritted his teeth as he saw Charmander laying there. Turns out the battle with Weepinbell did more to Charmander than he thought, especially with Poisonpowder.

"I can't believe Charmander lost," Shauna muttered.

"I know, and I thought Ash was going to pull something out again, but the poison caught up to Charmander," Serena explained.

"Charmander return," Ash called out returning Charmander, "You did great Charmander. Take a nice long rest."

Ash was now down to two Pokémon and Erika's Tangela proved that she wasn't a pushover. Tangela was strong enough to withstand Ember despite it being weaker than Flamethrower, but Ingrain pretty much threw things off a little since Ash needed to act fast in beating her Tangela.

Ash pulled out his second Pokeball which contained Scyther. Unlike Charmander, this Pokémon was going to be fresh going up against Tangela, not to mention Scyther was a fast Pokémon with a type advantage.

"Scyther, I choose you!" Ash called out sending out Scyther.

Scyther came out of his Pokeball and he grinded his blades together. Scyther took a look at the Tangela in front of him. So, this was going to be his opponent. Scyther may be a bug-type, but he was still Ash's newest capture which mean Ash may have little experience with the Mantis Pokémon.

"So, Ash is going to use his new Scyther?" Yellow asked.

"Scyther really was a help for us at the casino along with Pinsir. I can't wait to see what he's going to do for Ash in this battle," Jade explained crossing her arms.

"Come on Scyther, win this for Ash!" Delia called out.

Ash looked over to see his mom calling out to his Scyther. Scyther did play a big role in stopping Team Rocket's casino operation, and now he will put his skills to the test against Erika's Tangela.

"Now Scyther start things off with Agility, and then come at Tangela with Fury Cutter," Ash told Scyther.

Ash wanted to get his Scyther moving as Charmander barely could move at all when he battled. Scyther started to fly all over the room with Agility, and then he came in with Fury Cutter.

"Use Poisonpowder!" Erika retorted.

Not again with the Poisonpowder. First it was Charmander and now it was Scyther.

"Scyther, fight through it!" Ash called out.

Tangela unleashed purple pollen from her body, but Scyther managed to get through and slice Tangela with Fury Cutter. Scyther landed on the ground but started to feel weak. Despite hitting Tangela with Fury Cutter, Scyther did get poisoned from the Poisonpowder. This was just great, not only was Tangela curing herself with Ingrain, but Scyther was poisoned as well. Ash really needed to act fast now.

"We got you now Ash, Tangela use Bind," Erika yelled out.

"Dodge it quick!" Ash retorted.

Tangela was unleashing her vines, but Scyther flew out of the way just in time to avoid being in a Bind. Tangela was taking a look at the fast Scyther and she started to heal herself from the Fury Cutter.

"Now use Double Team!" Ash yelled out.

Scyther started to make multiple copies of himself all over the gym. Tangela was surrounded by a whole bunch of Scyther copies. Erika knew this was the after-image trick.

"That won't work Ash, Tangela use Power Whip all across the battlefield until you hit the real Scyther," Erika told Tangela.

The Vine Pokémon brought out a vine and extended it all across the battlefield. Tangela spun clockwise wiping out all of the Scyther copies until she hit the real Scyther. The Mantis Pokémon was knocked on his back and was struggling to get up.

"Scyther!" Ash cried.

"I hate to say this Ash, but I know how to take care of those pesky bugs," Erika told Ash, "Tangela use Stun Spore!"

Scyther got back up, but just when he got back up, a brown powder engulfed Scyther and he wasn't able to dodge it in time. Scyther was now feeling the effects of Tangela's Stun Spore and was shaken.

"Perfect, now use Power Whip once more," Erika commanded.

"Dodge with Agility!" Ash cried out.

Tangela sent out another vine for Scyther but Scyther barely got out of the way with Agility. Scyther was actually moving a bit slower due to the effects of Stun Spore. It wasn't as bad as Charmander since Scyther still had some speed in himself, but it did slow him down.

"This isn't good, Scyther is in the same pickle as Charmander was in," Serena said.

"Are you sure Scyther can dance his way out of this one?" Tierno asked.

"Well Ash has pulled some nice tricks out," Serena answered.

Serena could remember when she thought Froakie was defeated in the Pewter Gym, Froakie unleashed a last second Water Pulse to soften his landing, and he was able to keep going against Onix. Granted that was Froakie acting on his own terms, and not Ash's strategy. Maybe Scyther would pull something out or Ash could think of something.

Ash looked around and saw the state Scyther was in. Here he was again with his Pokémon stunned and poisoned, and this time it was Scyther. Not to mention Tangela was healing herself with Ingrain. Ash then saw everyone on the sidelines hoping that he could think of something. Ash then remembered something Rotom Dex told him about Scyther's Fury Cutter.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Scyther was training with Serena's Squirtle and he was working with his Fury Cutter. After hitting Squirtle with his first Fury Cutter, Scyther unleashed another Fury Cutter which ended up being stronger than the first which shocked Squirtle and knocked him further. Ash and Serena were amazed at how Scyther's Fury Cutter was much stronger than before._

" _Wow, Scyther's Fury Cutter is incredible," Ash said in astonishment._

 _Then Rotom Dex floated in towards Ash._

" _Allow me to explain the move Fury Cutter. Every time Fury Cutter hits an opposing Pokémon, the move will become stronger only if you use it consecutive times," Rotom Dex explained, "And knowing that's a bug-type move, it will come in handy against Erika."_

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

" _That's it, we can use Fury Cutter,"_ Ash thought to himself.

That was it, Ash would need to hit Tangela with Fury Cutter multiple times, but he had to make sure Scyther was hitting Tangela at all times for the move to be more powerful. If Ash can get Scyther to do that, he could Tangela in time. The question was how could Scyther be able to do that?

Ash needed Tangela to fall into a trap in order for Scyther to pull that off. Ash was then thinking about the decrease of speed Scyther had because of Stun Spore. Since Scyther was slower, it can take time for his attacks to be executed.

" _Maybe I can use the effects of Stun Spore and turn it into an advantage,"_ Ash thought to himself until a light bulb went off, _"And I think I know how to do that."_

"Scyther, get ready to use Razor Wind!" Ash commanded to Scyther.

Scyther heard what Ash told him to do. The Mantis Pokémon was getting weaker from the effects of poison and not to mention that Stun Spore has slowed Scyther down. Razor Wind unfortunately took time. Why would Ash want him to use Razor Wind? Without further ado, Scyther began whipping up a whirlwind.

"Bad idea Ash, Tangela's Stun Spore has slowed Scyther down, so he won't be able to get that Razor Wind in time," Erika told Ash, "Tangela use Bind to trap Scyther!"

"Keep going Scyther," Ash told Scyther.

Scyther had no idea what Ash was thinking. He was standing there like a sitting Psyduck. Everyone else was wondering why would Ash tell Scyther to use Razor Wind. This wasn't a smart strategy, especially in front of a new trainer. Just as they all knew would happen, Tangela grabbed Scyther with her vines.

"What Ash doing? Razor Wind takes time, and Ash wanted Scyther to use that attack in the state he was in," Trevor said in a questionable tone.

"Judging by your tone, I think you're right. Ash probably wasn't thinking this through," Serena responded.

Tangela gripped Scyther and the Mantis Pokémon was struggling to move. Ash's face showed disbelief but hidden behind that face was confidence. He didn't want Erika to know what he was doing.

"Now bring Scyther in and crush it. Once he's weakened, finish it off with Slam," Erika told Tangela.

Tangela pulled the Mantis Pokémon in close to her. Scyther was struggling in Tangela's vines, and he was getting weaker from the poison. Erika was wondering what Ash was thinking having Scyther use Razor Wind, but then she saw his expression changed as he now had a smile on his face.

"Now use Fury Cutter!" Ash retorted.

Scyther now knew what he was doing. He had a little movement within his arms (or blades) and the Mantis Pokémon began to slice Tangela within breaking his arm free. Tangela was completely surprised and fell in disbelief.

"What!" Erika cried as her face showed pure shock.

"Now keep going with Fury Cutter!" Ash called out.

Scyther freed his other arm with Fury Cutter causing Tangela to stumble backwards. Scyther just repeatedly sliced away at Tangela with Fury Cutter after Fury Cutter which each slice being worse than the last. Tangela began to pant in fear and for the grand finale, Scyther brought out another Fury Cutter, but this time in the form of an uppercut.

Tangela was shot up in the air towards the ceiling. The Vine Pokémon then came crashing down like a falling chandler and hit the ground. The impact caused Tangela to moan in pain until she gave out a weak cry and then just slumped in defeat.

"Tangela is unable to battle, the winner is…" the referee announced until something happened.

The effects of Poisonpowder really took it's toll on Scyther. Scyther used a lot of energy for those repeated Fury Cutters, and with the additional effects of the poison, Scyther collapsed on the ground in defeat.

"Correction, both Pokémon are unable to battle!" the referee announced.

That was a bummer for Ash. He was able to beat Erika's Tangela, but he also lost Scyther in the process. Just like Charmander, Scyther fell victim to the poison. Just like that, they were both down to their last Pokémon.

"Ash and Scyther pulled it off!" Serena cheered as she then went into disbelief, "Too bad the poison got to Scyther."

"You all thought Ash was crazy, but he knew what he was doing. Ash wanted Scyther's Razor Wind to be a diversion so Tangela would be open to attack with her vines. Once Tangela got a hold of Scyther and brought him in, that's when Ash got Scyther to take advantage of his Fury Cutter and how it's power increases which would be enough time to take down Tangela before it could heal herself with Ingrain," Rotom Dex explained.

"Yeah, I thought Ash was crazy, but he made a risky gamble and it paid off," Shauna said.

"Too bad about the poison though. Those two Pokémon using Poisonpowder has been one of the big downfalls for Ash's Pokémon so far," Trevor said.

After that little chat, Serena turned over to Olivia. She, Sobble, and Eevee were really focused on the battle. Ash definitely was able to pull out some risky strategies which impressed her.

"What do you think of the battle so far?" Serena asked.

"I think it's been amazing," Olivia answered, "But I can't believe how hard a gym battle can be."

"Trust me, even though I haven't been in one, I can tell from watching that they're extremely difficult," Serena stated.

Olivia couldn't believe how intense these gym battles were. Looking at how this battle was going, especially with how much difficulty Charmander and Scyther who had type advantages was having with Erika's Pokémon, Olivia can agree that she is not even close to being able to face a gym leader yet.

"Return Scyther!" Ash called out as he returned his fallen Scyther, "Great job Scyther. I know you couldn't withstand the poison much longer, but you were able to beat Erika's Tangela. Take a good rest."

Ash and Erika were focused on each other as the battle was now going to come down to their last Pokémon. If Erika was going to pull the same stunt on Charmander and Scyther, he would need to go with Pidgeotto or Bulbasaur. Pidgeotto could probably blow Poisonpowder and Stun Spore away if her last Pokémon knew those attacks, and Bulbasaur would at least be immune to Poisonpowder. However, for Ash Ketchum, his heart had other options.

"Well Ash, I have to admit. You really are a great Pokémon trainer," Erika said as she then let out a small chuckle, "The apple does fall from the tree."

Ash knew who Erika was mentioning and it made Ash feel a little grim inside. She mentioned his father Red and Ash still wonders why he left him and his mom. Ash wasn't going to think of that as he had a gym battle to win. Erika brought out a Pokeball which contained her last Pokémon.

"Now for my last Pokémon, I choose Gloom!" Erika exclaimed as she was about to throw the Pokeball.

"Excuse me!" Ash hollered.

Erika stopped her throwing motion. Everyone was wondering why Ash yelled that out. Did it have something to do with mentioning his father? Then the next words that came out of Ash's mouth surprised her.

"I have a request," Ash muttered.

"A request?" Erika questioned.

Serena, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, Trevor, Tierno, Shauna, Olivia, Brawny, Katherine, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Mimey, Happy, Chu Chu, Sobble, and Eevee were all wondering what Ash requested from Erika.

"I want to face your strongest Pokémon," Ash muttered.

Erika's strongest Pokémon? Did Ash have a feeling that the Gloom she was about to send out was not her strongest Pokémon? Why would Ash want Erika to bring out her strongest Pokémon?

"My strongest Pokémon?" Erika questioned.

"Yeah," Ash answered.

"Ash, according to your records you have three badges and I have to use a team that is appropriate for the amount of badges you have which is my two to three badge team to make it fair for those trainers," Erika explained.

"That's why for this official gym battle, I want to face your strongest Pokémon," Ash told Erika.

This was a surprise that Ash was asking Erika to bring out her strongest Pokémon. Usually gym leaders bring out their strongest Pokémon when they face a seven- badge trainer, but Ash only had three. Ash was really pushing it here.

"My strongest Pokémon would happen to be…Vileplume," Erika said as she pulled out Vileplume's Pokeball, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm positive," Ash declared as he had complete confidence in himself.

So, Erika's strongest Pokémon was her Vileplume. He can still remember the story that she told of how her Vileplume back when she was an Oddish evolved into Gloom to drive away the Grimer, and then in time got a Leaf Stone and evolved her into Vileplume.

"Well, I can't back down from a challenger's request," Erika replied as she was holding Vileplume's Pokeball, "I just want to let you know Ash, me and my Vileplume have shared a great bond after she saved me from the Grimer."

"Thank you for taking up my offer, because there's a Pokémon my heart is willing to bring out," Ash said pulling out a Pokeball.

It was the blue Pokeball that contained Frogadier. Everyone except for Serena gasped that Ash requested to face her strongest Pokémon and he brings out his water-type in Frogadier.

"Ash, are you sure you want to do this?" Rose questioned, "I suggest you back out."

"I know you're trying to show my daughter what a gym battle is like, but we don't need to go to the extreme," Brawny responded.

"No Rose, No Brawny, I want to do this," Ash told Rose and Brawny as he adjusted his cap, "I want to see how far we've come."

Nobody said a word. Serena looked down and gave a silent prayer that Ash could pull this off. She knew that he was going to use Frogadier.

"Alright Ash. If this is what you want, you got it," Erika announced as she threw her Pokeball, "Go Vileplume!"

The Pokeball flew across the room and coming out was none other than Vileplume. Rose remembers this Pokémon from the casino as she was using Aromatheraphy to help the captive Pokémon heal.

"Rotom Dex, do an analysis on Vileplume," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"With pleasure," Rotom Dex replied as it did an analysis.

 _#045-Vileplume: Flower Pokémon_

 _Vileplume's toxic pollen triggers atrocious allergy attacks. That's why it is advisable never to approach any attractive flowers in a jungle, however pretty they may be._

"Well Erika, strategy doesn't matter for me here. I wanted to use this Pokémon from the beginning," Ash said still holding Frogadier's Pokeball, "Frogadier, I choose you!"

Ash threw the Pokeball and Frogadier came out. Frogadier was now in his battle stance and he was looking at the Vileplume in front of him. Vileplume was a grass-type and Frogadier was a water-type.

"So, he's going to use the Frogadier he has that rescued Sobble," Katherine said as she was looking at Delia.

"Yeah, and I fully support him for his decision," Delia replied.

"There's a good reason why Ash has chosen Frogadier to go against Erika's strongest Pokémon. After seeing how much closer they got with their experience at the casino, Ash wanted to test out their bond to see how far they've come," Serena explained until her Pokeball wiggled and Braixen came out, "You want to watch Frogadier don't you?"

"Braixen," Braixen confirmed.

It was true. At first Ash was going to use Frogadier to have a water-type beat one of Erika's strong grass-types and help him win his match like Paul did, but now there was another reason. After the events of taking on Team Rocket at the casino and Ash's efforts in reuniting with Frogadier, Ash and Frogadier wanted to show everyone how far they've come and who better to do it on than Erika's strongest Pokémon, Vileplume. Ash and Frogadier have become a lot closer since Ash's journey began. One would think it was a strong bond, but Ash has this feeling that the connection he has with Frogadier could be so strong that…nah it couldn't be possible.

"So, you requested that I bring out my strongest Pokémon so you can have a water Pokémon battle for you. That isn't a smart decision," Erika firmly said crossing her arms.

"It's not about strategy, it's about how far we come since our journey began. Frogadier was my first Pokémon when he was just a Froakie. Your Vileplume is just another obstacle for Frogadier as he wants to do whatever it takes to win," Ash declared.

Olivia could see what Ash was going to do. He was going to defy the odds and have Frogadier go all out against Vileplume to show how what an amazing bond between trainer and Pokémon can do. Olivia wasn't just going to learn about battles and gym matches, and contests too, but also how a bond between trainer and Pokémon is important. That was something Sobble wanted if she were to ever meet with Olivia again.

Then it was time to battle. Frogadier VS Vileplume.

"Alright Vileplume, let's start things off with a Petal Blizzard!" Erika called out.

Vileplume summoned a whole bunch of petals and aimed them right at Frogadier. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was being pelted with so many petals, and they hurt much worse since he was a water type. Frogadier managed to stand his ground. Was using Frogadier and going up against a seven badge Pokémon a good idea?

"Frogadier use Quick Attack!" Ash called out.

Frogadier dashed forward and came at Vileplume with a Quick Attack. As Erika saw Frogadier come closer, she got Vileplume to counter.

"Vileplume use Stun Spore!" Erika yelled.

"Hurry Frogadier, jump up!" Ash retorted.

Frogadier canceled out his Quick Attack and hopped up into the air as Vileplume unleashed her Stun Spore. These status effect attacks were really getting on Ash's nerves.

"Now use Water Pulse!" Ash called out.

Frogadier started firing away with Water Pulse. The attack struck Vileplume as she was using Stun Spore. Vileplume seemed to absorb the water, but it stopped her from using Stun Spore. Ash was ready to get back on offense. He remembered what Rotom Dex told him about a new attack Frogadier learned after he evolved.

"Use Smack Down!" Ash yelled.

Frogadier bolted down and clubbed Vileplume with his arms with a nasty Smack Down attack. The Flower Pokémon stumbled around after taking some damage from Frogadier's Smack Down.

"Hurry Vileplume, use Seed Bomb!" Erika yelled out.

Vileplume started creating a big seed that looks like is about to blow. The Seed Bomb was coming right at Frogadier.

"Frogadier swat that Seed Bomb back at Vileplume with another Smack Down!" Ash yelled.

Frogadier got his arms together again and then she swung them like a baseball bat when Seed Bomb was coming his way. Frogadier pounded the attack just in time and it went flying back at Vileplume. Vileplume was hit and looked a bit dazed. This was the time for Ash to give Erika a big surprise.

"Now Frogadier, use Ice Beam!" Ash retorted which got Erika surprised.

"His Frogadier knows Ice Beam," Erika said to herself.

Frogadier quickly started to blast an Ice Beam right at Vileplume. The Flower Pokémon was trying to recover from her daze, but it was too late. The attack hit Vileplume and she was frozen in place.

"Alright!" Serena cheered.

"Braixen!" Braixen cheered.

"Now use Smack Down one more time!" Ash called out.

Frogadier charged over at the frozen Vileplume and used Smack Down one more time. The ice shattered and Vileplume was hit on contact. Vileplume took some heavy damage, but she was still standing. This actually surprised Ash to see that Vileplume was still on her feet. He should've known that there was a reason this was Erika's most powerful Pokémon.

"I got to say Ash, I'm impressed. However, Vileplume and I are just getting started," Erika told Ash, "Vileplume, use Sunny Day!"

Vileplume gave Frogadier a vicious look on her face as she started to use Sunny Day. Then all of a sudden it started to get warm in the gym, and Frogadier was beginning to feel the heat. If anything, it started to look like Vileplume was getting stronger.

"Good job Vileplume, now use Moonlight," Erika told Vileplume.

The Flower Pokémon felt like she was being engulfed in the lights of the moon, and the next thing Ash and Frogadier saw was Vileplume healing herself. Vileplume now looked good as new, and anything Frogadier did to Vileplume looks to be undone which got him worried.

"This isn't looking good," Rose muttered.

"What do you mean?" Yellow asked.

"Vileplume just used Sunny Day, and while Vileplume doesn't have any fire attacks, the effects does weaken water attacks. Also, if this Vileplume is Erika's strongest Pokémon, then there's a good chance Vileplume knows Solarbeam, and with Sunny Day, the attack will take no time to charge," Rose explained.

"That's not all Rose. On my analysis on Vileplume, not only is it confirmed this Vileplume does know Solarbeam, but she also has the ability Chlorophyll which in Vileplume's case will increase her speed," Rotom Dex explained, "And in addition, the effects of the sunlight also causes Vileplume to heal more with Moonlight."

This was not good at all. Sunny Day just made everything bad including causing Vileplume's recovery effect to be even stronger. Vileplume was going to be much faster as well with her Chlorophyll ability. Frogadier looked like was getting a bit exhausted from the beating he just gave Vileplume, but now it looks like all of that is gone. Was it really a good idea for Ash to take on a Pokémon that was beyond Frogadier's limit?

Serena prayed that something good could come out of this. Ash was able to think of ways through Weepinbell and Tangela, hopefully he could think of a way through Vileplume as well. Water Pulse definitely seemed to be useless now with Sunny Day.

"Well Ash, it seems I've just turned the tables. Vileplume use Solarbeam," Erika ordered her Vileplume.

"Frogadier jump up!" Ash retorted.

Vileplume was charging up and instantly fired a bright beam right at Frogadier, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon jumped up in the air right in time. Usually it would take much longer to fire a Solarbeam, but Sunny Day has caused Vileplume to fire the attack instantly.

"Now use Moonblast," Erika told Vileplume.

"Moonblast," Serena said in worry.

Vileplume jumped up in the air quickly, and it almost looked like there was a moon behind her. Vileplume then powered up a pink energy sphere and fired it right at Frogadier. He didn't have time to get out of the way, and Frogadier was hit.

Frogadier was falling down and he landed hard on the ground. Moonblast was actually a fairy-type attack, but it still took enough out of Frogadier.

"Perfect, now use Seed Bomb once more," Erika called out.

"Frogadier get out of the way," Ash called out.

Vileplume unleashed another Seed Bomb attack right at Frogadier. He tried to dodge it, but Vileplume was quicker as her Seed Bomb hit Frogadier dead on. Frogadier fell on the ground and landed on his stomach. He was trying to get up, but that's not until Vileplume jumped in front of Frogadier and Erika then called out the next attack.

"Sleep Powder," Erika told Vileplume.

Frogadier's eyes widened in horror as Vileplume unleashed blue powder onto Frogadier. He tried to fight it off, but he was too weak to move and as a final result, Frogadier fell asleep. Things just took a huge turn for the worse for Ash.

"Frogadier no!" Ash cried.

"Frogadier's asleep! He's completely defenseless," Trevor said.

"Frogadier no," Tierno muttered.

Vileplume was looking down at the sleeping Frogadier. He was sleeping like a baby and now he was unable to get out of the way. Erika really turned things around with Sunny Day. The Flower Pokémon loomed over Frogadier and was ready to unleash it's next attack.

"Let me guess, Poisonpowder?" Ash questioned.

"Nope, not this time," Erika confirmed crossing her arms, "Use Toxic!"

Vileplume then unleashed purple toxins from her head and sent them right at Frogadier. The Bubble Frog Pokémon was now feeling weakened, and for some reason it seems the energy was leaving him quicker.

"Frogadier no!" Serena cried.

"Braixen!" Braixen cried.

"That's the third time Erika has poisoned one of Ash's Pokémon," Shauna said.

"Well he should be lucky that it was Poisonpowder earlier, but Toxic is much worse. While Frogadier will lose health and energy like Charmander and Scyther did when they got hit by Poisonpowder, Toxic actually takes more energy the longer Frogadier's poisoned," Rotom Dex explained.

Frogadier was sleeping and losing strength at an alarming rate. Ash was lost, and he had no idea what to do. Ash hates to say it, but it looks like Erika was going to be getting this battle. Everyone hung their heads down, but Serena was praying for some miracle to happen.

"Well Ash, you and your Pokémon fought well. But I have to end it here," Erika solemnly told Ash, "Vileplume, finish this with Solarbeam."

"Vileplume," Vileplume responded.

The Flower Pokémon got up close to Frogadier and was ready to unleash an all powerful Solarbeam. Frogadier had no idea what was going on since he was sleeping. With one final charge, Vileplume quickly fired her Solarbeam at Frogadier. Frogadier didn't know what was going to happen because he was asleep. The bright light came, and everyone began to shield their eyes.

* * *

 _ **Moments Later**_

Frogadier opened his eyes as all he could remember was a bright light coming in towards him. Must've been Vileplume's Solarbeam. Frogadier finally found the strength to get back up, but he felt fine. Wasn't he aware that Vileplume used Toxic on him? As Frogadier looked around he saw he was in the Celadon Gym, but it was empty.

Ash wasn't around and neither were Serena or Braixen. Erika and Vileplume weren't around either, or neither were the group. Where was everyone?

"What happened?" Frogadier asked himself, "Where is everyone?"

Frogadier looked around the gym to see that he was the only one inside. Where did everybody go? Where was Braixen and Ash, the Pokémon and human he has shared the best connections with? After looking around and now starting to feel the pain from battle, Frogadier must have understood what just happened.

"I must've lost," Frogadier muttered to himself as he got on his knees, "But why am I by myself?

"Because you're a worthless frog shit!" a voice hollered.

Frogadier took a glance at where the voice was coming from. Frogadier's eyes widened as he saw what was none other than Siegfried. What was he doing in Celadon City? He shouldn't even be in civilization! He shouldn't even be breathing. Siegfried then pulled out a flamethrower and pointed it at Frogadier. He was just in so much pain, and it felt like more strength was being drained out of him.

"They had Pokémon for me to fucking murder, and after that I murdered them too! They died because you're fucking weak!" Siegfried hollered as he gave out a crazy evil laugh, "And now I get to burn you alive!"

With that, Siegfried launched his flamethrower at Frogadier. His eyes widened as the bright flames were coming at him. He didn't want to die or anyone else to die because he was weak. He was hoping it was all a bad dream.

* * *

 _ **Back at the Celadon Gym**_

Vileplume's Solarbeam hit Frogadier on contact and an explosion was made. Everyone shielded their eyes as they knew the worst has just happened. With the effects of Toxic and Solarbeam, it almost seemed like an overkill. Then as the smoke cleared, Vileplume smiled triumphantly at the fallen Frogadier. He was lying on the ground, not moving at all.

"Frogadier," Ash muttered.

"Frogadier no," Serena muttered.

"Braixen," Braixen muttered.

"Ash lost," Delia whispered to herself.

"Frogadier is unable to battle, the winner is…" the referee announced until something just happened.

Frogadier came out of nowhere and struck Vileplume dead on with a Quick Attack. The Flower Pokémon was knocked back and just saw what happened in surprise. Ash and everyone else was in complete surprise as they saw Frogadier right in front of Vileplume.

"Resume the match!" the referee announced.

"Frogadier," Ash stuttered as he looked at the fallen Frogadier, "But but."

Ash saw the fallen Frogadier as it then faded away. Judging by what just happened, Frogadier pulled off a Double Team but with only one copy being a defeated Frogadier. He must've pulled that off at the last second.

Frogadier woke up after having that nightmare that he was all alone because he was weak, and Siegfried barged in to kill him, after he killed his friends. He wasn't going to stand for that. He was going to do everything to fight for Ash.

"Hurry and use Petal Blizzard!" Erika called out.

"Frogadier use Quick Attack to get through Petal Blizzard!" Ash called out.

Vileplume launched another Petal Blizzard attack at Frogadier, but the Bubble Frog Pokémon zipped through it with Quick Attack. Frogadier was losing strength fast though because of Toxic, and he needed to act fast.

"Hurry and use Seed Bomb!" Erika retorted.

"Swat it right back with Smack Down!" Ash called out pumping his fist in excitement.

Vileplume unleashed another Seed Bomb right at Frogadier, but Frogadier was quicker and hit Vileplume dead on leaving her in another daze. It seems Frogadier was quicker because the effects of Sunny Day have died down. Ash needed to act fast before Vileplume used that move again.

"Sunny Day must have died down," Erika said to herself, "Vileplume use Sunny Day again!"

"I don't think so! Frogadier use Ice Beam!" Ash yelled out.

Frogadier jumped up in the air and right before Vileplume could begin to use Sunny Day, Frogadier blasted an Ice Beam attack right at the Flower Pokémon freezing her in place yet again. Everyone was now feeling hopeful once again as Ash seemed to be getting things under control. Serena couldn't help but smile and Braixen cheered Frogadier on.

"Now use Smack Down!" Ash retorted.

This again, the last time Ash tried this he hurt Vileplume, but she was still standing. Frogadier was wondering why this would work again. Frogadier surprised Ash once and now he was going to surprise him again, instead of using Smack Down, Frogadier was flipping through the air and crashing into the frozen Vileplume and when he broke through the ice, he hit Vileplume on the head.

"That wasn't Smack Down," Serena said in shock.

"No, it wasn't," Rotom Dex confirmed as he analyzed Frogadier's movements, "It seems Frogadier has learned the move Acrobatics which is considered a flying-type."

No wonder this blow Frogadier landed on Vileplume was much worse than the last one. Frogadier has just used a flying-type attack in Acrobatics which did more harm to a grass-type Pokémon while Smack Down was a rock-type attack which would've done normal harm.

Frogadier then backflipped back towards Ash as Vileplume started to stumble backwards until it came to the point that she fell on her back. Frogadier did everything in his power to keep his composure and Vileplume was laying on her back not getting up. Everyone's faces lit up with excitement which meant one thing. The referee made the call.

"Vileplume is unable to battle! The winner is Frogadier! Which means the winner of this Celadon City Gym Match is the challenge Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" the referee announced.

Ash's unreadable expression morphed into pure joy and excitement. Ash and Frogadier have managed to beat Erika's Vileplume on his request. Ash couldn't hold it in much longer as he looked over at Frogadier.

"YEAH!" Ash cheered as he ran over to Frogadier.

Ash and Frogadier shared what may be the biggest hug of their lives. Ash needed to remember that Frogadier was still in the effects of Toxic, but he could take him to a Pokémon Center afterwards. Frogadier along with Charmander and Scyther gave Ash his birthday present, a win over Erika.

Delia on the other hand had tears in her eyes as she saw her son win a gym match in front of her, and Mimey was on her lap cheering on. Grace and Jade were chanting amazing things towards Ash saying like he did a great job and Serena should be very happy for him, and Happy was cheering as well. Yellow just smiled at Ash's victory and Chu Chu waived her arms in excitement. Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna all cheered for Ash's win, Olivia had a big smile on her face to see what an amazing trainer Ash was and Brawny and Katherine couldn't feel the same way, after all it was one of his Pokémon, no that exact Frogadier that helped rescue Sobble.

" _Well Ash, you really are becoming a great trainer like your old man Red,"_ Rose thought as she crossed her arms and smiled over towards Ash.

Then Serena then ran over to Ash and gave him a big hug. Pikachu and Rotom Dex were soon to follow to congratulate Ash. Braixen went over to Frogadier and gave him a big hug like Serena did. Wow, were they starting to become like Ash and Serena?

Delia walked over still having joyful tears in her eyes. Ash saw her coming and he gave her a big hug. Delia knew in her heart that Ash really was becoming like his father.

"Ash, I'm so proud of you," Delia said as she was hugging her son.

"Thanks mom, this match just shows you how far me and Frogadier have come," Ash told his mom.

"Well Ash, I got to say that when we first met Froakie he wasn't baring to look at anyone. Now he's getting better with us, and he's a strong Frogadier now," Delia explained as she was still crying, "That shows me how much of a wonderful son I have."

His mom made a point, this wasn't Ash's win, this was Frogadier's win too. Ash looked over to see Frogadier still being hugged by Braixen, and that was enough to make him smile.

Olivia was looking onward at Ash at how his bond with Frogadier really paid off in this battle. He took a chance and it paid off. Sobble couldn't help but look at the scene and gesture Olivia at it.

"Is that what you want Sobble?" Olivia asked.

"Sobble," Sobble nodded meaning yes.

"I would love to have a bond like that," Olivia happily said as she hugged Sobble and then felt a rub from Eevee which caused her to look down, "You too Eevee."

Brawny and Katherine loved what they were seeing from Olivia's Pokémon. They start to think that she could be a great trainer, especially since they watched a gym battle from a former champion's son. Then to her surprise, Erika approached the Millers.

"Did you enjoy the battle?" Erika asked.

"I sure did. I now know what to expect from a gym battle," Olivia answered.

"We can have one in a little bit, and since you're a beginner trainer with no badges, I would be using a Bellsprout and an Oddish, so you have a fair shot," Erika said giving out a warm smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to pass. You see I've barely had a chance to train my Pokémon and create a great friendship with them," Olivia explained as she looked at her Pokémon and her parents, "I'll save you as my last badge so I can take on that Vileplume of yours, and also so my parents can watch me get my last badge."

"Take all the time you need," Erika kindly said.

Olivia could come back to this gym anytime, but she wanted to get the other seven badges so that her parents could watch her get her official access to the Indigo League.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City**_

Ash, Serena, Delia, Yellow, Grace, Jade, Rose, Olivia, Brawny, Katherine, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna along with all of the Pokémon and Rotom Dex were standing outside of the gym with Erika. She had a silver case in her hands and Ash was in front of her. He knew what he was getting.

"Ash Ketchum, at first I thought you were probably as bad as your mom, but I guess I didn't take the time to know you well. You proved me wrong that you're a great kid, and you also have proven to be an amazing Pokémon trainer. I can't even remember someone with three badges requested to take on Vileplume when using a water-type. That took some guts and your Pokémon pulled through at the end. It shows that you have a special connection with them," Erika explained.

She then opened her case and inside was a badge with a gray octagon in the middle, but on each of the eight sides was a hectogon with different colors of the rainbow.

"Well I guess I can, happy birthday Ash," Erika said with a slight chuckle, "Please accept the Rainbow Badge."

Ash starred at the badge and his eyes sparkled. He took the badge out of the case and held it in his fingertips. Ash then got excited and spun around.

"Alright, I got the Rainbow Badge!" Ash exclaimed as he held the badge out in his hand.

With that badge, Ash was now officially halfway to entering the Pokémon League. Serena looked at Ash's happy expression and then realized that she was still at one ribbon when she needed five. With Ash now halfway there, Serena was willing to step up her game with her contest tomorrow.

"Thanks for giving my son a great battle Erika," Delia said as she looked at Ash, "But right now we got to continue celebrating Ash's birthday."

Serena could practice later tonight, but right now they needed to enjoy Ash's birthday. Heck, Shauna was entering the contest tomorrow and she was going to partake in the festivities, so maybe Serena should cut some slack. With that everyone left the Celadon Gym and bid farewell to Erika.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Bowling Alley**_

After Ash's gym battle, a visit to the Pokémon Center, and getting together to have more fun at the water park, the big group made their way to the bowling alley for a night of bowling. The place was amazing as there were cosmetic lights, upbeat music, and there was even an arcade in there too. The group would split to have two groups bowling. The adults would get one lane and the kids would get the other lane next to them. After everyone got their bowling shoes, they would bowl a couple of games.

On the kids side, Ash looked pretty clumsy and so did Serena, but they had fun, Shauna did somewhat decent, Trevor was pretty much awful as he kept getting gutter balls, Tierno seemed like an excellent bowler but would prefer dancing, and Olivia had an alright game.

On the adults side, Delia did pretty decent, Yellow took it easy and alright, Grace was doing fantastic while Jade wasn't so much, Katherine was okay, Rose was dominating the lane sort of except for one person, Brawny who was doing fantastic. The people at the bowling alley even announced that today was Ash's birthday as everyone gave a round of applause.

In fact, when both sides were playing a third game, Brawny had started the game with nine consecutive strikes meaning…he had a perfect game going. Brawny was now up and he was looking at the ten pins with complete determination. The group of kids interrupted their game so that they could see if Brawny would get all ten pins.

"Everybody be quiet, my husband needs complete concentration," Katherine told everyone.

Brawny's eyes were fixed on the pins in front of him as he bent his knees and gripped the ball with his fingertips. Everyone had their hands close to their chins and were shaking in excitement while Ash and Serena ended holding hands looking at Brawny.

"Here goes nothing," Brawny muttered.

Brawny approached the lane and tossed the ball down the middle. The ball was rolling smoothly down the lane and everyone was completely nervous, including Brawny. It felt like an eternity when that bowling ball was rolling down the lane. Then it approached the pins and the ball knocked all of them down, but one was wobbling back and forth. This was getting intense as it just kept wobbling and then…it fell.

"Oh, my Arceus, a perfect game!" Rose cheered.

Everyone roared in celebration of Brawny's feat. Olivia ran up and hugged her dad while he also got a kiss from his wife. Meanwhile the bowling alley workers saw the feat and dropped confetti at the site while a banner came down reading "Perfect Game". Everyone in the group applauded for Brawny's achievement. Looks like there were two winners today, Ash winning is gym battle and turning eleven, and Brawny bowling a perfect game.

"What can I say, I've bowled a good number of years," Brawny said giving a smirk and a thumbs up.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

After everyone congratulated Brawny on his perfect game, and the kids playing a few games in the arcade, it was time for Ash to open up his presents. Serena picked up her present for Ash before coming to the bowling alley, and everyone else had their presents in hand.

"Happy birthday Ash," Delia said to her son.

"Thanks mom, thanks everyone," Ash said as he was sitting down with everyone.

Everyone along with Pikachu, Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu were here, and even Frogadier and Braixen were out for the presents, and Olivia even brought out Sobble and Eevee. The other Pokémon weren't going to be able to be let out of their balls as it was already crowded enough as it was, plus they didn't want to do any property damage especially with Serena's Gyarados in hand. While it was great to have a big group here for him, he did wish Leaf and Daisy were here, and maybe Gary. After all he did grow up with them.

"I think it's time we opened everyone's presents," Delia announced, "Let's start with Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna."

Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna all came up to Ash and all they gave him were birthday cards with money in them. Honestly, they didn't have a chance to think about what to get Ash, so this was pretty much last minute.

"Thanks, you guys," Ash happily said facing the trio.

"No problem, we weren't sure if you were going to like it because this birthday was just all of a sudden," Trevor explained.

"It's okay, just having you here is what matters," Ash said.

"Thanks, and now I give you your birthday dance," Tierno said as he started to breakdance.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh as his amazing dance moves, even though they were good. Tierno was definitely a guy who loves dancing. Boy can he and his Pokémon put on a show.

"You didn't need to do that Tierno," Shauna said giggling.

"But I wanted to," Tierno moaned crossing his arms.

"Alright next up is from the Millers," Delia announced as Olivia, Brawny, Katherine, Sobble, and Eevee came up to Ash.

Ash was handed a medium size box from Olivia and Ash looked at it. He tore off the wrapping paper only to find a whole bunch of vegetables. Everybody gave out a chuckle, after all he was a growing boy.

"Fresh vegetables from the Galar Region to make you big and tough!" Brawny exclaimed flexing his muscles.

There were many vegetables from squash, zucchini, corn, and others. Ash probably wouldn't eat all of these veggies, but he knew someone who could put some good use to them as he looked over to Serena. She has been getting better with her cooking since learning some tips from Brock, and a few vegetables would help.

"Heh heh, thanks. This can go into our meals that my lovely girlfriend cooks," Ash said as he gestured his hand towards Serena, "She's the best behind only my mom."

Serena couldn't help but blush at that comment. She has been becoming a natural at cooking ever since getting those tips from Brock, and a few fresh exotic vegetables would be great.

"Thanks Ash," Serena happily said.

"Don't worry Serena, you'll get to my mom's level of cooking soon, I know it," Ash told Serena giving her a thumbs up.

"Speaking of Serena, Ash I think you'll like what me and Grace got you," Jade said as she handed Ash a small box with blue wrapping paper.

"Thanks Mrs. Gabena," Ash responded.

"Call me Jade," Jade replied crossing her arms with a smile.

Ash opened the present he got from the Gabenas, and inside was a book. Ash looked at the cover of the book that read "A Thousands Ways to be a Perfect Boyfriend." Ash couldn't help but be bug-eyed when he saw that. He should've known that Jade and Grace knew that he and Serena were going to become boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Wow, thanks Mrs. Gab…I mean Jade," Ash said correcting himself.

"It was my pleasure Ash, since you're dating our daughter now, you need to know everything to be a perfect gentleman, and that book will help you out," Jade said giving out a chuckle.

"Come on mom, Ash is perfect the way he is," Serena said butting in patting Ash on the back, "But he can use some improvements."

"Thanks Serena," Ash replied.

"Alright Ash, the next gift is from your Aunt Yellow," Delia said as Yellow came up with her present.

Ash got the present from Yellow, and it was a small box. Ash opened the present and saw inside were six Pokeballs, however four of them had blue on top with red linings on the sides, and two of them were black on top with yellow linings across.

"Four Great Balls and Two Ultra Balls. The Great Balls have a higher catch rate than the standard Pokeball and the Ultra Ball has a higher catch rate than the Great Ball. I'd figure you could use some of these special Pokeballs," Yellow explained.

"Wow, they're amazing! Thank you Yellow," Ash said as he gave his aunt a hug.

"To be honest Ash, that was originally my gift," Delia stated.

"Huh?" Ash questioned.

"I ended up getting you something else," Delia said as she gave Ash a small box.

So, the Pokeballs were originally going to be from Delia. Well Ash didn't care as he opened up his box. Inside looked like a blue flip-phone, Ash took a look at it and realized what it was.

"A Pokegear?" Ash questioned.

"That's right, instead of calling me every time at a Pokémon Center you can call me on the road anytime, and you can also speak to your friends if you want," Delia explained.

"Wow, thanks mom," Ash said gratefully as he then turned to Rotom Dex, "Rotom Dex, do you have a feature like that?"

"Surprisingly no. I think it was a good thing that your mom got you something like that," Rotom Dex said.

"I see," Ash replied as he turned to his mom, "Mom, I promise I'll call you a lot on the Pokegear just to check in."

"Thanks Ash, and you can still call me at the Pokémon Center," Delia said as she then went into thought, _"I really changed gifts to something where I can know your well being every once in a while."_

"Hey Jade, maybe we should buy one for Serena before we get going," Grace whispered to Jade's ear.

"Good idea honey, I want to know my baby is alright," Jade whispered.

"Okay Ash, now about my present. I purchased this here in Celadon City and this probably won't be useful to you right now, but it will be in the future," Rose told Ash as she gave her a small box.

Ash took a look at the box and it was really small in the shape of a cube. Ash unwrapped the tiny box and opened it to see what looked like a marble. It was similar to the one Serena got for her Gyarados, but instead of a yellow marble with blue swerve marking with a red swerve marking inside, it was an orange marble with a white swerve marking with a red swerve marking inside.

"That almost looks like the thing I got at the S.S. Anne, but in a different color," Serena said as she looked at the marble.

"Yeah, I remember that," Ash stated as he then turned to Rose, "But why did you give me one Rose?"

"Ash, you'll know soon enough. But I would consider giving that to your Pidgeotto when you have the chance," Rose said giving a wink.

So, Ash now has a marble just like Serena. While the one Serena has is something her Gyarados seems interested in, Rose mentions that Ash's Pidgeotto should get this one. It made Ash wonder was there something special about these marbles that Serena and Ash got? Maybe Serena didn't squander her money after all, maybe she spent it well. Speaking of Serena, the only present left was from her. Serena walked on over holding what appears to be a big and somewhat flat gift, and Frogadier and Braixen were coming over with her to give Ash his present, and Pikachu and Rotom Dex got on his side when Serena came.

"Ash, you think that this is my gift, but it's not. This gift is from me, Frogadier, and Braixen," Serena told Ash as she gave Ash his present.

Man, what on earth could Serena have given Ash? Chances are this thing won't be coming with them on their journey since it seems too big. Ash began to open the present and gasped when he saw it.

"I don't believe it," Ash muttered as he looked at the present.

Ash looked his present, and it was a painting. However, the painting was Ash and Serena when they were six years old with Ash standing and holding Froakie on the left while Serena was on the right holding Fennekin. As Ash looked in upon further inspection, the painting was none other than the photo taken at Professor Oak's Summer Camp.

"It's beautiful," Ash said as tears came to his eyes.

"I didn't really paint it, there was this art shop in Celadon City, and I asked if there was someone who could make a painting of this, and there was. That moment we met wasn't just a special moment for me and you, it was also special for Frogadier and Fennekin which is why they have to get credit for this gift," Serena said sincerely.

Tears came to Ash's eyes. That moment brought warm memories for both Ash and Serena as it was the first day they met, and it also would be the beginning of a great friendship that would grow into a romantic relationship. The Froakie and Fennekin they were holding was also the foreshadowing of a great friendship and bond between the two and those Pokémon. Ash then looked over at Serena, Frogadier, and Braixen.

"Serena, Frogadier, Braixen, thank you," Ash wept as he gave them all a hug.

Ash set the painting down and went over and the four shared in a group hug. Serena and Frogadier really cared about Ash and so did Braixen even though she was technically Serena's Pokémon. Everyone started to have tears coming from their eyes, but no one had bigger tears than Ash's mom. Delia wiped her eyes at the scene as she saw her son, his girlfriend, his Pokémon, and her Pokémon hugging each other. She then looked at the painting and knew that it would actually be coming back with her to Pallet Town since it was too big for Ash to carry, and it could be messed up.

It truly was an amazing birthday for Ash Ketchum. He got his fourth badge, he got to have fun with his friends doing many activities like bowling and swimming, he received many gifts from family and friends, but none of those things greatly stand out to him. For Ash it was about the people and Pokémon that were there with him. This truly was the best birthday ever, and there was still one more thing that needed to be taken care of.

The cake!

After a couple of minutes, Delia brought out a big chocolate cake with eleven candles and everyone gathered around as they were ready to sing happy birthday.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Ash, happy birthday to you!" all of them sang.

Ash then blew out the candles and everyone applauded. Then Delia cut the first piece for Ash and he immediately stuffed his face into it. Everyone gave a chuckle when they saw what Ash did, but that's who he was. Later Delia gave everyone else a piece of cake and they enjoyed it. Ash of course made a birthday wish after he blew out the candles.

" _I wish for me and Serena to have more amazing adventures awaiting us,"_ Ash thought to himself.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket Headquarters**_

It was late in the evening and Giovanni was sipping his wine. Giovanni was completely agitated with his executive Archer for allowing those two kids to beat him and put an end to their casino. Archer called Ariana and she was somewhat angry, but when he reported it to Giovanni, things were not pleasant.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

" _You piece of crap!" Giovanni roared as he slammed his fist onto the desk._

 _Giovanni gave a furious glare towards Archer. Archer was standing there all shaken up from Giovanni's rage. Ariana was upset, but not anywhere near the level Giovanni was in._

" _Sir, I can assure you that these kids are more powerful than we thought," Archer told Giovanni, "And one of our spies has informed us that Ash Ketchum will recover and be out of the hospital soon."_

" _He and that girl were supposed to be killed!" Giovanni screamed as he slammed his fist onto the desk again, "Why the hell did you have such a weak Crobat!?"_

" _It isn't weak, in fact for the most part they couldn't keep up with his speed until the blue frog evolved!" Archer explained loudly._

 _Giovanni was about to yell at him again until someone else came in along two other people and a Pokémon. It was Jessie and James along with Meowth and behind them was the executive Proton who held out a revolver, and was pointing it at either Jessie, James, or Meowth. Did the trio slip up about what happened with Ash and Serena?_

" _Boss, please forgive Archer as this was not his fault," Proton calmly said as he was still pointing the gun, "It was these clowns fault."_

 _Giovanni looked down at the trio and gave an angry look at them. He turned over to his Persian who was looking alarmed from all of the anger Giovanni._

" _Persian, use Slash," Giovanni muttered._

 _Persian let out a loud hiss and glared right at Archer. The rocket executive look completely terrified as Persian leapt over until Giovanni called her out._

" _No Persian!" Giovanni shouted as he then pointed to the trio, "On them!"_

 _Persian heard the order and the trio started to scream. Persian jumped in and Jessie and James crouched down, and then Persian used Slash on their backs. Their uniforms were ripped by the claw marks and now there was blood coming out of each member of the trio's back. Despite the fact that Proton wanted to kill them, he couldn't help but smile at the scene as he hated them so much._

 _Jessie then slowly got up in pain looking at her boss. He just commanded his Persian to attack them, and not Archer, or Cassidy and Butch._

" _Why did you attack us boss," Jessie weakly asked._

" _Because it made sense. It clearly was your fault since you are the ones always screwing every Arceus damn thing up," Giovanni said._

" _But we weren't in the casino when the twerps showed us," James muttered._

" _Yeah, but since you failures breathed in our casino; your failure rubbed off on everyone including Archer!" Proton yelled as he then shot his gun at Meowth._

 _The Scratch Cat Pokémon scampered out in time to avoid the bullet, despite the weak condition he was in. Why was the trio being blamed for everything that goes wrong with Team Rocket?_

" _So, we didn't touch the twerps once in the casino, and we weren't there, but you think that we should be blamed for this when it was Cassidy, Biff, and Archer who were fighting the twerps and lost, but they get to be let off scot free," Meowth explained._

" _Be lucky I didn't have Persian kill you!" Giovanni screamed._

" _If I were the boss, I kill them in a heartbeat," Proton whispered to himself._

" _You were right Proton, it was their fault," Archer said glaring at the trio._

 _Giovanni glared at the trio who were groaning in pain. Jessie, James, and Meowth were right, they should be lucky he didn't try to kill them. After all Proton already tried doing that to them once on the S.S. Anne._

" _Listen boss, we got enough money for what we need. We don't need the casino anymore; we can now move forward. We can now move forward with our operations by going to Saffron City and taking control of the Silph Company," Archer explained._

" _Archer is right, the Silph Company is our prime source of interest," Proton stated, "Once we get a hold of the company, we can put more effort into their project involving the Master Ball."_

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Giovanni continued sipping his wine. His executives were right on one thing, they didn't need the casino anymore. Team Rocket has enough money to try and purchase the Silph Company, and they would have more money left over. Giovanni would've liked that casino to stay in business so they could add to their profits, but their main goal was getting the Silph Company.

This was going to be the first major step to finally achieving world domination. Once they got control of the Silph Company, they would get all of their workers to put more effort into completing the Master Ball, a Pokeball that can capture any Pokémon without fail. It was unknown what Giovanni and Ariana had planned after getting the Master Ball, but they weren't going to let anything get in the way. Not the trio's failures, not the champion of Kanto, not even Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena.

"Soon, our time will come soon," Giovanni said to himself as gave out an evil smirk.

Team Rocket was ready to make their next move.

* * *

 **The last three chapters were all marathon chapters around 17,000 words and are the second, third, and fourth longest chapters of the series. This is the longest chapter as I have went over the 20,000-word mark. I'm hoping the upcoming chapters I write are shorter as I feel I will be writing another chapter this long in the future.**

 **So, Team Rocket is now prepared to take over, or should I say legally buy out the Silph Company so they can get their hands on the Master Ball.**

 **Ash get his fourth badge and his first Mega Stone which is a Pidgeotite. Speaking of Mega Stones…**

 **By a final vote of 10 to 9, Ash will be receiving Charizardite Y. (Kind of like Big Brother)**

 **I decided to give Olivia an Eevee, and I may have foreshadowed a Pokémon Serena would get…lol. Just remember Ash gets the next four Pokémon before Serena gets another Pokémon. As for what Olivia's Eevee will evolve into, if there are any new eeveelutions for generation 8, I'll give Eevee that one, if not then I already know what Eevee would evolve into.**

 **The next chapter will be the last chapter of the Celadon City Arc, and you guessed it, it's Serena's Contest. It's almost been a year since I've posted the first chapter of this story, man how time flies. Well, see you next time.**

 **Chapter 32: The Fire and Water Show**


	34. The Fire and Water Show

**In honor of the first-year anniversary of posting the first chapter, I was able to put some time in and give you another chapter. Forgive me as I may seemed to have rushed in this, after all it did take me three days. Also, I'm relieved that this chapter is much shorter than the last four.**

 **And now here is the conclusion of the Celadon City Arc and Serena's Pokémon Contest, and I do not own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Pokémon Center**_

Serena had such a great time celebrating Ash's birthday, and it was a big treat to have Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno come in for the fun as well. But right now, Serena wanted to spend the latter part of the night preparing for her upcoming contest which was tomorrow. She has already decided to go with Gyarados and Beedrill in the opening round and then use Braixen and Squirtle in the battle portion.

She really was going to test herself in this contest since this was a double performance which are common in the Pokémon Grand Festival. Serena hasn't won a contest since Cerulean City and she would love to get another ribbon right about now. After this contest, this big group would break up as Ash and Serena would make their way to Saffron City.

Right now, she needed to make some finishing touches. Throughout training with Gyarados, she learned Rain Dance as this move would pave the way, and in a surprising turn of events, Gyarados also learned Flamethrower. This could surprise the crowd in a big way. Beedrill also learned Poison Jab during the training session. Ash was watching on smiling at his girlfriend.

"Hey Serena," Ash called out.

Serena turned around to see Ash with his arms crossed. He was happy to see Serena getting ready for her upcoming contest, and Pikachu and Rotom Dex were watching from the distance.

"Hey Ash," Serena replied flashing a smile towards Ash, "So how did you enjoy today?"

"It was amazing, and thanks again for the painting. Mom's going to take it back to Pallet Town and hang it in my room," Ash replied.

"I'm glad you liked it," said Serena.

"Thanks," Ash responded as he then kissed Serena on the cheek which made her blush, "So Serena, are you ready for tomorrow's contest?"

Serena gave out a huge sigh. She was actually pretty nervous as this would be her first double performance. Even though she has competed in a couple of contests already, this was going to be new to her.

"I'm actually kind of nervous," Serena answered.

"Hey Serena, I think you're going to do great. I know you had a lot of time thinking about your Pokémon combination and what they could do together, and you managed to get enough practice in. If you can believe in your Pokémon and they believe in themselves and each other, then you guys will sparkle," Ash explained as he had his hands-on Serena's shoulders.

Serena heard the words coming out of Ash's mouth, and what he said was true. And it wasn't just because he was her boyfriend, but she also witnessed it in the Celadon Gym when Ash decided to have Frogadier battle against Vileplume. He believed in Frogadier, and he won, and it made Serena think that she can do the same with her Pokémon.

"Thanks Ash, I needed that," said Serena as she then looked up into the night sky, "I felt like I haven't won a contest in forever, so I'm determined to win tomorrow!"

Ash was happy to see Serena with a confidence boost. She wanted to win this contest and show Shauna how much she has improved since they last faced each other in Pewter City.

"I'd suggest another half-hour and then call it a night. We don't want you or your Pokémon to not be properly rested for tomorrow's contest," Ash suggested.

Serena giggled at what Ash said and he made a good point. Since she was going to be in a contest in front of an audience, she didn't just want her Pokémon to put on a good show but be in great condition too as that can have a factor in her winning. With that, Serena practiced with her Pokémon for another thirty minutes and then she went to bed.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Unknown Location in Kanto**_

Snorlax was walking along inside the tree grotto with his son Munchlax. Snorlax thought it would be a good idea to know the local Pokémon that thrive her inside the grotto. Munchlax did need to make some friends.

Inside the grotto, it almost looked like a civilization. There were many Pokémon living in small alcoves within the grotto, and Munchlax was seeing some weakened Pokémon being aided by some of the wise and strong Pokémon. Snorlax really knew how to establish a civilization here since hiding away in the grotto.

"Dad, how do you expect me to interact with these Pokémon?" Munchlax asked.

"Son, it's good to have friends. They help make your life feel better, especially if you wish to have one of those humans be your trainer," Snorlax told his son.

Snorlax was right, if Munchlax was going live here or belong to a Pokémon trainer, he needed to know how to make some friends. That may be the same case for the trainer's Pokémon if he gets one.

Then Snorlax walks over to what appears to be some sort of workshop. This Pokémon had many supplies ranging from fruit to tools made from tree bark, and the Pokémon had his own crafted table.

"Boy, whoever the Pokémon here has to be handy," Munchlax said to himself.

"You can say that again," a voice said.

Munchlax looked around and saw what appeared to be a white sea lion like Pokémon. It was a Seel who appeared to be wearing some sort of blue hat backwards and a belt. Where did he get that hat and belt?

"Seel, this is my son Munchlax," Snorlax said as he scooted Munchlax towards Seel.

Munchlax took a close look at Seel. He appeared to have a confident friendly look on his face and made himself look like he could be some sort of handyman or Pokémon.

"You must be some sort of unique Pokémon having stuff like this," Munchlax said with a bit of curiosity.

"Well you can say that. I can craft many things for the Pokémon here who live in the grotto, especially you Munchlax," Seel said with a confident look on his face.

Munchlax could tell that this Seel seemed to be pretty nice. Seel looked around his workshop and grabbed something for Munchlax. It was a grapefruit.

"Here Munchlax, since you're Snorlax's son this is on me," Seel said as he gave Munchlax the grapefruit.

Munchlax took a good look at the grapefruit. It looked so delicious and tasty. Munchlax took a big bite of the grapefruit and began chewing it slowly before he swallowed it. Munchlax's eyes sparkled at the deliciousness of the grapefruit. Seel smiled as he saw Munchlax finish off the rest of the grapefruit. Snorlax could just imagine that in another reality he would be eating a whole island worth of grapefruit with no ease, but this Munchlax had a much more controlled appetite.

"Thanks, Seel, that was good," Munchlax praised.

"I'm glad you like that Seel, I have an underground farm where I grow fruit, and with the help of some Pokémon like Oddish and Gloom, the crops grow faster so we have our fruit ready in days instead of months," Seel explained.

"You see Munchlax, Seel here provides us supplies as he used to be a Pokémon who was part of the shipping industry," Snorlax explained.

"Really, what happened?" Munchlax asked with worry.

Seel's face started to show a frown and a dark expression. Like most of these Pokémon, it seems this Seel has had a rough time too like Snorlax.

"I used to be the Pokémon belonging to someone who helps ship supplies to stores around the world. Sometimes, my trainer would sneak me some food from the supplies. Of course, the crew members found out, but they were okay as long as I didn't eat too much," Seel said giving a slight chuckle.

Then Seel's face turned dark again. This was a young Munchlax and he was already being shown the dark sides of life.

"Then one night a storm hit, and a huge wave came in and sunk our ship. My trainer and the other crew members were caught in the shipwreck. Since I was a water-type Pokémon I was able to swim away, but my trainer was trapped and couldn't escape. He died in the wreckage," Seel said with a grim tone.

Munchlax couldn't help but have tears in his face. Here he was with a Pokémon who was once friends with a human only to suffer a cruel fate as a storm took his trainer's life. Seel swam for days until he reached Kanto.

"After his death, I just wondered the ocean and then I washed up on shore. I was figuring out where I was, and that was when I was introduced to these Pokémon. It turns out those Pokémon lived with your father," Seel explained.

"He told me the story of what happened and how he got here. Despite his trainer's death, Seel has gained knowledge and experience in manufacturing supplies and tools from his former trainer and has agreed to use that to help out the Pokémon here," Snorlax explained.

"I've been here since," Seel said now feeling happy again.

It was true that Seel had a painful experience losing his trainer in a storm, but Snorlax helped gain his life anew especially since he was part of tragedy himself. Munchlax went up to the Seel and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Seel, I'm sorry to hear that. I haven't experienced tragedy, but I've already heard it from my father," Munchlax explained as he then smiled, "I won't just be here as someone asking for grapefruit or other delicious fruit, but I'll also be here as your friend."

"Thanks, Munchlax," Seel responded.

Seel appreciated the words coming out of Munchlax's mouth. Here was a Pokémon trying to be his friend. Seel met other Pokémon, but they only talk about business and supplies they need. This Seel was pretty young, and he was only about a year younger than Munchlax. Snorlax was fond that Munchlax was attempting to be friends with their handy Seel.

"Looks like you made a friend Seel," Snorlax replied.

Seel was right, he did make a friend in Munchlax. Munchlax did seem interested in Seel and hoped to hang with him again sometime, but of course there were other Pokémon hanging in the grotto.

"Come on Munchlax, there's other Pokémon I want you to meet," Snorlax told his son.

With that Snorlax walked away with his son. Seel looked ahead and the Pokémon he could consider his father, and the Pokémon who was his actual son. He really did hope that Munchlax could pay him another visit soon.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Contest Hall**_

A huge crowd was gathering around the contest hall in Celadon City. This was actually by far the biggest contest hall that Ash and Serena have been to. They also heard from Shauna that the only contest hall that seemed to be bigger was the Saffron City Contest Hall.

Serena was already registered as she went into the waiting area for coordinators along with Shauna as Ash, Delia, Grace, Yellow, Jade, Rose, Trevor, Tierno, Olivia, Brawny, Katherine, Pikachu, Chu Chu, Mimey, Happy, and Rotom Dex all went to their seats. It was very hard for them to get a whole bunch of seats, but they were able to find some so they could sit together as a group. While Ash did enjoy the company, he probably couldn't wait until it was just him and Serena again so seating would be a lot easier.

Unlike the other contest halls, this stage didn't have a back wall as the stage was actually in the center with seats around and a screen hanging in the middle. Everyone was beginning to roar with applause as Lillian made her way on stage for the contest to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Celadon City Pokémon Contest!" Lillian announced as applause broke out, "We're so glad you could join us today as this contest is a special double performance!"

* * *

 _ **Contest Hall-Waiting Area**_

Serena was changed into her usual dress that she wore for her Pokémon contests. She gripped two Pokeballs in her hands as they contained Beedrill and Gyarados, and she then let out a nervous breath. Shauna, who was wearing the same contest outfit she wore in Pewter City, was looking onward as she saw the honey-blonde coordinator feeling a little tense.

"Nervous?" Shauna asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, a little," Serena answered as she looked at Shauna and then looked at the ground, "I just never did a double performance before. This will be my first time."

"Well this will be a fresh experience for you Serena," Shauna said as she patted her on the back, "You got enough practice in, did you?"

"Yeah," Serena answered as she looked back at Shauna, "It's a little tricky, but I think I might have worked out a good combination."

"Then you'll do great," Shauna replied.

Serena and Shauna then looked up at the television, and as Lillian finished introducing the judges, she showed off a green ribbon with a tiny gold pokeball symbol.

"The winner of today's contest will be going home with the Celadon Ribbon! Remember coordinators, you need five ribbons to compete in the Kanto Grand Festival!" Lillian announced on the television.

There was going to be some competition for Serena, most notably Shauna. Who knows, most of these coordinators may have little experience in double performances. Either way, Serena knew that she was going to give it her all. After all, she had support in the audience with her moms and of course Ash.

* * *

 _ **Contest Hall-Stage**_

 _ **4 appeals later**_

Everyone was watching as coordinators were giving out their appeals. Rotom Dex made sure to get data on the Pokémon they were seeing since they may have never seen them before. The last coordinator just concluded his appeal with a Pidgeotto and Gloom, and Lillian was about to announce the next contestant.

"Alright everyone, get ready for entry number five! Let's give it up for Serena Gabena!" Lillian announced as the crowd roared with applause.

Serena ran onto the stage waving at everyone. She was trying to see if she could find Ash, her moms, and the rest of the group, but couldn't quite spot them. Besides, she knew that they were watching with the crowd.

"This has to be a big deal for you all," Delia said as she turned to Grace and Jade.

"I know, this is the first time we're watching Serena in a contest in person," Grace said.

"I know she'll do great," Jade said as she had a big smile on her face.

Serena then stood still with her feet together and closed her eyes while gripping a Pokeball in each of her two hands. Serena was trying to channel her nerves and then she opened her eyes to see the audience and gave a big smile.

"Gyarados, Beedrill, showtime!" Serena announced as she threw her Pokeballs in the air.

Coming out of the Pokeballs were Gyarados and Beedrill. Gyarados landed on the ground and sort of coiled up like an Ekans with her serpent like body while Beedrill hovered over Gyarados. Some people felt a little terrified seeing a Gyarados on stage especially Grace, and they also questioned what she would do since she wasn't in a body of water. Little did they know; Serena's appeal wasn't to require a body of water since Gyarados wasn't going to be doing much moving. They also didn't notice, but the marble Gyarados seemed interested in, Serena actually turned it into a clip-on earring placed on Gyarados's left ear. It sparkled delinquently, and Gyarados loved it.

"Nervous Grace?" Rose asked as she saw Grace with a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I don't know if Serena has control of that thing," Grace muttered, "I'm worried it might come after us and kill us."

"Grace, you're overreacting. If Gyarados really had problems she wouldn't be able to have her on stage," Rose explained.

"Yeah honey, you're just overprotective so lighten up," Jade said as she gave Grace a friendly hard pat on the back.

Maybe they were right, maybe Grace was overreacting. The only to know if she knew that Gyarados was safe was to see how well it would do in this round.

"Gyarados, Rain Dance!" Serena commanded as she threw her arm up in the air.

Gyarados rose up and started to channel her energy in for a Rain Dance. Then it sounded like a thunderclap came inside as Gyarados started to make it rain inside, but she was only able to make it happen on the stage and away from the audience, Lillian and the judges as only Serena was standing in the middle of Gyarados's attack.

"Beedrill use Agility and Gyarados use Twister!" Serena called out.

Beedrill started to fly around the rainy area while Gyarados unleashed a reasonable size Twister so it wouldn't cause destruction in the area. Serena made sure to work on how much power Gyarados uses so she doesn't cause any harm.

"And use Aqua Tail on that Twister!" Serena retorted.

Gyarados unleashed an Aqua Tail on the Twister and with the rain water and the effects of Aqua Tail, it turned into a water cyclone. That's when Serena turned to Beedrill and smiled at the Poison Bee Pokémon.

"Now Beedrill use your stingers to gather much water in that cyclone as you can," Serena called out

That's what Agility was for, so that Beedrill would keep up with the cyclone so he doesn't get caught by the force. Beedrill dipped his stingers into the water cyclone and started flying along the edges of the water twister.

"Hold in that water and jump into the cyclone with Pursuit!" Serena called out.

Beedrill began to use his Pursuit inside of the cyclone, and once he was inside, Serena called out the next move.

"Now use Rage inside!" Serena retorted.

Beedrill heard Serena's command and unleashed a Rage attack inside. The power of Beedrill's Rage overpowered the cyclone and canceled it out. The crowd was amazed by Beedrill's toughness and power for overcoming such a force.

"Alright Gyarados unleash your Flamethrower!" Serena announced.

Almost everyone in the room gasped when they heard Serena calling out a Flamethrower from Gyarados who was a water-type except for the group. Gyarados unleashed her Flamethrower, but it was weakened thanks to the rain. However, it was coming for Beedrill.

"And Beedrill, charge into that with Twinneedle!" Serena yelled out.

Beedrill got his stingers ready. The Poison Bee Pokémon dashed into Gyarados's Flamethrower with his stingers going in first. The fact that Beedrill got so much water allowed him not to feel much of a burn, especially since the rain helped weakened Flamethrower.

"Turn it into a Poison Jab!" Serena retorted.

Beedrill canceled out Flamethrower with Poison Jab, and right on que as the rain stopped. Colorful sparkles started to come up into the air and the flames managed to get rid of burn out any poison. It looked like the sun was shining again even though they were inside, and the entire audience couldn't help but roar with applause.

Serena, Gyarados, and Beedrill all gave a bow to the audience and the judges. For Serena's first double performance, everything went smoothly. Gyarados was able to manufacture her power with her attacks and control it as well so it wouldn't create chaos, Beedrill showed off her toughness on how he could withstand what could be a fraction of Gyarados's strength while dazzling the audience. It felt like a weird pair for most people, but Serena made it work.

"Amazing work by Serena and her Gyarados and Beedrill! Gyarados gave us an amazing display of its abilities while Beedrill dazzles us with how tough of a Beedrill it is. She should also get bonus points for having her Pokémon control their abilities so no on gets hurt," Lillian announced.

"Way to go Serena!" Ash exclaimed as he pumped his fist.

"I just loved how Beedrill was doing is aerial dance!" Tierno cheered.

"Beedrill wasn't dancing," Trevor stated, "But it was amazing appeal, especially from two Pokémon you wouldn't expect to be paired up."

"Everything Serena did was pretty risky not only for the judges, but the audience as well," Rose said looking at Grace and Jade, "Just shows you she's got everything under control."

"Okay okay, it seems Serena does have a good handle of that Gyarados," said Grace.

It seems that they were okay with Serena in how she was handling Gyarados, so they don't need to keep having those thoughts that she would eat someone.

"What did you think Olivia?" Jade asked as she was looking at Olivia who had Sobble and Eevee watching.

"Well contests aren't going to be my forte, but that was a heck of a show," Olivia chirped.

While her heart has already been set for the Indigo League, Olivia had to appreciate the finer things in life and Serena's appeal was just breathtaking. She knew being a coordinator was pretty tough as they had to dazzle the crowd, judges, and come up with fabulous combinations.

* * *

 _ **Contest Hall-Waiting Area**_

"That was amazing!" Shauna exclaimed as she ran towards Serena when she came back in, "I didn't think a Gyarados and Beedrill could put up such an intense artistic show."

"Thanks Shauna, I wasn't sure how it was going to come out when we got on stage, but we sure did blow them away," Serena chirped.

"Well Serena, you're bound to get to the next round," Shauna said giving a wink and a thumbs up.

"Thanks, and I hope you can amaze the audience too," Serena told Shauna.

"Oh, I will," Shauna replied.

After that little conversation, the two went back to the TV to see the other participants take their turns. Serena was the fifth appeal while Shauna was going to be the twenty-first.

* * *

 _ **Contest Hall-Stage**_

 _ **15 appeals later**_

There were many more coordinators giving out appeals. Some of them were good while others were alright. The twentieth contestant was on stage and he had out a Magnemite and a Raticate.

"Alright Magnemite and Raticate, do something cool!" the male coordinator said giving a thumbs up from both hands while giving out a huge grin.

Magnemite and Raticate had no idea what their trainer meant when he said, do something cool. Did this guy even have a routine set like all of those other coordinators? He just expected his Pokémon to just do stuff.

"Come on, do something cool," the coordinator moaned.

Magnemite and Raticate had no idea what he meant and soon the crowd started booing the male coordinator. People were shouting that this guy was horrible and why did he even enter, or does he even know how to prepare for a contest. The judges immediately gave out red Xs meaning he was out of the contest.

"You guys suck, you can't do something cool," the male coordinator moaned as he just called back his Pokémon and walked off the stage.

Everyone continued to boo him as he didn't even come prepared. Talk about wasting a good spot in a Pokémon Contest, because another deserving coordinator could of, taken that spot. As the male coordinator returned to the waiting area, the staff member at the door had a stern look on her face.

"Please go change and leave the contest hall immediately," the staff member sternly said pointing to the changing room where he walked to in despair until she showed a bright smile again directed towards Shauna, "Shauna, you're up."

After getting the cue, Shauna ran off while Serena wished her good luck.

"We apologize for that horrible display. Now give it up for our twenty-first entry, Shauna Florry!" Lillian announced as Shauna was now on stage.

"Go go Shauna! Go go Shauna!" Tierno said as he was shaking his hips while pumping his fists in the air.

"Get'em Shauna!" Trevor cheered.

Ash and Pikachu smiled at what they saw. Shauna was definitely a good friend of him and Serena, and he hoped for nothing but the best. The adults were now ready to watch Serena's and Ash's friend show off her Pokémon.

"Ivysaur, Seel, it's showtime!" Shauna called out as she tossed her Pokeballs in the air.

Coming out of the Pokeballs were Ivysaur and Seel. Ivysaur started backflipping in the air before he landed on his feet striking a pose while Seel did a few backflips before landing properly on his belly stretching out his flippers. Shauna knew how to get those Pokémon to make an entrance.

"Seel use Water Sport on Ivysaur's bud!" Shauna called out.

Seel heard Shauna out and squirted water in the air into Ivysaur's bud. The Seed Pokémon was absorbing the water gaining more nutrients.

"Now Ivysaur use Sweet Scent!" Shauna called out.

Ivysaur brought out a pink aroma onto the stage and it felt completely refreshing, and the extra water added to the effect really calming Seel down as he would feel very relaxed.

"Seel use Aqua Ring!" Shauna yelled.

Seel began to gain some extra health thanks to the effect of Aqua Ring as water rings floated around Seel. Seel looked up at the ceiling and knew what was coming next.

"Alright Ivysaur use Solarbeam in the air and Seel use Aqua Jet in the air and collide with the Solarbeam!" Shauna yelled out to her Pokémon.

Ivysaur began to gather sunlight while Seel on the other hand blasted up in the air engulfed in water using his Aqua Jet. Ivysaur continued to gather sunlight, and then he had enough and fired upwards. Seel was coming in with Aqua Jet, but Shauna called out one more command.

"Safeguard Seel!" Shauna retorted.

As Seel was homing in on Ivysaur's Solarbeam, the Sea Lion Pokémon engulfed himself in a rainbow aura which happened to be Safeguard. Then Seel collided into Ivysaur's Solarbeam as it let out a bright shining explosion. Ivysaur's bud was sparkling with what appeared to be sparkling dew from the use of it where Seel's Water Sport helped. Seel was dazzling down to the ground where he gracefully landed on his tail before he gave out a gesture to the audience meaning behold.

The crowd roared with applause after Shauna's appeal round. Shauna's performance was showing nothing but pure beauty and strategy while Serena's performance was directing towards mostly the power of her Pokémon and how they controlled their abilities. Either way, it looked like these two had the biggest hits of the contest so far.

"Now that was an amazing partnership from Ivysaur and Seel. Shauna was not only having her Pokémon dazzle us with their majestic waters and flower power, but also showing trust between the two Pokémon!" Lillian announced.

Everyone in the group gave a round of applause for Shauna and her Pokémon, but it was clearly Trevor and Tierno who cheered her on the most. Mostly Tierno was dancing in the seats, but that didn't bother anyone.

* * *

 _ **Contest Hall-Waiting Room**_

"That was amazing Shauna," Serena praised as Shauna came back into the waiting area.

"Thanks Serena, I'm very confident that we're both going to make it to the next round. We gave amazing appeals to the audience," Shauna happily said.

"We sure did," Serena said brightly.

The two girls would spend their time watching the other entries before an intermission where the judges would decide who would make it to the next round. Then Lillian ran back onto the stage ready to announce the coordinators that would be moving on to the next round.

"Except for that one coordinator, all of our coordinators have had their Pokémon showcase their abilities with another Pokémon. Now it is time for everyone to see which eight coordinators will be moving on to the next round," Lillian announced.

The screen was up, and many pictures were being randomized. The group in the audience had their eyes fixed on the screen while Serena and Shauna looked at the television feeling a little nervous. Then when the pictures finished randomizing, they showed the eight coordinators who would be moving on. Serena's eyes lit up when she saw her face up at the number one spot while Shauna was right behind her at number two.

"I don't believe it, we finished in the top two and I got first-place!" Serena muttered in shock as she hugged Shauna, "I'm so happy for us Shauna!"

"Me too! I don't mind finishing in second, but it's amazing we got the top two," Shauna responded as she accepted the hug.

* * *

 _ **Contest Hall-Stage**_

"My baby girl got first place!" Jade cried as tears of joy were bawling out of her eyes.

"Cry like that when she wins," Katherine told Jade as she let out a slight chuckle.

The adults couldn't help but chuckle to Jade's reaction. Grace on the other hand was proud of Serena and Ash on the other hand cheered very loud along with Tierno and Trevor. They couldn't have been prouder of their friends since they finished in the top two spots out of eight.

"Awesome work Serena. You managed your Pokémon well and it got you this far. Now get out there and win that ribbon," Rotom Dex looking at Serena's picture on the screen.

"And now it's time to set up for round two!" Lillian announced.

The pictures were shuffling all over the screen and it made a little tournament set up. For Ash, Trevor, and Tierno, the three were relieved when they saw Serena's picture in the first match and Shauna's picture in the last match. They were on opposite ends meaning they didn't have to fight each other in the first round. What a relief!

"We're on different ends," Serena happily said as they were in the waiting area.

"I know," Shauna replied as she then put a smirk on her face, "Serena, let's meet on the final stage."

"You got it," Serena responded as she went into thought looking at her Pokeballs, _"Gyarados, Beedrill, you two did a great job. I'll leave this to Braixen and Squirtle now."_

"All eight coordinators will compete against opposing coordinators in a double battle where the Pokémon will show off their style in battle. This is a common theme for the Grand Festival so all coordinators competing will get a good taste of how the double performance works," Lillian announced.

"You did a great job Serena, now let's see what you and your Pokémon can bring to the table," Ash said to himself.

Ash was eager to see Serena win while Trevor and Tierno were eager to see Shauna win. Olivia on the other hand watched the performances very well, and now she can actually see the contest battles which can help her learn about combinations of attacks and Pokémon, and also how to show them off like an appeal.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

The first contest battle was about to take place between Serena and another boy. Serena was on one end while her opponent was on the other side. He had black hair and wore a brown jacket with a white button up shirt, brown pants, and brown dress shoes. Serena held her special red Pokeball containing Braixen and another Pokeball containing Squirtle.

"Our first contest battle of the day will be Serena against Dustin! Each trainer will have five minutes to take away many points from their opponents as possible. The clock starts now!" Lillian announced as the clock began to countdown.

"Braixen, Squirtle, it's time to shine!" Serena yelled out as she sent out Braixen and Squirtle.

Braixen did a front flip and landed on her feet softly while Squirtle was spinning inside his shell and then he pops out presenting himself and then landing on his feet. Serena was amazed to see Squirtle was not trying to hug Serena's leg like he usually did. Maybe it was time to mature out of that, because if he wants to prove Paul wrong, then he needed to stop that. Besides, Serena already had a boyfriend.

"Alright Magneton and Kingler, go!" Dustin called out sending out two Pokémon.

One was three grey metal orbs attached to each other with an eye and magnets connected to them, and the other was appeared to be a big red crab with what appears to be a big mouth and huge pincers, and as expected Rotom Dex got data on those two Pokémon who happened to be Magneton and Kingler.

 _#082-Magneton: Magnet Pokémon_

 _Generates strange radio signals. It raises the temperature by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit within 3,300 feet._

 _#099-Kingler: Pincer Pokémon_

 _One claw grew massively and is as hard as steel. It has 10,000-horsepower strength. However, it is too heavy._

Serena had complete confidence that Braixen and Squirtle can work together, but it was going to be tough against a Magneton who was an electric type and a Kingler who was a water type. Dustin definitely had Pokémon that carry a type advantage against each of her Pokémon, and it could be crazy to know how these two Pokémon work together.

"Alright Braixen, let's start it off with a Fire Spin!" Serena called out.

"I don't think so; Magneton use Light Screen!" Dustin called out.

Braixen brought out a Fire Spin directed at Magneton, but the Magnet Pokémon shielded itself with Light Screen.

"And Kingler use Mud Shot," Dustin told his Kingler.

Kingler shot out mud from the ground and it was directed towards Braixen which cost Serena some points. It was now time for Squirtle to get in on the action.

"Squirtle use Bubble!" Serena yelled.

Squirtle fired off bubbles across the battlefield, but that wasn't until Dustin brought out another command for his Magneton.

"Magneton use Light Screen again, but cover Kingler this time," Dustin yelled out.

Magneton got in front of Kingler and used Light Screen once more causing Squirtle's bubbles to get blown up on impact as they also sent out amazing droplets of water. Dustin knew how to get his Pokémon to defend and dazzle the audience at the same time.

"Now Magneton use Metal Sound!" Dustin yelled out.

Magneton blasted out a harsh sound right at Braixen and Squirtle which caused the two Pokémon to be sent to the wall.

"Now use Zap Cannon on Squirtle, and Kingler use Bubblebeam on Braixen!" Dustin ordered.

"Quick Squirtle use Withdraw!" Serena retorted.

Magneton unleashed it's Zap Cannon right at Squirtle, but Squirtle got into his shell just in time. Braixen on the other hand was left wide open as she was being pelted by Kingler's Bubblebeam and more of Serena's points were being lost with four minutes remaining.

"This is not looking good for Serena," Ash muttered.

Braixen got back up on her feet while Squirtle got out of his shell and looked at the two Pokémon in front of them. Magneton and Kingler were not even hit yet which also explains why Dustin still has all of his points. Serena looked on over to Braixen and Squirtle who were still up to fight.

"Alright you two, we got to work together," Serena told her Pokémon.

"Braixen," Braixen confirmed.

"Squirtle," Squirtle confirmed with a slight bit of aggravation, but he put it aside.

Despite Squirtle wanting to overcome his loss to Paul's Poliwhirl, he was hoping to take someone on one on one, but that wasn't the case for this contest. However, his desire to help Serena win was bigger so he could deal with working with Braixen. If it weren't for those feelings, maybe he would be enjoying it.

"Braixen use Flamethrower, and Squirtle use Water Gun and combine them together at Magneton," Serena told Braixen and Squirtle.

Braixen's Flamethrower and Squirtle's Water Gun come together to form some sort of steamy white blast.

"Light Screen!" Dustin retorted.

Once again, Magneton gets in the way with Light Screen. The attacks comes in and once again Magneton blocks it. Serena has had it with that attack.

"Man, Light Screen is really killing Serena," Ash muttered.

"It is, unless one of her Pokémon knew the move Brick Break, she wouldn't have to worry about it. Unfortunately, that's not the case," Rotom Dex explained.

" _I have to figure out how to get past Light Screen,"_ Serena thought to herself.

Neither Braixen nor Squirtle knew the move Brick Break to break that attack. Anytime they try attacking Magneton, he uses Light Screen, and anytime they try attacking Kingler, Magneton floats in front of Kingler and uses Light Screen. Wait, Magneton was floating in midair, Serena might know what to do with her remaining three minutes.

"Kingler use Mud Shot!" Dustin called out.

"Both of you dodge and Squirtle use Withdraw!" Serena retorted.

Braixen and Squirtle jumped up in the air to avoid Kingler's Mud Shot which they did. As soon as they started descending to the ground, Squirtle got into his shell and used Withdraw. Then both Braixen and Squirtle landed on the ground with Braixen landing on her feet while Squirtle was laying on his front while still in his shell.

"Now Braixen use Fire Spin on Kingler and Squirtle stay in place and use Rapid Spin!" Serena yelled.

"Magneton, you know what to do. Light Screen," Dustin told Magneton.

Braixen raised her stick and fired off another Fire Spin, and just as expected Magneton used Light Screen once more in front of Kingler. Having Kingler right behind Magneton, Serena was ready to make the next move.

"Keep going with Fire Spin and kick Squirtle towards Kingler," Serena told Braixen.

With that, the Fox Pokémon kicked the spinning shell right towards Kingler. Serena figured it out, Magneton was protecting itself and Kingler with Light Screen, but the fact it was hovering left a gaping hole underneath. It looked like Squirtle was going to strike Kingler with going through Magneton like Braixen scored a soccer goal, but right when Squirtle got underneath Magneton.

"Jump up and use Tackle!" Serena called out.

Squirtle got the cue and pelted upwards right at Magneton knocking it up in the air, and Braixen stopped her attack. Dustin finally lost some points, and he along with his Pokémon were pretty surprised.

"Magneton use Zap Cannon on Squirtle quick!" Dustin cried.

Magneton unleashed a Zap Cannon, but Squirtle got out of the way in time. Dustin must've panicked because he didn't pay attention to the direction where his Zap Cannon was aimed. It was coming right at Kingler and the Pincer Pokémon was now being barbequed by his own teammate's attack.

"Braixen use Flamethrower!" Serena yelled out.

Now that Magneton was not on guard when firing that Zap Cannon, Braixen quickly unleashed her Flamethrower right at Magneton. The Magnet Pokémon cried in pain as the fact it was a steel type only increased the pain. Kingler collapsed on the ground while Magneton fell onto the ground, and both Pokémon were knocked out. With two and a half minutes left, the judges unleashed the red Xs.

"Both Magneton and Kingler are unable to continue! Which means moving on to the next round is Serena and her Braixen and Squirtle!" Lillian announced.

The screen then showed a picture of Serena along with her Pokémon Braixen and Squirtle with the words WINNER underneath. It was a tough call, but her Pokémon pulled through.

"Way to go you guys," Serena said as she accepted Braixen and Squirtle over for a hug.

"That's my girl!" Grace cheered.

"Your daughter did great," Delia said.

"The fact that Serena got Braixen to use Squirtle like a soccer ball to take advantage of Magneton's floating. That's showing some style and skill," Rose told Grace.

Ash was smiling at his girlfriend. After seeing Serena winning her first double battle in a Pokémon Contest, he really started to have great confidence that she can win this. Serena on the other hand felt the same way.

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

The rest of the contest went by rather quickly. As the group could see, Shauna was using her Ninetales and Vaporeon for the contest battles. Shauna would win her first match with ease, and after Serena's little shaky start against Dustin, she would beat her next opponent with no problem, and then Shauna beat her next opponent as well. Now it was Serena and Shauna facing off in the final stage.

"We have now come to the finale of the Celadon City Pokémon Contest! Our final match of the day will be Serena against Shauna!" Lillian announced.

Serena and Shauna were on in the center of the stage standing in front of the crowd. These two already had an official contest matchup back in Pewter City, and now it was time for the rematch. Shauna then happily looked over at Serena.

"Well Serena, you were pretty uncomfortable when this contest began, but now here you are in the final stage," Shauna said looking at Serena.

"Yeah, I just believed in myself and my Pokémon and we worked together as a team. Now I have another chance to get my second ribbon," Serena gratefully said.

"I'm very happy for you Serena, but that isn't your second ribbon," Shauna firmly told her.

"It's not," Serena muttered.

"No," Shauna said with a serious tone until it turned into a competitive tone, "It's my third ribbon!"

Serena couldn't help but smile at that comment. Despite the two being great friends, this was still a competition. Serena then put a determined look on her face as she was looking at Shauna.

"Shauna may the best coordinator win," Serena said.

"My pleasure Serena," Shauna replied.

The two coordinators shook hands and the crowd continued cheering them on. It was amazing to see great sportsmanship between the two, and they were going to give it their all. Almost like, they were on the final stage of the Grand Festival. These two would love to meet at the Grand Festival.

Meanwhile the entire group was cheering Serena and Shauna on. They were extremely happy to see two great friends meeting for a shot at the Celadon Ribbon. While it was clear that Trevor and Tierno would cheer Shauna on, Ash, Grace, Jade, and everyone else would root for Serena. Olivia on the other hand didn't care who won, just as long as they gave a good battle.

"We will now begin the final round! Coordinators take your positions!" Lillian announced.

Serena and Shauna went over to their respective sides as each of them were holding two Pokeballs. Serena stood on one side starring at Shauna while Shauna was on the other side starring at Serena.

"You have five minutes to drop your opponents points to zero or knock them out! Now let's the show started!" Lillian announced as the clock started counting down.

"Alright Braixen and Squirtle, it's time for the finale!" Serena yelled out throwing her Pokeballs in the air.

"Ninetales, Vaporeon, you're on!" Shauna yelled out throwing her Pokeballs in the air.

Braixen came out flipping in the air before landing on her feet while Squirtle was in his shell spinning in midair before popping out and landing on his feet. Ninetales galloped out of her Pokeball and landed gracefully on the ground while Vaporeon did the same. So here it is, a fire and water type against, a fire and water type.

"Sigh," Rotom Dex sighed.

"Is something wrong Rotom Dex?" Ash asked.

"Ash don't me wrong, but this could be extremely tough for Serena," Rotom Dex answered.

"Why's that?" Ash questioned.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"Serena should be aware of Ninetales and Vaporeon in their previous battles since she watched them," Rotom Dex stated.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Their special abilities. Ninetales has Flash Fire which can make herself stronger if any fire attack makes contact, and Vaporeon has Water Absorb where she can heal herself if a water attack makes contact," Rotom Dex explained.

"That means Braixen can't use fire attacks and Squirtle can't use water attacks," Ash muttered.

"No, they can Ash. She just has to make sure no fire attacks hit Ninetales and no water attacks hit Vaporeon. It may be a contest battle to dazzle the audience, but it can still act as a Pokémon battle," Rotom Dex explained.

"You're right Rotom Dex," Ash replied as he then turned back to the stage, "But if Serena is going to take the title of top coordinator, she has to overcome any obstacle coming her way."

Serena made sure to pay attention to Shauna's battles while rooting her on to know what to expect so she was aware of Flash Fire and Water Absorb. She also needed to remember that her Pokémon have more of an arsenal with their moves as Braixen does know some good psychic attacks. That didn't mean the match would be easy though.

"Alright Vaporeon, let's start things off with Baby-Doll Eyes!" Shauna called out.

Vaporeon's eyes opened up and showed her cuteness. Braixen and Squirtle couldn't help but get caught in the trance of Vaporeon.

"Alright Ninetales, now use Confuse Ray on Squirtle," Shauna told Ninetales.

Ninetales stated to send out a blue glow and fired a dark beam right at Squirtle who was still caught in the trance of Vaporeon's Baby-Doll Eyes. Squirtle was then hit by Confuse Ray which caused Squirtle's mind to be messed up leaving him confused. Vaporeon cancelled out her attack and Serena already has lost some points.

"Squirtle, are you okay?" Serena asked Squirtle.

Squirtle didn't hear Serena as he was now stumbling all around. Serena knew that Squirtle just got confused and wouldn't be able to hear Serena out. As of right now, Braixen was on her own.

" _Perfect, I can use my Pokémon's abilities to my advantage now that Squirtle has been taken care of. Braixen's fire attacks won't do any good on either of my Pokémon since Vaporeon is a water-type and Ninetales has Flash Fire,"_ Shauna thought to herself.

" _Remember Serena, Braixen has psychic attacks too so put those to use,"_ Serena thought to herself, "Braixen use Psybeam on Vaporeon!"

"Vaporeon, counter that with your own Aurora Beam!" Shauna retorted, "And then use Helping Hand!"

Braixen unleashed her Psybeam attack while Vaporeon came at with Aurora Beam. The two attacks collided and sent out an explosion which had different colors of sparkles from the attacks. Both Serena and Shauna would lose some points, but Shauna was ahead of the game as she told Vaporeon to use Helping Hand which engulfed Ninetales in a white light.

"Now Ninetales use Quick Attack!" Shauna yelled out.

Braixen was getting her composure back from using her Psybeam, but Ninetales quickly rushed at the Fox Pokémon with a more than average powerful Quick Attack knocking Braixen down. Pikachu, Happy, Mimey, and Chu Chu all remembered that move Helping Hand as Mimey and Happy used those moves to free Scyther and Pinsir from their cages back at Team Rocket's casino.

"Are you alright Braixen?" Serena asked.

Braixen got back up on her feet and gave a nod to confirm she was alright. Serena was grimacing at what was happening as she saw Squirtle who was still stumbling around the battlefield in his confused state. With four minutes left, Serena needed to figure out what to do.

"Now Ninetales, use Extrasensory!" Shauna yelled.

Ninetales's eyes started to glow blue and then both Braixen and Squirtle were gripped into a blue aura. Neither Pokémon could move as Braixen was stuck in place and Squirtle was struggling to move as well and he was still confused, and Serena lost more points

"Now Vaporeon use Muddy Water!" Shauna called out.

Serena was in a major rut right now, if that Muddy Water were to hit her Pokémon it could be all over for her. Right now, her Pokémon were helpless as they couldn't move because of Ninetales's Extrasensory. Serena gritted her teeth, how was she going to get out of this one.

"It looks like Shauna is going to win!" Tierno exclaimed.

"Come on Serena," Ash said to himself.

Serena needed to think of something quick, but her Pokémon couldn't attack unless there was an attack they could use while being stuck in Ninetales's grip. Not to mention Squirtle was confused so he wouldn't listen. So, Serena hoped there was an attack that Braixen could use against Shauna's Pokémon.

Then it hit her. She remembered back at the casino while still a Fennekin and right before she evolved into Braixen that her eyes glowed blue to disintegrate the Rocket's guns. Serena had Rotom Dex look up the move Braixen used and learned what it was, and it was a psychic move that could be very useful, especially in contests. Serena looked at Braixen with determination and figured to give it a try.

"Psychic Braixen!" Serena retorted.

Braixen heard Serena out and her eyes started glowing blue. Braixen was able to halt the process of Muddy Water and sent the attack right back at Ninetales and Vaporeon. The two Pokémon and Shauna were completely shocked as Vaporeon's own attack came right back at them. Ninetales and Vaporeon were being washed away, and the effects of Psychic turned the water blue which took a big blow on Shauna's points.

"Alright!" Serena cheered as she pumped her fist.

Both Pokémon hit the wall. Vaporeon's Water Absorb allowed her to heal herself and be back at full strength quickly Even though Serena knew about that ability, it was a chance she was going to have to take. Ninetales on the other hand had it much worse as she got up looking weakened. She could still battle, but that had to hurt. There was three minutes left.

"Ninetales, Vaporeon, are you two alright?" Shauna asked looking at her Pokémon.

Both Pokémon looked okay, but Ninetales was weakened. She was hoping that Ninetales can hang in there a little longer. Look like Serena was going to turn it around except for one problem. After being freed from Extrasensory, Squirtle ended up falling backwards landing on his back as he now struggled to get up.

"Squirtle!" Serena cried.

The shock caused Squirtle to be free from the confusion, but now he was struggling. At least now he would be able to hear Serena out. Serena was hoping for a way to get Squirtle to join in if Squirtle struggled to be on Serena's side. So far it mostly has been Braixen's battle.

"I guess Squirtle's confusion is gone, but that doesn't mean he can help you," Shauna said smirking, "Vaporeon use Haze!"

Vaporeon glowed and unleashed a fog like figure onto the battlefield. It wasn't a thick fog, but it did limit the visibility on the battlefield. Both of Shauna's Pokémon actually looked more graceful in the haze.

"Now both of you use Quick Attack," Shauna told the two Pokémon.

Ninetales and Vaporeon dashed through the haze where Vaporeon hit Squirtle with Quick Attack and Ninetales did the same with Braixen. Both Pokémon were sent to the wall with Squirtle technically sliding while Vaporeon kept him on his back. The fact that they looked beautiful doing it took a major blow on Serena's points.

"Things don't look good for Serena," said Delia as she saw Ash's nervous expression.

"I have to admit, Shauna trained that Ninetales and Vaporeon good," Rose confirmed.

"Come on Serena get your head in the game!" Jade shouted.

"Come on honey, go for broke!" Grace cheered.

The haze died down quickly but Braixen was shaken up and Squirtle was still on his back as the clock winded down to two minutes. She needed to think of something, but it almost felt like Braixen's attack availability was limited due to Flash Fire.

Serena then looked around to see Squirtle still on his back, but his tail was near the ground. She could get Squirtle to use Aqua Tail to bring himself back up but wouldn't Ninetales just use Confuse Ray again on Squirtle.

" _What can I do?"_ Serena thought to herself.

Then she remembered something back in Ash's Celadon Gym battle. Scyther was hit by Tangela's Stun Spore to paralyze him and slow him down, and when Ash told Scyther to use Razor Wind, it was opportunity for Tangela to catch him with Bind. However, Ash fooled Erika when he really was getting close enough for a barrage of Fury Cutters. She was remembering how Ash turned an advantage into a disadvantage. The only question was how could she do that?

"You're putting up a fight Serena, but I have to put an end to this," Shauna told Serena, "Vaporeon use Water Pulse on Braixen!"

Serena could tell Braixen to dodge it, but that can leave Ninetales in for another Quick Attack or any other attack. She finally then noticed something about Braixen, and that was her twig she keeps in her tail. If Braixen was a powerful Pokémon, then the twig had to be strong too. She quickly needed to be a step ahead of her for this to work.

"Jump up Braixen!" Serena retorted.

"If Water Pulse won't do the trick, this will! Ninetales use Quick Attack in the air!" Shauna called out.

The Fox Pokémon jumped up in the air and was coming at Braixen. Serena knew this was going to be risky. She had to believe in herself and Braixen that this would work.

"Braixen use Flamethrower!" Serena called out.

"What!" Rotom Dex exclaimed in shock.

Did something invisible hit Serena on the head or something. Did she realize Ninetales's had Flash Fire? Either way, Braixen followed Serena's order and launched a Flamethrower. While it did knock Ninetales back to the ground and take a little of Shauna's points, it unfortunately started to gain more power with the help of Flash Fire.

"What's Serena doing? Wasn't she aware of Ninetales's Flash Fire ability?" Ash questioned.

"I don't know what you just did Serena, but it looked like you dug your own grave," Shauna told Serena.

"We'll see about that," Serena told Shauna as she then looked over at Squirtle, "Squirtle use Aqua Tail on the ground to spring yourself back up!"

Squirtle heard Serena. It was so caught up struggling with his confused state and laying on his back that he hasn't been given himself a chance to shine. It actually hurt Squirtle that Braixen had to do everything. It made Squirtle think Paul had the right to release him. Now was not the time to think about that, he had to win for Serena.

Squirtle's tail was engulfed in water and he slammed it on the ground and flipped in the air. Squirtle was flipping a few times before landing on his feet. He could battle again!

"Looks like Squirtle is back, and it won't be for long," Shauna told Serena, "Ninetales use Confuse Ray on Squirtle like last time!"

Ninetales unleashed another Confuse Ray directed at Squirtle. This Confuse Ray looked more powerful than the last one. It must've been the effects of Flash Fire. Then Serena turned over and looked at Braixen.

"Use the twig Braixen, use the twig," Serena said to Braixen as if she were impersonating Obi-Wen Kenobi from Star Wars.

Braixen heard Serena about the twig, and she knew she was referring to the one in her tail. Braixen looked over at the Confuse Ray, and she knew immediately what Serena meant without her telling. This was a good way to see that these two have been knowing each other well.

Braixen quickly jumped in and tried to deflect the Confuse Ray with her twig. That twig was really powerful and usually it could break. It looks like with all the love and care Serena has given Braixen made that twig stronger than it should be. Braixen knew that Serena believe in her.

"What's going on?" Shauna questioned with a shocked look on her face.

"Now focus on that twig and use Psychic," Serena told Braixen.

Braixen tried to push off that Confuse Ray with the twig. She focused on her twig and used Psychic. It was being used on not just the Confuse Ray but the twig as well. Braixen was really concentrating and the judges were amazed by Braixen's concentration and strength. It showed Serena truly believed in her Pokémon.

Then by a sudden surprise, the Confuse Ray was split into two and with Braixen's psychic powers directed the split beam at two Pokémon. Those Pokémon were none other than Ninetales and Vaporeon. Both Pokémon looked in complete horror as Ninetales's own attack was coming in towards them, and then hit them. With one-minute left, Shauna lost a great chunk of points.

"I don't believe it," Trevor stuttered.

"What just happened?" Tierno asked feeling completely shocked.

They turned around to see one person who was smiling at the scene, and that person was Ash. They knew he had the answers to this.

"She was doing what I did in the Celadon Gym. She took a chance of turning one of Shauna's advantages against her by using Flamethrower on Ninetales. She also noticed that Squirtle's tail was near the ground so he could use it as a springboard to get himself back up which would give Shauna an idea to hit Squirtle with Confuse Ray again putting him right back where he was. However, right when Ninetales used Confuse Ray again, Serena wanted to believe in Braixen like I did with my Pokémon and have Braixen stop it with her twig. Once Braixen used Psychic and the twig could split up the Confuse Ray, Braixen directed it back towards Shauna's Pokémon. She had a theory that since Flash Fire would increase her Pokémon's attack power, it would make the effects of Confuse Ray more powerful than it was with Squirtle," Ash explained.

"Wow," Trevor and Tierno muttered in astonishment.

Ninetales and Vaporeon were getting back up and were starting to wonder around, and they did nothing but aimlessly aim at each other. They had no clue what was going on with them.

"Ninetales, Vaporeon, snap out of it!" Shauna cried.

They didn't listen, and now for Serena it was her Pokémon's time to shine. Braixen and Squirtle were on their feet as they could see Ninetales and Vaporeon struggling greatly to gain control. Shauna was completely lost, and Serena was now smirking.

"Now Braixen use Psyshock on Vaporeon!" Serena called out.

Braixen's eyes started to glow blue and a whole bunch of psychic pellets came at Vaporeon striking the Aqua Jet Pokémon. The Psyshock showed a great display and let out a great aurora explosion.

"And Squirtle use Water Gun on Ninetales!" Serena commanded.

Squirtle opened his mouth and wanted to make that Ninetales pay for what it did to him. Squirtle unleashed a powerful Water Gun at Ninetales which caused the Fox Pokémon to groan in pain, but not until Serena called out the final move.

"And turn it into an Aqua Tail!" Serena yelled out.

Squirtle then sent his Water Gun to the ground which caused him to spring up in the air. And then after a couple of front flips in the air to amaze the crowd, Squirtle came back down smacking Ninetales dead on with Aqua Tail which caused to fall and slump down on the ground in defeat.

The explosion cleared and being revealed was an unconscious Vaporeon. Braixen struck a pose where she stuck out her arms while Squirtle flipped back and landed on Braixen's shoulders, and he also had his arms stuck out. The judges then gave out the red Xs to Shauna.

"Both Ninetales and Vaporeon are unable to continue! And with thirty seconds left, Serena wins the match which makes her the winner of the Celadon City Pokémon Contest!" Lillian announced.

The screen then changed to show a picture of Serena with Braixen's and Squirtle's picture along with Gyarados's picture and Beedrill's picture since they were used in the appeal round. The words WINNER appeared underneath Serena's picture. Serena couldn't believe it, she just bested Shauna and won the contest.

"We won," Serena muttered until her face turned into excitement, "We actually won!"

Serena charged onto the stage and Braixen and Squirtle ran up towards Serena as they were going to share a huge hug. Serena was very happy for both of her Pokémon. Today she had her first double performance and she came up on top. Serena couldn't have been happier for her Pokémon.

"Braixen, Squirtle, I'm so proud of you both!" Serena happily exclaimed as she was hugging the two Pokémon.

"Braixen!" Braixen chanted.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle chanted.

Braixen wanted to show Serena how much she has grown since the start of their journey, and she sure did that when she handled taking most of the leverage against Shauna's Pokémon. Squirtle on the hand seemed happy, but also a bit disappointed in himself. Though he was able to help Serena win, he felt like he didn't contribute enough in this battle since he spent most of his time confused or on his back. The win only helped him a little get over losing to Paul's Poliwhirl.

"Serena did it!" Ash cheered.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

"My baby girl did it!" Jade cried as she hugged Grace.

"I'm so happy for her!" Grace cried as she was hugging Jade with Happy jumping up and down.

"Wow, I thought Shauna would win but Serena figured a way through," Trevor stuttered.

"Man, I was hoping to do my victory dance," Tierno groaned as he crossed his arms.

"Serena, you were one heck of a lass like Ash. I think I may have learned enough from you two," Olivia said to herself as Sobble and Eevee cheered Serena on.

Meanwhile Shauna closed her eyes and breathed as she called back her Ninetales and Vaporeon. Shauna looked over at her two Pokeballs.

"Ninetales, Vaporeon, you two did great. Take a good rest," Shauna said to her Pokeballs which contained her Pokémon.

After calling back her Pokémon, Shauna approached Serena, Braixen, and Squirtle who were still sharing their hug. When Serena looked at her, Shauna's face showed total appreciation.

"Serena," said Shauna.

Serena, Braixen, and Squirtle looked at the brown-haired coordinator who was smiling at her. Serena stood up and looked directly at Shauna.

"Thanks for giving us a great battle. You and your Pokémon were amazing," Shauna complemented.

"Thanks Shauna, and I can the same for your Pokémon. They were really well trained," Serena complemented, "Especially Ninetales."

"Thanks Serena," Shauna happily said.

These two really did have a great friendly rivalry in the making. Serena and Shauna could just feel in their hearts that they were going to meet in the Grand Festival for the title of top coordinator. Shauna wanted that to happen.

* * *

 _ **A couple of minutes later**_

Everyone was gathered on stage while everyone else remained in their seats. Shauna and the other six coordinators were lined up for the ribbon presentation. Lillian and the judges were ready to present Serena her ribbon. She had Braixen, Beedrill, Gyarados, and Squirtle out for the presentation.

"We want to thank everyone who participated in today's contest and all of you coming over and watching these coordinators give a show for all of you!" Lillian announced, "And now ladies and gentlemen, it is time to present Serena the Celadon City Ribbon!"

The entire crowd erupted with applause with Ash, Grace, and Jade cheering the loudest. The judges presented Serena with her ribbon and Serena had a big smile on her face when she grabbed it with her fingertips.

"Thank you," Serena said as she gave a bow.

After politely gesturing the acceptance of the ribbon, Serena began to get excited and spin around holding the ribbon in her hand.

"Alright, I got the Celadon Ribbon!" Serena exclaimed.

All four Pokémon chanted together in union as they joined in on the pose.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Outside the Contest Hall**_

Everyone was gathered outside the contest hall as most people have already left. Ash, Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, Olivia, Katherine, and Brawny along with Rotom Dex, Pikachu, Chu Chu, Mimey, and Happy were standing with Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna together as it looks like they were about to get going. Then Serena emerged out of the contest hall back in her usual clothing.

"Congratulations sweetie!" Jade cried as she ran over towards Serena and gave her a huge hug which knocked her hat off.

"Thanks mom" Serena said as she chuckled a little bit.

"We're so proud of you," Grace said as she embraced along Jade and Serena in the hug.

Serena then broke out of her mom's hug, bent down to pick up her hat and place it back on her head. Then looked over at the group.

"You were great Serena," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Yeah, you buzzed through the competition!" Rotom Dex said it was making zipping movements.

"I didn't really do that Rotom Dex, but the competition was tough," Serena stated as she then turned over to Shauna, "Especially when it came to Shauna."

"Well Serena, I was the better coordinator back in Pewter City but today you were the better one," Shauna said, "And I'm happy that now we both have two ribbons."

"Even though you could've had three?" Serena asked.

"It's true I could've won my third ribbon but having a rival who is also a great friend winning a ribbon is just as great," Shauna explained.

"Really?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, a rivalry is good but's it's even better when you and your rival become great friends. That way if you don't win and their friend wins, they can be just as happy and proud that they are competitive like you are," Shauna explained.

"That's great to hear," Serena said.

It was true what Shauna said, the two have really hit it off since meeting in Pewter City. They both were coordinators who enjoyed competing in contests, they were both girls who loved fashion and cooking, and they always love to get along with their Pokémon. While Trevor and Tierno have been respective rivals and good friends, Ash does wish he could have a rivalry like the one Serena and Shauna has, but he can't have that with Gary because he's too arrogant and Paul is just cold. He couldn't find that in Olivia because it felt more like a teacher mentor relation.

"Well, I think it's time for us to get going," Trevor said looking at the group.

"We're going to Fuchsia City to get our next badge. I can't wait to groove with the leader of the gym there," Tierno told everyone.

"Well we wish you luck, we're planning on going to Saffron City next," Ash said as he bumped his elbow towards Serena.

"Yeah, and maybe there will be another contest I can take part in," Serena said.

"Like I said Ash, be careful when you face Sabrina. If you can't handle her, don't be afraid to skip her for the time being," Trevor told Ash like it was some sort of warning.

"Don't worry, I'll be ready when I get there," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Trevor is serious Ash, she's very dangerous," Tierno told Ash.

Ash didn't like the tone that Trevor and Tierno used about Sabrina. Was it true that Sabrina was considered a dangerous gym leader? What does she do in battle? And if she is feared as Trevor and Tierno make it sound, how did Paul beat her?

"I'll be careful around her," Ash said with a more serious tone now.

Then Shauna approached Serena and showed a grateful smile on her face. Serena and Shauna shared a hug with each other almost like they were sisters. They truly were like best friends.

"I hope we see each other again soon," Serena said as she continued hugging her.

Grace and Jade had their arms wrapped around each other as they enjoyed the scene between their daughter and Shauna. Serena truly did find a great friend in Shauna. Then they broke the hug and began to hold hands.

"Serena, I want you to make a promise to me," Shauna told Serena with both a sincere and serious tone.

"Sure, I can make a promise for you," Serena said giving out a bright smile, "What do you want Shauna?"

"I want to promise me…that we're going to meet at the Grand Festival," Shauna declared.

That had to be some powerful words coming from Shauna. She wanted Serena to appear at the Grand Festival. Serena knew what she meant, that the two of them were going to tour Kanto and get all five of their ribbons so they can get entry into the Grand Festival. It was Serena's main goal to reach the Kanto Grand Festival, and now here is Shauna to make her more determined to get there.

"Shauna, I promise we will compete together in the Grand Festival!" Serena declared.

Serena and Shauna then embraced in another hug. This was a promise! Serena and Shauna were going to do everything they can to get their five ribbons and enter the Kanto Grand Festival. It felt like Shauna even had some tears coming out of her eyes.

"Thanks Serena," Shauna said as she wiped some of those tears, "This will encourage both of us to train hard, win more contests, and meet on the biggest stage in Kanto."

With that, Shauna along with Trevor and Tierno began to walk out in the distance waving goodbye. The entire group began to bid farewell as they had to continue their journey. Serena was definitely going to keep her end of the promise and get into the Grand Festival, and she only needed three more ribbons. Serena knew that she had another big rival in her road of being top coordinator along with Calem. After that, the trio were gone.

* * *

 _ **Celadon City-Airport**_

 _ **The Next Day**_

It was the day after Serena's contest. They were at the airport gates where Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose all had their luggage. Delia had Mimey in her arms while Grace had Happy in her arms, and Yellow had Chu Chu on her side. Their time in Celadon City was finally over and it was time to head home and introduce Mimey and Happy to their new homes.

It was an eventful time here in Celadon City. It started off as a girl's getaway while the kids were out traveling and a whole bunch of events occurred. They shut down Team Rocket's casino, Delia got herself a new Pokémon, Grace and Jade got themselves a new Pokémon, Ash and Serena each got a new Pokémon, their starters evolved, they celebrated Ash's eleventh birthday, Ash won his fourth badge, Serena won her second contest, and they gave some pointers to a new trainer. Of course, the best moment for Ash and Serena was the fact that they were now dating, and their journey would be even more memorable.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Olivia, Katherine, and Brawny were standing at the terminal drop off to say goodbye. Ash gave his mom and his aunt a hug, Serena gave her moms a huge hug, and Pikachu and Chu Chu shared a hug with each other. It was an eventful time, but now it was time to move on.

"It was great seeing you all again. I really missed you all," Ash said.

"Well I will cook a big meal for you when you get home. Now you go out there and win those other four badges, and don't forget to change your underwear every day," Delia told her son.

"Right mom," Ash said feeling embarrassed.

"Serena, we'll keep watching you on TV. Get those other three ribbons so we can see you in the Grand Festival," Grace told Serena, "Me and your mom will cheer you on as you go for broke."

"I promised Shauna we would compete together in the Grand Festival so of course I'll get my other three ribbons," Serena told mom, "And by the way mom, I was hoping you and mom could get comfortable around Gyarados, so I sent her back to the lab."

What Serena said was true. She sent Gyarados back to the lab in exchange for Abra. Abra hasn't entered a contest yet, and Serena feels she is due for some training. What could she do with Abra in a Pokémon Contest if he could only use Teleport? Maybe she should've had him in the Celadon Contest.

"Well the fact that she is with Professor Oak can ease the nerves for us a bit," Jade said as she was looking at Grace, "Especially Grace."

Grace just rolled her eyes.

"It was a great reunion, I really wished Leaf was here," Rose sighed, "If you see her, tell her that her mom loves her so much and she misses her."

"We will Rose," Serena said.

"And Olivia, I think you'll make a great Pokémon trainer," Rose complemented.

"Thanks Rose, I think I got to know enough about battles from Ash and Serena. They gave me some good pointers that I can take on my journey," Olivia commented.

"Our daughter is going to stay home for one more night and she will leave for Fuchsia City tomorrow to get her first badge," Brawny said patting her daughter on the back.

"I'd figure once she gets some experience in down the road, she'll be ready for those gym leaders," Katherine said looking at her daughter.

"And don't forget my Pokémon mom," Olivia replied.

Before everybody went inside the airport to await their flight, Delia, Grace, and Jade turned to their kids one more time. Though it was great seeing them again, they had to also remember that they were caught in some dangerous events with Team Rocket. The three mothers had stern looks on their faces.

"Ash, I just want to let you know that when you and Serena are out traveling, we worry about your safety. A couple of days ago you gave me and your aunt a big scare, especially since we've heard you've ran into Team Rocket a number of times," Delia sternly said.

"The same goes for us Serena. Me and your mom love you too and we don't want you to get hurt," Grace sternly said.

"I know you and Ash hate these criminals and want to stop them, but we get scared that something could…happen to you…or Ash," Jade muttered as her tone got dark.

Jade may act a bit more carefree than Grace sometimes, but she is very protective of her daughter. She and Grace consider her has their greatest treasure in their lives. Their hearts would shatter if something happened to her and they couldn't help her. Serena could feel the same way with her moms and so did Ash for his mom. Heck, they almost intended to kill Jessie, James, and Meowth after hearing that they poisoned them.

"I promise mom, I promise that me and Ash will come home safe and sound," Serena told her moms.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I can't promise to stay away from danger, but I will promise for me and Serena to return home alive," Ash told his mom.

"Thanks Ash. You know I always worry about you just like how I worry about your father," Delia told Ash.

Ash didn't like to hear anything about his father. Ash loved his father so much and they would do almost everything together. Then when Ash turned six, his father ended up leaving him and his mom. Ash felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. He considered his father his hero when he was younger, but after what happened, he doesn't consider Red a father figure at all. He has just been hurt for the following year…until he met Serena.

"Ash, I know you haven't seen your father in a few years but trust me you'll understand why he had to leave you and your mom," Rose stated as she went into thought, _"Also Ash, Red would be scared for your safety too."_

"Because he felt like it," Ash muttered.

"You'll know one day Ash," Rose stated.

"Ash remember just like me, your father loves you too," Delia said.

"If he does why doesn't he," Ash ranted until he felt a hand on his shoulder which happened to be Serena's hand.

Ash then took a deep breath and cleared his mind. Everyone loved Red Ketchum and so did Ash until he left them. All the gym leaders even knew that they had great respect for him. Even with the Millers around them who also highly respect Red, maybe Ash shouldn't rant about him.

"Never mind, I'll forget about it," Ash muttered.

Serena wondered to herself what does Ash have against his father? Sure, he may have left them for unknown reasons, but she would like to know more of how this affects Ash. Delia, Grace, and Jade then hugged their children one more time.

"We love you kids. Take care and good luck," Delia said as she wiped her tears.

With that they all waved goodbye and so did Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Mimey, Happy, and Chu Chu. The ladies all went into the airport terminal as they awaited their flight for Viridian City. Soon they would all be home.

* * *

 _ **Outskirts of Celadon City**_

Ash and Serena were standing on the edge of Celadon City with Olivia, Brawny, and Katherine. It was time for them to get going as they were now on their way towards Saffron City. Olivia had Sobble and Eevee out and they thought it would be best to have Frogadier and Braixen out since they were the ones who helped save her.

"So, I'll stay home with my folks one more night and then I'll begin my journey," Olivia said.

"Sobble," Sobble replied.

"Eevee," Eevee happily replied.

"Thanks again for helping our daughter get Sobble back and showing her what it's like being a Pokémon trainer," Brawny said complementing Ash and Serena.

"After seeing some of what you two did, I think she can take those events and turn them into knowledge and she'll be a champion in no time," Katherine said.

"Thanks, it was nice having you around Olivia," Ash replied.

"Thanks Ash, maybe we might meet each other on our travels and who knows, we could have a friendly Pokémon battle," Olivia said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm up for a battle anytime," Ash declared as he then regained his composure, "But for right now, you take it easy and grow as a Pokémon trainer."

"Thanks Ash and thank you Serena. I hope we meet at Indigo Plateau," Olivia said giving a smile.

"If you take your time to love your Pokémon and believe in them, then I'm sure you'll conquer all the gyms in Kanto and get into the Pokémon League," Ash told Olivia.

"We wish you the best of luck on your travels," Serena gratefully said.

With that, Sobble approached Frogadier and Braixen. Sobble thanked the two Pokémon for their heroics in the casino that allowed her to reunite with Olivia. Now they have the chance to make great memories, and they already have one with Eevee. Pikachu also came over and gave Sobble a big hug.

"Take care," Brawny replied.

"Goodbye," Katherine replied.

"Thanks for everything," Olivia replied.

And so, Ash and Serena were on the road again. They waved goodbye to Olivia, Katherine, and Brawny as they waved goodbye to them too. Their time in Celadon City has finally come to an end and it was time for them to head out for Saffron City. Ash and Serena had a little experience as trainers while Olivia was brand new. Who knows, would they meet again.

As Ash and Serena were walking down the road, a plane was flying over them. Little did they know, Delia, Grace, Jade, Yellow, and Rose were on that plane with their Pokémon as they were headed home. They were now peacefully returning to Pallet Town and prayed for their kids safe return home. After all, Delia and Yellow didn't want to go through the same thing with Annie, and who knows what happened to Red. There was just one thing Delia wanted right now and she was thinking about it.

" _Come home safely,"_ Delia thought to herself.

* * *

 **And so, everyone has gone their separate ways. That contest didn't really help Squirtle get over his loss with Paul, but I'm sure he'll have another chance to truly redeem himself.**

 **This won't be the last contest before the Grand Festival where Serena will have to do double performances. That won't happen in the next contest in Saffron City as it will only be single Pokémon.**

 **The travel to Saffron City will only be a single chapter long as it features another capture for Ash. Judging by the title of the chapter, I think you'll know who it is. See you next time.**

 **Chapter 33: The Power of Primeape**


	35. The Power of Primeape

**Enjoy this chapter everyone as it will feature plenty of foreshadowing along with Ash getting himself a new Pokémon. You also might have noticed that I have also changed the characters from Froakie and Fennekin to Frogadier and Braixen since they evolved. Speaking of evolution, expect one in this chapter.**

 **I do not own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Flashback-25 years ago**_

 _ **Viridian City**_

 _Four years ago, the Presley family welcomed baby Annie into world and Delia became a big sister. Delia Presley was now eight years old and her sister Annie was now four years old. In those four years Delia and Annie became the best of friends as they did everything together from playing dress-up, sneaking cookies for each other only to be caught in the act, and playing with the family Stoutland._

 _But there was one thing that really brought them together and that was the wonderful creatures known as Pokémon, starting with of course Stoutland. Marcum was once a Pokémon trainer who took part in competitions, but he never won a major tournament. The best he has done was a top-four in the Sinnoh League._

 _Then there was their mother Sharon who was a Pokémon breeder who had many useful techniques in having Pokémon looking and feeling their best. It was actually after losing in the Sinnoh League when Marcum to his Stoutland to a Pokémon Center in which he met Sharon. After being healed by the nurse joy, Sharon took an inspection on his Stoutland to see what it could take to make him feel at his best._

 _The two eventually got married and had Delia and four years after that had Annie. The two girls always had a dream of traveling the world together being Pokémon trainers, or how they would call themselves, Pokémon sisters. No one was looking forward to that day more than Annie. Delia could wait a couple of years before she could go so Annie can become of age._

 _They were in the park right now with their dad to play with Stoutland. The Presleys always loved to bring Stoutland to the park for some exercise and a chance to play with Marcum's daughters. When these girls got Pokémon of their own, they can always think of their father's Stoutland. Right now, Delia and Annie were riding on Stoutland._

" _This is fun!" Annie cheered as she had her hands spread out riding Stoutland._

" _Faster Stoutland faster," Delia told Stoutland as she was leaning in on Stoutland._

 _Marcum and Sharon were watching their daughters as they were seeing how fast Stoutland was running around carrying them. The two knew that if this got kept up, they could get extremely hurt._

" _Stoutland stop!" Marcum cried._

 _Stoutland heard Marcum's voice and he hit the brakes coming to a screeching halt. Delia hung on but Annie on the other hand flew off and tumbled forward rolling around a couple of times._

 _Annie was able to get up only to see she had a huge scrape on her knee. Annie saw it and felt the pain and she began crying. Marcum noticed her daughter flew off Stoutland and was going to come on over. Sharon gave him her purse which contained a first-aid kit._

 _However, it was Delia who was the first one over. She and Stoutland went up to the crying Annie, and Delia knelt down to her little sister's level and her expression got worry-some._

" _Annie, are you okay!" Delia exclaimed._

" _I hurt my knee," Annie said as she continued crying._

 _It looked like Annie's knee was bleeding. Delia didn't like seeing her sister in pain. She didn't know what to do but to give her little sister a hug. She then looked at her sad sister in the eye._

" _Everything will be alright as long as I'm here," Delia said smiling._

 _Annie could tell that Delia would do anything for her sister's well-being. Annie saw Delia was still hugging her, and while she was still hurt, Annie felt a little better. She started smiling, she always did when her big sister was around. Their parents were coming with the first-aid kit and couldn't help but smile at the scene going on between the two. These two girls really got along._

" _Annie, are you alright?" Marcum asked feeling worried._

" _You shouldn't be riding on Stoutland so fast, you could get seriously hurt," Sharon said as she looked at Annie's leg, "Like how you just did."_

" _It's okay mommy, big sister Delia was here for me," Annie told her mom._

 _Annie seemed to start smiling when she mentioned Delia. Marcum looked at her scrape and got out some wipes and a bandage. Marcum wiped off any blood that was coming out and then put a bandage on her scrape. Annie then looked at her bandage and then her mom kissed it._

" _There all better," Sharon told Annie._

 _Sharon smiled at her daughter as she was starting to feel better from the scrape. While Marcum did apply the bandage to conceal the wound, having Delia around really made Annie feel a lot better._

" _Thanks, Delia, for being there for your sister," Sharon told Delia._

" _No problem mom, Annie is like my best friend. I would always be there for her," Delia brightly told her mom._

" _Now I hope you two learned your lesson to be more careful on Stoutland," Marcum sternly told his daughters, "I don't want you two to seriously hurt yourselves. Understand?"_

 _Marcum had his hands on his hips and Delia and Annie were looking at their father. He was right, they needed to be more careful, but they love Pokémon including the family Stoutland. It was indeed a small taste of adventure for them._

" _We will daddy," Delia and Annie both said in union._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

 _ **Lumiose City-Sycamore's Lab**_

In the heart of Lumiose City was a big white building which was the lab of Augustine Sycamore. Professor Sycamore was the professor of the Kalos Region who studies Mega Evolution and gives beginner trainers who live in Kalos their starter Pokémon which consists of Chespin, Fennekin, or Froakie. Over eleven years ago, he donated sperm to the lesbian couple named Grace and Jade Gabena who were both former Rhyhorn racers, and nine months later, their daughter Serena was born.

Right now, Professor Sycamore was sponsoring this year's Kalos League with the Kalos Region Champion Diantha who is a movie star. Many trainers around the world are competing for a chance to face the elite four and Diantha herself. He was in his lab as of right now as he wanted to check in on some of his colleagues. One of them was Professor Oak from Kanto who even fulfilled the favor of giving Ash and Serena the Froakie and Fennekin that were emotionally scared before they were born.

Professor Sycamore dialed the number to Oak's lab all the way in Kanto, and then there was a ring on the other end. Since it was morning in Kanto, it had to mean it was evening in Kalos and this would be the best time to call him. Appearing on the video phone on Sycamore's end was Professor Oak.

"Ah, Augustine, it's good to hear from you again," Oak replied.

"Ah Samuel, it's been a while. How have you been?" Sycamore asked.

"I'm doing just fine and so are the Pokémon that are here at my ranch," Oak answered giving a nod, "What about you Augustine, how have you been?"

"I've been doing wonderful. It's that time of the year again here in Kalos. This years Kalos League is about to begin," Sycamore confirmed.

"Ah, the Kalos League," Oak said as he was now thinking about Red, "I remember when Red competed in that league a long time ago. I also remember that he actually won."

"Yeah, this Red you're talking about was one hell of a trainer," Sycamore stated.

"Indeed. He even took the title of Kanto Champion after his travels, but for reasons we don't know of, he gave up that title to my son and left Kanto," Oak said feeling gloomy, "We haven't seen or heard from him since, not to mention he left his wife and son behind."

"Samuel, I'm sure maybe he had his reasons," said Sycamore.

Professor Sycamore probably thought to himself that maybe they shouldn't talk about that. The two decided to change the subject back to something more positive like sharing their research. Professor Oak shared his research on the Pokémon that were living on his ranch so he could learn about their behaviors and nature, and then Professor Sycamore started talking about his research with Mega Evolution and still trying to figure out if it originated in Kalos or Hoenn.

Professor Oak was astounded when Professor Sycamore showed his Garchomp to him and witnessed Garchomp mega evolving. The Kanto Pokémon professor was greatly pleased with what his colleague has shown him.

"By the way Augustine, there's something I was hoping to talk to you about," Oak stated.

"What is it?" Sycamore asked as he had a curious expression on his face.

"Remember a few months ago we decided to give Froakie to Ash Ketchum and Fennekin to Serena Gabena, you know the Pokémon who were traumatized by that sociopath before they hatched?" Oak questioned while folding his arms.

"Yeah, what about them?" Sycamore asked with a look of concern on his face.

Professor Sycamore remembered those two Pokémon well. Their eggs survived the assault of Siegfried and were taken from the police and into the care of Professor Sycamore. He then decided to bring those eggs to Kanto so the kids could learn about Pokémon eggs, but it was after a scavenger hunt that a six-year old Ash and six-year old Serena got to hold the eggs only for Froakie and Fennekin to hatch. Those two Pokémon seemed pretty happy.

However, once they came back to Kalos. They felt nothing but pain and refused to be with any trainer that would take them, and not even Professor Sycamore or Sophie could help them. It was then when he remembered that time in Kanto when Professor Sycamore decided to send them over to Kanto. Froakie being Ash's starter and Fennekin being Serena's starter. He was feeling a bit worried on did they release them, or did they let them go?

"Well Ash and Serena did take Froakie and Fennekin with them for their Pokémon journey…but they're no longer with them," Oak solemnly said.

Sycamore felt like his heart was crushed, like if Sophie were to reject his hand in marriage. Then Oak's solemn expression turned into an ecstatic expression. It looked like he was acting.

"Because they evolved into Frogadier and Braixen when they were in Celadon City!" Oak exclaimed.

"Really?" Sycamore happily asked as tears of joy were coming out of his eyes.

"Indeed, Ash and Serena have been traveling together and the two Pokémon have been really fond of them. They've never given up on each other, and after all of the love they given them and hard work they put into their training and overcoming their life obstacles, Froakie and Fennekin have evolved into their second stages," Oak explained gratefully, "They have even began opening up to some of the humans."

"That's wonderful!" Sycamore cheered as more joyful tears were coming from his eyes "When I sent them to Kanto, I thought maybe being with them could be the answer, and my hypothesis was correct!"

Professor Sycamore felt like his heart went through a completely successful repair. Not only has Froakie and Fennekin been able to open up to some humans thanks to Ash and Serena, but they got them to evolve as well. There was a slight fear that these Pokémon were never going to emotionally recover and that they would have to be…put to sleep. It clearly wasn't going to happen now. The sociopathic Pokémon killer was still out there, but at least they were progressing with their lives.

"Well Augustine, you've made the right choice. Speaking of Ash and Serena, let me give you some information on their progress," Oak told Sycamore.

"Go ahead," Sycamore said as he got in leaned in closer to the computer to hear Professor Oak.

"Ash has registered for the Indigo League and is now officially halfway there as he has four badges. Along with Frogadier, he also has a Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Scyther," Oak explained, "Frogadier actually has assisted Ash in winning three of his badges. In fact, Ash's mom Delia was in Celadon City watching his gym battle for his fourth badge, and she told me that Frogadier defeated the gym leader's most powerful Pokémon who happened to be a grass-type."

"Wow, that's incredible," Sycamore muttered.

"Yeah, those two are truly a team and share an unimaginable bond," Oak said in appreciation.

Oak couldn't help but think of what he heard from Delia. When she got back along with Grace, Jade, and Rose with Yellow returning to Viridian City, Delia told Oak about what has happened with Team Rocket, Ash's gym battle, Serena's contest, the new trainer, and their other rivals and friends. Oak agreed to himself not to talk about what Team Rocket did, even though it was that moment that brought Ash and Frogadier closer and to pull that gamble in the Celadon Gym.

"As for Serena, she's doing quite well. She has registered for the Kanto Pokémon Contest Circuit in hopes of getting into the Grand Festival. You need five ribbons to qualify and Serena has gotten two already. Along with Braixen, she also has a Beedrill, Abra, Squirtle, Slowpoke, and Pinsir. She also has a Gyarados that I'm keeping here in my lab since she has reached the six Pokémon limit," Oak explained, "And did I mention that Serena has used Braixen in both of the contests she has won?"

"Wow, when I gave Grace and Jade a chance to have a baby, I was hoping for good things coming from her. And I have to say, she has impressed me so far as well with Braixen helping achieve Serena's goals," Sycamore explained happily.

"I'm amazed too, and I got a great feeling they will go far in their careers," Oak proudly said as he then grabbed two photos, "By the way, I got to fax these photos to you. It's Ash's Pidgeotto and Serena's Gyarados"

Professor Oak looked at the two photos. One was Serena's Gyarados posing for the camera as she didn't look like an outraged sea serpent. It showed her wearing the marble on her left ear as a clip-on earring. Then there was another photo consisting of Ash's Pidgeotto who was holding the marble Rose gave to Ash for his birthday in his beak.

Professor Oak started to fax over the two photos over to Professor Sycamore's lab. Professor Sycamore noticed his fax machine was going off. He got up from his chair and inspected the pictures. Augustine was astonished with what he just saw. He went back to the computer to speak with Samuel.

"I don't believe it," Sycamore muttered looking at the photos, "These must be their Pokémon, but they have."

"Go ahead and say it my friend, I know what they are thanks to your research," Oak said giving him a nod of approval.

"Mega Stones," Sycamore said in shock, "How did they get these? Mega Stones are not easy to come across, especially since they're in Kanto."

"Well the first one they got was from a man on the S.S. Anne that Ash and Serena thought conned them, that was the one for Gyarados. Then the other one for Pidgeotto was actually found by Rose. She found a stall in the Celadon City department store that actually sold Mega Stones, but she didn't want to spend a lot of money, so she only brought one which was for Ash's Pidgeotto if she becomes Pidgeot," Oak explained, "Fun fact, that was also Ash's birthday present. Another thing, Ash and Serena probably have no clue that they have Mega Stones."

Professor Sycamore couldn't believe what he was hearing from the Kanto professor. The two trainers that he has given Froakie and Fennekin too have not only been starting to grow up with the help of Ash and Serena, but they have come across Mega Stones and have made remarkable progress in their young careers.

"Well it's great to know that they're doing great, especially with Frogadier and Braixen growing up," Sycamore explained.

"It is, and even though my grandson is ahead of Ash in badges and Pokémon, I'm impressed with how far they've come," Oak stated as he then went into thought, _"But still Ash, it wouldn't hurt you to bring me some more Pokémon. You only have five and Serena already has seven, and I understand you're both using Pikachu."_

"I'm glad to hear that Samuel," Sycamore said as he then looked at his wrist.

On his wrist looked like some sort of black bracelet, but what was on that bracelet looked like a small rainbow marble. It had a black swivel design with three horizontal lines running through the middle.

" _I might consider Ash and Serena helping me in my research, but only if I can find two more of these,"_ Sycamore thought to himself.

With that, the two continued talking until it was time to hang up. Professor Sycamore had to go to bed since the Kalos League began tomorrow, and he didn't want to sleep in the middle of the matches.

* * *

 _ **On the Road to Saffron City**_

It has been two days since Ash and Serena left Celadon City and judging by the calculations of Rotom Dex, Ash and Serena should be in Saffron City in another two days. Ash would be challenging Sabrina who happens to be the leader of the Saffron Gym, and as Trevor and Tierno put it out, Sabrina was pretty dangerous, and Ash would need to take his battle seriously. Serena did hear from the Nurse Joy before leaving Celadon City that there would be another Pokémon Contest in Saffron City where she would get the opportunity to get her third ribbon.

Serena made breakfast for her and Ash along with the Pokémon as she was able to look up some delicious Pokémon recipes. Everyone in the group could agree that the food Serena cooks was delicious. They had their Pokémon out who would eat as well.

Frogadier was eating and looking at Braixen. It almost seems every time those two look at each other, they seem to blush almost like they have a crush on each other. Pidgeotto was nibbling at the food and so was Beedrill. Bulbasaur happily enjoyed his food while Charmander was stuffing food into his mouth almost like Ash. Squirtle was eating his food but would rather be close to Serena like he tends to be sometimes, but the Tiny Turtle Pokémon wasn't feeling completely better from the loss to Poliwhirl since he did so little in the last contest battle against Shauna's Pokémon. Scyther ate his food with pride and so did Pinsir as it seems those two are starting to move on from their killed trainers. Abra wasn't eating as it appeared to be sleeping, and Slowpoke never even touched his food since he just stood there with a blank expression like he doesn't even know where he is. Pikachu was eating his food, but only if he got ketchup on it. The only other Pokémon who wasn't with them was Gyarados who was back at Professor Oak's lab.

Serena looked at her Pokémon and just sighed. She wanted to win her next contest, even though she heard it was just a single Pokémon Contest this time, but there was one member of her team who hasn't gotten a chance at a contest yet. Abra.

Unfortunately, Abra only knew Teleport, and how could she make a great display only with Teleport or better yet, how can it battle with just Teleport. Serena did have other Pokémon she could depend on, but she wants to give all of her Pokémon a chance which is why she is considering having Pinsir take part in contest battles since those seem to be the best fit for him. It would be tough for Serena to get some work in with Abra.

" _I'm sure we'll think of something Abra,"_ Serena thought to herself.

Ash on the other hand had his mind set on one particular Pokémon in the group. Frogadier. Ash and Frogadier have gotten closer since their run in with Team Rocket in their casino, and Frogadier played a big part in getting Ash his fourth badge. However, Ash was starting to get pretty curious with Frogadier, and not just with how he gets along with Braixen. It all started with a dream he had before he woke up, and his dream felt…real.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **Ash's Dream-Last Night**_

 _Ash and Serena were running through a corridor like they were trying to catch something or someone or they were trying to get away from something. Pikachu and Rotom Dex were right behind them. The place almost looked like some sort of factory as there was a lot of electric currents running through the walls._

 _Then there were four figures appearing in front of them and they all had Pokeballs in their hands. They were wearing black uniforms with red Rs on them. They were having another run in with Team Rocket. The rockets sent out their Pokémon and Ash got Pikachu to attack._

" _Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out._

 _Pikachu charged up his cheeks and unleashed a Thunderbolt knocking out all of the Pokémon and the rockets along with them. Ash and Serena would get past the rockets and through the automated doors._

 _When they came inside, they saw what looked like a giant electric generator. They even see a whole bunch of Magnemite, Magneton, and a big grey Pokémon that almost resembled a UFO with two Magmemites stuck together, three magnets underneath its body, and a yellow antenna. Rotom Dex did an analysis on this Pokémon and if its calculations are correct, that must be Magneton's evolved form._

 _Those Pokémon weren't the only ones in the room as there were plenty more rockets inside with glares coming at Ash and Serena. It looked like the rockets were ready to fight. Then Ash pulled out his blue Pokeball containing Frogadier, and Serena had a face where she looked completely worried._

" _Ash, I don't think you should be sending out Frogadier for a situation like this," Serena said shakily._

 _Ash listened to what Serena told him as she remembers what happened to Frogadier. The Bubble Frog Pokémon suffered not only a humiliating defeat, but his back was completely bruised from the damage he took in that battle. He had to rest for a few days before battling again and even though the nagging pain was still there, Frogadier could battle. Ash looked at his Pokeball and had confidence in Frogadier as he always would do his best to aid Ash in any situation._

" _Don't worry Serena, despite what's going on, Frogadier will fight for me like he always has," Ash told Serena confidently, "Come on out Frogadier!"_

 _Frogadier materialized out of the Pokeball standing in front of the rockets. Despite having a nagging back issue, Frogadier was fit to battle._

" _Frogadier jump up and use Ice Beam on the rockets so we can freeze them!" Ash called out._

 _Some of the rockets were releasing their Pokémon to attack Ash and Serena. Frogadier was going to take these rockets down to protect Ash and his girlfriend, but something didn't seem right._

 _Frogadier wasn't moving._

" _Frogadier, didn't you hear me," Ash called out now feeling a little worried, "Why aren't you attacking?"_

 _It was true Frogadier had a nagging back, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight as he normally would. However, Frogadier just wouldn't budge and it wasn't because of his back, as Ash could see in Frogadier's body language, he may be feeling a disturbance. Was he scared? He shouldn't be scared of Team Rocket, especially since he took these goons on before._

" _Frogadier," Ash whimpered._

 _Frogadier was just standing there looking off. Did he want to fight for Ash? Did he want to take out Team Rocket? If he did, why isn't he attacking? Something was definitely wrong. Ash was now in thought that the rockets were going to attack, and he needed to attack._

" _Ash, use a different Pokémon!" Serena yelled._

 _Serena made a good point, as long as Frogadier was in this predicament, he wasn't going to fight back. Then all of sudden the rockets had their rifles out and were ready to shoot. Frogadier was still standing as it looked like Ash and Serena were about to expect the worst._

" _Die!" one of the rockets screeched._

 _Then all of a sudden, a massive burst of electricity came in and went wild in the room. It seemed this electricity was far more powerful than what that generator could produce. Then it all went white._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

That dream was in Ash's head for most of the morning. He didn't tell Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, or any of his other Pokémon about it. Ash realized he was sleeping under the stars in his sleeping bag and wasn't in…where-ever he was in going up against Team Rocket. Though Ash promised his mom he would come home safe, he didn't promise that he would stay away from danger. Ash and Serena had a gut feeling that there were going to be more encounters with Team Rocket in the near future.

Ash was also looking at Frogadier and realized that he was just fine and didn't have any back issues. Ash can recall Frogadier taking some tough losses, but not one where his back was hurt. However, it wasn't the nagging back pain that stood out in Frogadier, it was the fact that he was just standing there feeling disturbed. Did something to Frogadier that made him act like this? The only thing Ash can remember is a humiliating defeat from a previous battle that may have hurt Frogadier, and his only theory is that the loss took a toll on him making him act like that.

Ash looked at Frogadier trying to strike up a conversation with Braixen. He looked happy, and so was Braixen. In fact, she was laughing like he told her a funny or maybe a dirty joke. It looks like Frogadier was fine.

" _I guess I'm overthinking that dream. Frogadier seems fine, I mean where on earth did back pain come from?"_ Ash thought to himself as he chuckled a little, _"But still, I didn't understand what could make Frogadier like that and not battle? If anything is bothering Frogadier, I'll always be there to help him out."_

Ash smiled as he was seeing his Frogadier conversating with Braixen. He probably had nothing to worry about. Then he looked around and saw the other Pokémon which got Ash to realize, he only has five Pokémon and he and Serena are working with Pikachu together. Ash realized that maybe it was time to get another Pokémon so he could catch up with Serena since she already carries six Pokémon and has one extra Pokémon back at the ranch.

"Hey Serena, I think I might want to catch up," Ash told Serena.

"What do you mean catch up?" Serena questioned as she was helping herself to her cooking, "You got four badges already and are halfway to the Pokémon League."

"What I mean is, I think I need to catch some more Pokémon," Ash answered.

"Catch more Pokémon," said Serena with a curious look on her face.

"Yeah, you got seven Pokémon already and I only have five," Ash stated as he then looked at Pikachu who just hugged his ketchup bottle, "And of course I understand the partnership we have with Pikachu."

"I know," Serena said who was also looking at Pikachu.

"So, I feel like I may be behind on my Pokémon catching and I should catch some more Pokémon," Ash explained.

Serena heard what Ash was talking about and he could understand the logic. She currently did have more Pokémon than Ash who would be challenging the Pokémon League. Ash already has four badges, but the gyms were likely going to get tougher so he would need a bigger variety of Pokémon.

"Well then after breakfast, we can continue traveling and hope we can find a Pokémon that can join you," Serena brightly said, "If you're going to be a Pokémon Master, then you're going to need more Pokémon."

"And you're definitely right Serena. I'm going to catch myself a new Pokémon and move one step closer to becoming a Pokémon Master!" Ash exclaimed as he stood up and pumped his fist until he heard his stomach growling which caused Ash to sit down, "But right after breakfast. I'm not going to catch Pokémon on an empty stomach."

"There you go," Serena said.

"Speaking of, I'm going to be needing seconds," Ash chuckled.

Serena sighed with a smile. She knew Ash was the one who loved food, and now that she is cooking, it sort of brings Ash closer to her. Serena knew that the road to man's heart is through his stomach which definitely was the case for Ash. As Serena was about to get Ash some more food, she noticed Pikachu hugging and giving kisses to that ketchup bottle. Serena then let out a sigh.

" _Oh Pikachu, ketchup is just an inanimate object. I'm sure you'll find someone you can truly fall in love with,"_ Serena thought to herself.

* * *

 **1 hour later**

After they were finished with breakfast, Ash and Serena continued their trek towards Saffron City. Ash was hoping to at least gain one new Pokémon before he got there. He had Rotom Dex scan around for any Pokémon that could interest him.

"Did you spot anything?" Ash asked Rotom Dex.

"I've done a scanning of the area around us, and it is confirmed that…this is an open field with grass, dirt, some rocks, some trees," Rotom Dex said.

"I mean did you find any Pokémon?" Ash questioned placing his hands on his hips while walking.

"I have and there are some Pidgey, Spearow, Vulpix, Growlithe, Bellsprout, Oddish," Rotom Dex stated listing off some of the known Pokémon.

"None of them seem to interest me," Ash muttered.

"What about that one who looks happy behind that rock," Rotom Dex said pointing to the rock.

Ash heard what Rotom Dex said as he looked at the rock. Rustling in those bushes appeared to be a Pokémon and then coming out was a Mankey. Mankey then noticed the trainers and approached them dancing around.

"Cool, it's a Mankey," Ash happily said.

Ash definitely remembers this Pokémon as it was one owned by Tierno. He taught his Mankey to battle in the form of dancing even in the cases of dodging attacks. Even though he evolved into Primeape, that Mankey was full of energy and was ready to get moving. This one appeared to be the same predicament.

"As the data shows, Mankey is a fighting-type and Ash Ketchum, you have yet to posses a fighting -type Pokémon," Rotom Dex addressed.

"Well this would be the perfect time to get one," Ash declared as he turned his hat backwards.

The Mankey was then playfully jumping around as if he wanted to play and be friends. Ash turned to Pikachu wanting him to battle the Pig Monkey Pokémon.

"Hey Pikachu, you want to play with this Mankey," Ash said in a teasing tone.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied meaning yes.

Pikachu jumped in front of Ash and the young boy from Pallet Town got into a battle stance. Pikachu sure was ready to take Mankey on, especially since he had ketchup on his food for breakfast. Serena looked over with concern as the Mankey was hopping around looking playfully. They've learned from Rotom Dex that Mankey tends to have a temper and that this Pokémon can get pretty dangerous.

"Ash, are you sure this Mankey wants to fight?" Serena asked.

"Of course, it does Serena, look how pumped it is," Ash answered gesturing towards Mankey.

Serena saw Mankey was jumping up and down looking how happy he was. Ash saw it as it was a sign it wanted to battle, Serena on the other hand was probably seeing it as if Mankey just wanted to play and that Ash may be approaching it the wrong way.

"Okay, I trust your judgement," Serena said crossing her arms with what appeared to be a disapproving look.

"Alright Mankey, it's time to play. Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.

Pikachu started to spark up his cheeks and unleash a powerful Thunderbolt at Mankey. The Pig Monkey Pokémon screeched in pain as he was getting electrocuted. Finally, when Pikachu stopped, Mankey was standing there feeling a good dose of pain.

"Good job Pikachu, that should do," Ash said praising Pikachu as he pulled out a Pokeball and went into thought, _"Man, I was hoping to see what this Mankey can do. I can figure that out once Mankey has been captured."_

"Ash you might want to look at Mankey!" Serena called out.

Serena called out Ash bringing him to pay attention to Mankey again. Apparently, the Pig Monkey Pokémon didn't look playful or feel weakened, in fact, he was now looking pretty angry. Mankey was breathing heavily towards Ash as if he were ready to attack.

"Mankey," Mankey angrily chanted.

"I think Mankey is ready to dismantle us," Rotom Dex muttered, "Like my analysis says, Mankey can easily lose its temper."

Mankey began to charge towards the group. Serena was looking scared, Rotom Dex was looking worried, but Ash had a determined look on his face as he was ready to catch Mankey.

"Then I can stop it right here," Ash declared holding out the Pokeball, "Pokeball go!"

Ash threw the Pokeball at the charging Mankey and he was sucked in. The Pokeball fell to the ground as it began to wiggle.

"Ash, I would suggest we run for it," Serena pleaded.

"Wait, I want to see if I caught Mankey," Ash told Serena.

"Every second matters Ash, we should be running for it just in case," Serena told Ash, "Please for our safety."

Ash didn't bother listening to Serena as he wanted to catch that Mankey. Ash watched the Pokeball wiggle, but as Serena feared…Mankey broke out. Mankey now looked even more angry than before as steam was coming out of his nose.

"Mankey!" Mankey cried.

"Run for it!" Ash cried.

With that, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu began making a run for it while Rotom Dex made a float for it. Mankey began to charge towards Ash and Serena while they were running for their lives. Mankeys definitely tended to have a major temper.

"You should've listened to me Ash Ketchum!" Serena yelled.

"What, I just wanted a Mankey!" Ash yelled.

"You've should've approached that Mankey with caution since we already should know it can easily have a raging temper, and we could've had a head start to run from that Pokeball just in case Mankey broke out, which he did!" Serena frantically exclaimed.

"Now's not the time to get angry with each other, just keep running until we can think of something!" Rotom Dex cried.

Ash and Serena were running fast as they could, but Mankey just kept closing in. As Ash saw Mankey coming closer, he remembered what Serena said. This pretty much was entirely his fault. It looked like Mankey was going to catch them, and he and Serena were going to get hurt. Ash took a glance at Serena and figured that if he were the cause of Mankey getting angry like that, he should take the heat and not have Serena take any with him.

"Serena, keep going," Ash told his girlfriend.

With that Ash stopped and let Mankey get him while Serena ran ahead only to stop to see Mankey jump all on Ash. Serena, Pikachu and Rotom Dex all watched in horrified looks on their faces as they saw Mankey starting to beat him up.

"Ash!" Serena cried.

Mankey began thrashing Ash on the ground repeatedly hitting him almost every second. Ash was a tough boy though as he managed to take these blows from Mankey while on the ground. Then the Pig Monkey Pokémon stopped beating him up as he now lied on the ground completely bruised. Then Mankey would do something that would be unforgiveable to Ash Ketchum.

He stole his hat.

Mankey then lost his temper and started hopping around until he approached a tree. Mankey climbed up the tree holding Ash's hat in his hand and when he finally reached the top, he wanted to mock Ash by placing it on his head.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket HQ**_

Everyone in Team Rocket was excited to hear the news that they were now going to be heading over to the Silph Company. Giovanni and Ariana have been awaiting this moment for such a long time since the people in the company have been working on the Master Ball.

The two rocket bosses were only planning on bringing Archer since they didn't want to flood the place with their men until there was more progress going. Despite losing to Ash and Serena back at their now defunct casino, Archer was still the top executive.

"Now listen Archer, despite me and Ariana are going to be the ones going in, we need you for any particular backup even though we have our Pokémon with us," Giovanni told Archer.

"Why are you jut bringing me?" Archer questioned, "Shouldn't we bring in more agents?"

"Once we can get the sale through, we'll bring our men right in," Giovanni confirmed.

What Giovanni said made total sense. The less men they had with them, the better chances of them not being caught or known for their schemes. Despite Giovanni being an evil man, he was exceptionally good at business. While he has sent his men out to commit crimes and get money and Pokémon, he has taken his time to study business ethics so he can learn how to properly negotiate.

Team Rocket had the money, and Giovanni had the business skills so their plans on getting the Silph Company should work like a charm.

Giovanni, Ariana, and Archer were prepared to board the helicopter. Proton was watching out the window as he knew that they were ready to proceed with the next phase of their plan. Proton had his arms crossed and was waiting impatiently as Petrel was going to be coming in any second. Then a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Proton muttered.

It was Petrel and beside them were Jessie, James, and Meowth. The rocket executive was glaring at the trio and the trio looked terrified. Almost everyone in Team Rocket has hated them because of their repeated failures, but it was Proton who hated them the most.

"Petrel told us you wanted to see us for something Proton," Jessie told the cruel executive.

"Yes Proton, isn't there something you want to tell these three," Petrel told Proton with a hint of menace in his voice.

Proton looked at the trio and saw them with disgust. He tried to kill them on the S.S. Anne, but they somehow sprung right back to them. It's almost like the world hates Team Rocket and it has always brought cruel twists of fate to bring the trio right back.

Proton went up to the trio and punched James in the gut with every ounce of strength he had in his fist. James bent down as he was cringing in pain from the blow he took from his superior. Jessie and Meowth tried to help him up and that's when Proton glared at them.

"Now you retarded bastards listen here! Our bosses are going to the Silph Company to further our goals, and once they acquire the Silph Company they will put extra effort into getting the Master Ball ready!" Proton yelled.

"And what does this have to do with us?" Meowth asked.

"Easy, you three are always fucking everything up! You're all waste of space in this organization and a waste of oxygen on this planet! When you three went into the casino to cook our mortal enemies mother's last meal, you decided to act like you were dropped on your heads when you were babies, and the fact your stench of failure spread onto Archer and the rest of the rockets! Archer was on the verge of getting into trouble and it was ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT BECAUSE YOU'RE EXISTENCE WAS PRESENT IN THERE!" Proton screamed.

Then Proton pulled out a Pokeball which contained his Rhydon and the Drill Pokémon whipped his tail at the trio sending them flying to the wall. Jessie, James, and Meowth fell down and felt a whole bunch of bruises and there was even blood coming out of their faces. They were in great pain and Proton always enjoyed it. The trio started to get up, but they were greatly weakened and the only thing they saw was Petrel smirking and Proton still looking like he was on road rage.

" _I wish I killed you with that,"_ Proton thought to himself as his tone got completely dark, "Now you listen, since you three always blow everything up, you will not be joining in on the Silph Company at all."

"We're…not going to the Silph Company?" James asked while still trembling with pain and fear.

"That's right, you will not be going into the Silph Company! You will not think about going to the Silph Company! You will touch the Silph Company! You will not even breathe inside the Silph Company! You will not even think about breathing inside the Silph Company! BETTER YET, I WILL ARRANGE GIOVANNI AND ARIANA TO KILL YOU IF YOU EVEN SET FOOT IN SAFFRON CITY!" Proton screamed, "Team Rocket is done with your fucking failures!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth were all terrified with Proton. Even though he wasn't their boss, it was almost like he was with his orders, and he seems to act worse than their real bosses. It's almost like he wants to kill them.

"Mister Proton, what if we were somehow brought on a mission somewhere else which allowed us to just pass through Saffron City, and we wouldn't even step out for anything?" Meowth questioned while fiddling with his fingers.

"Don't even look at Saffron City, and I will make sure you are never going near that city! Because if you do, everything will fuck up eventually and it will be entirely your fault," Proton told the trio with a dark tone.

Proton always wants to believe whenever one of their plans gets ruined, he finds a way to blame it on them. He got them blamed for ruining Giovanni's white suit when Proton clearly threw Meowth at him, and he got them blamed for their casino being shut down when they weren't even present. Team Rocket always wants to blame them since they had the most failures among all the rockets since joining them.

"Is there anything we can do to somehow contribute," Jessie pleaded.

"And you can actually watch over us to make sure we don't screw up," James said as if he were begging.

Proton wanted them to do nothing for Team Rocket. In fact, he wanted them dead. Probably the whole organization wanted them dead. Proton wanted to find a way so they could help without screwing up and getting them killed at the same time. It almost worked on the S.S. Anne.

"I'll think about it," Proton sighed, "Until then, you do nothing."

"Thank you," Meowth quietly said.

"Petrel, you can get them out now," Proton told Petrel.

"Indeed Proton," Petrel responded.

Petrel ordered the trio to walk out of Proton's sight. As the trio followed Petrel out of the room, they could see the glares they were getting from the other rockets. Surely, they heard the conversation going on with Proton in how they always screw up and that they are not to be anywhere near the Silph Company or even Saffron City.

Jessie, James, and Meowth hated to admit it, but it almost felt like Team Rocket was becoming a prison more than a real prison.

* * *

 _ **Back with Ash and Serena**_

Ash was lying on the ground after the pounding he took from Mankey. He didn't have any broken bones, but he did have plenty of bruises. Serena ran over to him with Pikachu and Rotom Dex by her side.

"Ash, are you okay?" Serena asked as she knelt down to Ash to help him up.

"Ugh, yeah I'm fine," Ash answered.

Ash was gritting his teeth after the beating he took. Once Serena got him up, Ash shrugged and rubbed his arms around to try and get the pain to pass. After that he began to rub his head and that's when he has noticed.

"Where's my hat?" Ash frantically asked.

"Over there," Serena answered pointing to the Mankey on the tree.

Mankey was hopping up and down on the tree wearing Ash's hat. Ash didn't care about the pain he was feeling anymore. He clenched his teeth, started shaking, and he ran towards the tree looking very angry glaring at the Mankey.

"You little thief, give me back my hat!" Ash yelled.

Mankey was giggling and laughing now, and then to add to the mockery, Mankey turned the hat backwards and imitated throwing a Pokeball. This really made Ash's blood boil.

"Ash, you can get another hat," Rotom Dex said floating behind Ash.

"It's not the hat, it's the principle!" Ash grunted as he walked towards the tree.

"Ash don't, you'll just get beat up again," Serena called out.

"It's mine!" Ash shouted.

"Well can I least send Braixen out to help you?" Serena asked as she got out Braixen's Pokeball.

"No, I can do this all by myself!" Ash yelled, "Mankey is my problem!"

Serena just sighed when she knew how stubborn Ash was about that hat and wanting to take care of Mankey himself. The truth was she knew about how Ash got that hat. As she watched him begin to climb up the tree, Rotom Dex looked at Ash with curiosity and then turned towards Serena.

"Why is Ash so stubborn about that hat?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"There's a good story about that Rotom Dex," Serena sighed, "That hat means a lot to Ash. He won it at the official Pokémon League Expo, and as Ash told me, it was tough to win one of those hats."

"An official Expo hat?" Rotom Dex questioned feeling confused.

"Yeah," Serena replied as she started to remember the commercial that feature that hat.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _It was a television ad that Serena remembers seeing with Ash._

 _It showed a Charizard firing a Flamethrower and a Blastoise firing a Hydro Pump. When the two attacks collided, it made a special yellow spark as it was a special effect._

" _Hey all you Pokémon League fans!" a voice in the ad said as it now showed a Pokeball that read Pokémon League, "Now you have a chance to win one of hundred limited edition Pokémon League official hats."_

 _The Pokeball opened up with colorful beams coming out and revealed the hat that Ash was wearing. The hat then slightly turned to the left and now there was a colorful sparkle in the background._

" _It's wearable, it's washable, and it's official! Don't miss your chance to win the official hat of the official expo of the official Pokémon League!" the voice announced as the Charizard and Blastoise appeared from the sides posing in those hats._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

"Wow," Rotom Dex responded.

"Yeah, there was this contest where one-hundred people would win an official hat of the Pokémon League," Serena explained to Rotom Dex as Ash was eavesdropping while paying attention to Mankey, "I remember Ash entering that contest."

"I had to send in about a million postcards to win that hat!" Ash yelled.

"Yeah, and you cramped your wrist pretty badly," Serena sternly said, "I mean why on earth would you need to send a million postcards?"

"Because I wanted that hat!" Ash hollered as he finally reached Mankey, "Alright Mankey, I got you."

Before Ash could finish, Mankey delivered a Karate Chop right at Ash's face which caused him to fall from the tree. Serena saw this as she ran up to catch him, however she wasn't able to grab him as instead he landed on top of her. Ash felt like he landed on something soft, and then he looked and saw he landed on Serena. Serena didn't catch Ash, but at least she broke his fall.

"Uh, thanks Serena," Ash said.

"You're welcome," Serena muttered as she gagged it out.

Ash was able to get back up, and as soon as he got off of Serena, she too got up. Ash took some deep breaths and Serena rubbed off some dirt that landed on her. Serena let out a sigh and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Ash, we can think of something to get your hat back. But right now, I think it's best we don't charge at Mankey right now," Serena suggested.

"You can say that if you were in my shoes," Ash muttered, "Mankey didn't take your hat that you won."

"I didn't send a million postcards to win this hat Ash," Serena stated pointing to her own hat, "I brought it with my own money at a boutique."

"I didn't mean that Serena, it's just that hat is limited edition and…it means a lot to me," Ash muttered.

Mankey was looking down wanting to mock Ash even more, but he was too preoccupied being nagged at by Serena about why he shouldn't go after a Pokémon because he stole an object from them, and that he should be more careful. Mankey couldn't believe that this girl was turning him away from him. Now no one was paying any attention to him and that made his blood boil. Mankey got angry and hopped off the tree.

"You can always buy another hat Ash. You don't need an Arceus damn official Pokémon League hat on you all the time. Just leave Mankey alone before that Pokémon does something serious to you," Serena said.

"You know what would make this event extremely awkward," Rotom Dex said as if it were speaking to audience breaking the fourth wall, "Is if Ash were to change hats every single region."

Then something got everyone's attention. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all could see Mankey looking at the group angrily. They didn't realize what could've happened that got Mankey so angry at them. Mankey had his arms out looking like he was ready to attack them with Fury Swipes, but that wasn't the case.

"Ash," Serena trembled.

They all saw Mankey glowing white and beginning to evolve into Primeape. When the evolution stopped, Primeape's nose was starting to blow some intense steam. His fists were all balled up, and to top everything off (which still made Ash angry, but he was terrified right now) he was still wearing Ash's hat.

"Mankey evolved into Primeape," Rotom Dex muttered.

"Pika," Pikachu muttered.

Primeape began to stomp around furiously and pounded his fists together. Ash and Serena didn't like the look that Primeape was giving them. He looked like he was ready to kill them both.

"Ash, I don't like the look of this," Serena shuttered.

"Me neither," Ash replied.

Ash's hat was now the least of his worries. Right now, the Primeape in front of them was their main problem. Then Primeape began to charge towards Ash and Serena. He was ready to do something.

"We got to do something!" Serena cried as she stood there frightened.

"Leave this to me," Ash responded as he pulled out Frogadier's Pokeball, "Frogadier use Water Pulse!"

Ash quickly sent out Frogadier and once Frogadier materialized out of his Pokeball, he fired a Water Pulse attack right at Primeape. Primeape stopped in his tracks after being hit by Water Pulse and the Bubble Frog Pokémon was right in front of him.

"Good job Frogadier," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"Frog," Frogadier replied.

"Pri," Primeape replied with a tint of confusion.

Primeape was looking at the Pokémon Ash sent out to attack. Now he sends another Pokémon out to attack him. Frogadier looked at Primeape and noticed he was glaring at him. If anything, that Water Pulse attack may have made Primeape angrier.

"Frog," Frogadier muttered.

Primeape started to beat Frogadier up by pummeling him to the ground and thrashing him. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu could only watch in horror as Frogadier was getting beaten up. And for the grand finale, Primeape punched Frogadier up into the air sending him flying out in a distance, and the group could only watch.

"Frogadier!" Ash cried.

Ash was hoping Frogadier was not in any serious pain when they found him. He did still have that dream fresh in his head about Frogadier's behavior which came after a humiliating defeat. Wait, this was not the time to think about that, they could worry about Frogadier later. Right now, Primeape was their one concern.

"Ash, I think we should run," Serena said as she was shaking.

Primeape was now going off in a rage and began stomping around and pounding his fists. Ash has tried to battle this Pokémon twice, and all it did was make him extremely angry, and ready to beat someone to death. Ash already angered Primeape twice and was not going to have it happen a third time.

With that, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex began running down the road for their lives while Primeape began to charge towards the group. They wanted to look for Frogadier, but they didn't have time too because they were on the run from Primeape, and if they did find him along the way, he would be put in danger too.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later**_

Primeape was still charging at the group as they continued to run. Ash and Serena were neck and neck, but not racing, just trying to keep themselves safe from Primeape. Pikachu and Rotom Dex were keeping up. However, the two were starting to lose stamina and couldn't keep running forever, and Primeape wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Ash had to give credit to Primeape for having so much endurance.

It was then that Ash noticed a fork in the road. Maybe they could lose Primeape and catch their breath, or maybe they just keep running. Ash gritted his teeth as they got closer to the fork, and the best thing was for at least one of them being safe, and he hoped it was Serena since he didn't mean to get her dragged into this.

"Split up!" Ash cried.

Serena didn't like what she just heard from Ash, but she could feel as if her legs could give out at any given moment. It was probably for the best. Ash went in one direction with Pikachu following him while Serena went in the other direction with Rotom Dex. Primeape was now certain to only go after one person now. As Primeape approached the fork, he ended up following Ash. Ash could see Primeape gaining on him, but at least he could be relieved that Serena was safe.

Serena and Rotom Dex saw Ash running out into the distance. After she finished catching her breath, Serena's face was then filled with worry as she saw Primeape continue to run after Ash. She knew that Ash had no idea what to do, and Ash was probably feeling the same way.

"Rotom Dex what are we going to do!?" Serena frantically asked.

"I can try using my Roto Lotto," Rotom Dex answered.

"Well we got to do something; Ash can't do this alone!" Serena yelled.

Then someone was running up towards Serena and Rotom Dex and that someone put their hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena turned around to see that it was Frogadier and he wasn't in any pain. Sure, he was sent flying, but no serious injuries.

"Frogadier!" Serena exclaimed as she saw Ash's Frogadier, "Are you alright?"

"Frogadier," Frogadier answered giving a nod to confirm he was alright.

"Frogadier, we got to help Ash. That Primeape is out to kill him," Serena told Frogadier.

Serena was determined to help Ash in any way deal with Primeape. Even though Ash wanted to handle this Pokémon on his own, she wasn't going to let him get killed.

* * *

 _ **Back with Ash and Primeape**_

Ash and Pikachu continued to run from Primeape. There were boulders along the way that Ash and Pikachu were able to maneuver from, but Primeape on the other hand went through those rocks like they were nothing. The two were running out of gas and Primeape was going to get to them. Then when things looked bad, they just got worse.

Ash and Pikachu hit a dead end.

Primeape continued to charge at them and Ash needed to think of something and fast. Ash remembers that Primeape is a fighting-type, so he needs to counter with something that was weak to fighting types which happened to be flying types.

"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Pidgeotto.

Pidgeotto came out of the Pokeball and the angry Primeape was closing in. Pidgeotto was hovering and flapping his wings.

"Pidgeotto use Gust!" Ash called out.

Pidgeotto began to flap her wings repeatedly creating a Gust. Primeape continued to charge, but he was getting slowed down by Pidgeotto's Gust which brought some time for Ash.

"Keep going Pidgeotto!" Ash called out.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeotto cried.

Pidgeotto just kept on flapping her wings, but Primeape continued to get closer. Eventually, Primeape got to Pidgeotto and rammed right into the Bird Pokémon. Pidgeotto was sent flying towards Ash as he was able to duck out of the way only for Pidgeotto to hit the rock wall.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash cried.

Ash was going to take a glance at Pidgeotto, but then he noticed Primeape was coming in closer. This was it, he, Pikachu, and Pidgeotto were about to be beaten by a pulp by this hot tempered Primeape. When Ash first met this Pokémon as a Mankey, it looked like he wanted to play, but Ash took it the wrong way and tried to battle him which got him angry and got Ash's hat stolen. Now he was paying the price because he didn't understand what Primeape wanted and for being rash on getting his hat back.

"Primeape, I don't what I did, but I'm sorry," Ash whimpered towards the angry Primeape.

Primeape didn't hear what Ash said. All Ash did was have his Pokémon attack him and boil his temper where he was ready to break all of his bones. Ash couldn't believe it, but this could be the end, unless something happens. Primeape was now coming closer and just when he got within a foot…something happened.

"PRIMEAPE!" Primeape cried.

Primeape was struck behind by a rainbow looking beam. Primeape fell onto his knees and grimaced in pain from what just hit him. He turned around and saw who the culprit was and gave the evil eye. Ash saw who just attack Primeape, and his eyes widened to see who just helped him.

Braixen was standing there after sending an attack. Judging by the colors of that attack, it had to have been Psybeam. Ash knew there was only one person he could think of who had a Braixen, Serena. Ash saw Serena and Rotom Dex right behind Braixen, but his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped with happiness when he also saw Frogadier with them. Serena must've found him.

"Serena!" Ash called out.

"I wasn't going to let you deal with this alone," Serena told Ash.

Primeape was now glaring at Serena as if he were ready to attack her. Great now Primeape was going after Serena. Serena knew the look that Primeape was giving her, and she was determined to take on this Primeape and protect Ash.

"Serena look out!" Ash called out.

Primeape was charging at Serena, but right before Serena could tell Braixen to do something, Pidgeotto darted in with a Wing Attack catching Primeape off guard once more causing him to take a tumble.

"Good job Pidgeotto!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeotto cried as she now went on the ground in a limp.

Pidgeotto was still standing, but she was still bruised up from her previous blow from Primeape. Ash gratefully pulled out Pidgeotto's Pokeball to call her back.

"You did great Pidgeotto," Ash said returning Pidgeotto, "Now you take a good rest."

Ash was now looking at Primeape as the Pig Monkey Pokémon was now angry. He looked at the angry Pokémon that was ready to attack him. Ash felt sorry for what he did which got him beat up, and got his hat stolen. Ash was the one who started this, and he needed to be the one who ended this.

"I'm not playing games with you anymore Primeape," Ash declared, "I'm going to defeat you and then I'm going to capture you!"

"Ash, Primeape might be to dangerous to capture," Rotom Dex told Ash, "Just get yourself another hat Ash."

"This isn't about the hat Rotom Dex, this is about me becoming a Pokémon Master. If I back down from this Primeape, how will I be able to conquer the other obstacles that come my way," Ash declared to Rotom Dex as he got out a Pokeball, "I have to prove to myself, Primeape, and my Pokémon that we're not going to let anything get in our way!"

Ash then turned to Serena who was watching him with concern.

"Serena, thanks. I shouldn't be doing this alone," Ash told Serena, "But I can take it from here."

"You're welcome Ash," Serena replied.

Serena looked at Ash with admiration and saw how brave he was going against that angry Primeape. This was one of the qualities that she loved about Ash. Serena may want to take note of Ash's actions so she can become stronger herself.

"Go Scyther!" Ash yelled out sending out Scyther.

Scyther comes out of his Pokeball looking at Primeape. Ash probably knew Pikachu was worn out from running, Pidgeotto took some serious damage, and Frogadier took a major blow. Ash was wondering how Frogadier was holding up, but he would worry about that later. Right now, he needed to focus on Primeape, and Scyther was a good candidate with his dual bug and flying type.

"Scyther use Air Slash!" Ash called out.

Scyther let out an Air Slash towards Primeape and the Pig Monkey Pokémon was knocked back a bit. This infuriated Primeape as he was using Focus Energy to power up. Scyther did look a little worried as his Air Slash didn't seem to do much.

"Alright Scyther, let's try Razor Wind!" Ash retorted.

Scyther started to whip up a whirlwind directed towards Primeape. The Pig Monkey Pokémon saw what was coming and was not going to give Scyther the opportunity. Primeape jumped up and was now over Scyther, and the Mantis Pokémon looked up in horror as he saw Primeape above him.

Primeape landed behind him and swung his hand for a Karate Chop which hit Scyther and sent the Pokémon flying. Serena, Braixen, and Frogadier all got of the way as Scyther was flying by crashing into the cliff. Ash's eyes widened in horror as he saw how powerful that Karate Chop was, and Scyther was a bug and flying type. Even though Focus Energy pumped up Primeape's power, that still was unbelievable.

"Scyther return," Ash responded gritting his teeth calling back Scyther.

Primeape was stomping around angrily, but he may have calmed down a little. The good news is he is up for a battle, the bad news is this Primeape is tough. Ash was wondering who would have a better chance at Primeape, Bulbasaur or Charmander. Ash wasn't going to take too much time thinking so he pulled out Bulbasaur's Pokeball.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur came out and saw Primeape glaring at him.

"Hurry Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ash exclaimed.

Bulbasaur unleashed a Razor Leaf attack at Primeape, but Primeape just kept swatting the leaves away as he came running for Bulbasaur. Then Primeape grabbed Bulbasaur and jumped up into the air with him, and then he threw Bulbasaur back down. This had to have been Seismic Toss. Ash wasn't going to let Bulbasaur get hurt like that.

"Bulbasaur return!" Ash called out.

However right before Ash could get Bulbasaur back into his ball, Primeape came chasing after Bulbasaur one last time and elbowed Bulbasaur making the impact of the fall much worse for Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon slammed onto the ground in defeat as Primeape somersaulted back onto his feet. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Frogadier, and Braixen all saw the state Bulbasaur was in as he clearly couldn't continue. Primeape must've used Pursuit.

"Poor Bulbasaur," Serena muttered.

"Alright Bulbasaur, now return," Ash muttered as he called back Bulbasaur and got out Charmander's Pokeball, "Charmander, I choose you!"

Ash threw Charmander's Pokeball and Charmander came out of his ball. Charmander looked at Primeape with complete determination. Ash was counting on Charmander as this was his last Pokémon.

"Charmander use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.

Charmander got into his battle stance and began shooting Flamethrowers at Primeape, but the Pig Monkey Pokémon kept getting out of the way.

"Try letting Primeape get close to you and use Fire Punch!" Ash called out.

Charmander stood there and embraced for Primeape to approach him. Then the moment Primeape got close to Charmander, he unleashed a Fire Punch right into Primeape's gut. Primeape didn't seem to be phased by the attack at all as he was just looked down at Charmander. Primeape seemed to be angry and breathing heavily at Charmander. That's when Charmander's eyes widened as Primeape started to jump on top of him and beat him up repeatedly.

"Charmander!" Ash cried.

Ash stood there in horror as he watched Primeape beat up Charmander with what appeared to be Thrash. The Pig Monkey Pokémon kept going for a few more seconds until he jumped off of Charmander and started stomping around again. Charmander was groaning in pain from the blows he took from Primeape.

"Charmander," Ash muttered.

Ash then saw Charmander start to toughen up and get back up. Primeape pounded his fists together to show how tough he was, and that Charmander was no match for him. Charmander was looking weak as he moaned in pain, but he didn't want to give up. Charmander could feel his Blaze ability starting to act up.

"Char," Charmander told Ash.

"Are you sure you want to keep fighting," Ash questioned.

"Charmander," Charmander responded.

Ash was gritting his teeth. Did he really think Charmander could take on this Primeape? Not in the condition he was in. Ash couldn't throw a Pokeball at Primeape because he didn't appeared to be weakened.

"I don't if Charmander can hold up," Serena said as she clasped her hands.

Serena then looked towards Rotom Dex and Braixen. Ash didn't look like he could be up for the task of taking on Primeape much longer. For right now, Serena wanted Ash to keep going, but he was going to need assistance.

"Rotom Dex, can you give us a Roto Lotto," Serena suggested.

It was a gamble that could help them or make things worse. Rotom Dex looked at Serena and Ash's Charmander. Ash didn't have any other Pokémon, and not a chance in hell did he want to send Frogadier back at Primeape. Just when Rotom Dex was about to make its decision, it noticed something.

"I don't know about that just yet," Rotom Dex replied.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

Ash's Charmander was starting to look much tougher and feel tougher. Ash could see that Charmander wanted to beat this Primeape, but right before Rotom Dex could do anything, Charmander started to glow white. This meant Charmander was evolving.

"Charmander!" Ash exclaimed.

The Pokémon began to change shape and replacing Charmander was a Charmeleon. Ash couldn't believe his eyes. The Charmander that he had rescued from Damien had evolved into a Charmeleon.

"Charmander evolved into Charmeleon!" Rotom Dex cheered.

Charmeleon was still feeling some effects from the previous blows of Primeape, but he felt much stronger now. Charmeleon was ready to teach this Primeape a lesson.

"Let's do this Charmeleon! Use Flamethrower!" Ash called out.

Ash could see Primeape coming in for another attack and so did Charmeleon. The Flame Pokémon opened his mouth and unleashed a Flamethrower right at Primeape. The attack looked much bigger and Primeape was unable to get out of the way as Charmeleon hit the Pig Monkey Pokémon dead on.

"Alright!" all three cheered as the Pokémon cheered too.

Primeape was feeling burns all over his body. This Charmeleon was much more powerful than that little Charmander that was there before. Primeape was eager to throw another Thrash attack.

"We're not going to let Primeape terrorize us anymore! Charmeleon use Dragon Rage!" Ash yelled.

Charmeleon summoned a blue orb of energy and sent it right at Primeape. Primeape was going to try and fight through that attack, but it was too powerful as it knocked Primeape back some more. Charmeleon glared at Primeape, and the Pig Monkey Pokémon was looking a little worried.

"Now use Fire Punch!" Ash retorted.

Fire engulfed into Charmeleon's hand and the Flame Pokémon punched Primeape blank on in the face. As Primeape was knocked on his butt, Ash's hat fell off and was a short distance away from Frogadier. Ash wasn't done yet.

"Now, Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded.

"Dragon Claw?" Serena questioned.

Charmeleon was coming over towards Primeape and was now going to deliver the final blow. Charmeleon's hand was now engulfed in a blue aura and he slashed Primeape across the face. It seems Ash has taught Charmeleon another move which could be useful in future battles. Primeape then fell down and landed on his stomach. Any anger he had in his system is gone. Primeape was defeated.

"You're mine Primeape," Ash said as he got out a Pokeball.

Ash was about to throw his Pokeball at Primeape until he realized something. What if he broke out of the Pokeball and suddenly found the strength to go on another rampage like before? Heck, the Pokeball didn't even work the first time when he was still a Mankey. Then Ash remembered something, didn't he get some special Pokeballs on his birthday?

"Ash, what are you waiting for!?" Serena questioned.

"Aren't you going to capture Primeape?" Rotom Dex asked.

"I am," Ash answered as he put his Pokeball away and pulled out an Ultra Ball instead, "I'm going to use a different Pokeball."

Ash realized that he wanted Primeape captured as soon as possible so he wanted to use the Ultra Ball. Ash had four Great Balls and two Ultra Balls. The Great Ball had a higher catch rate than the standard Pokeball, and the Ultra Ball had a higher catch rate than the Great Ball. Since this was a dangerous Pokémon, Ash decided to use the Ultra Ball rather than one of his Great Balls since he wanted this over ASAP.

"An Ultra Ball, good idea Ash," Serena said.

"Ultra-Ball, go!" Ash yelled out as he threw the Ultra Ball.

Primeape was sucked into the Ultra Ball and the black top Pokeball began to shake. This was a Pokeball that had a much higher probably of completing the capture. Though Primeape could still bust out of that Ultra Ball, Ash didn't want to take chances as he wanted this to end as soon as possible. It felt like an eternity for Ash and everyone else watching the Ultra Ball shake. Then at long last, the ding came in to confirm that Primeape has been captured.

Ash looked over at the Ultra Ball to see that it isn't moving. Ash really did it. He really captured that Primeape. With every tentative step, Ash and Pikachu approached the Ultra Ball with caution. Ash looked down with a serious look and picked up the Ultra Ball. He then smiled at the ball knowing that he has just pulled off what may have been his most challenging capture yet.

"Alright, I caught a Primeape!" Ash declared as he held the Pokeball in his hand.

Pikachu was really happy for Ash and so was Charmeleon. Hell, he should be since he evolved during this battle.

"Way to go Ash," Serena praised.

"Thanks Serena and thank you again for earlier. I might've been beaten to death if it weren't for you," Ash said rubbing his hand behind his head.

"I just want to let you know that we're in this together and you shouldn't be taking these situations on by yourself," Serena told Ash with concern, "We did tell our moms that we would come home in one piece."

"I'll be more careful," Ash responded as he went up to Serena and gave her a hug.

As Ash was hugging Serena, Frogadier came up with what happened to be his official Pokémon League hat. Ash looked at Frogadier and smiled knowing that he was okay. Frogadier handed Ash's hat over to him.

"Thanks, Frogadier," Ash said as he took the hat from Frogadier and placed it back on his head, "By the way, are you alright?"

"Frogadier," Frogadier confirmed saying he was okay.

"Nothing serious?" Ash questioned.

"Frogadier," Frogadier confirmed in a more serious tone.

"Okay, I just want to make sure you're alright," Ash told Frogadier.

Ash then got away from Serena and went over to Frogadier where he had a serious yet worried look on his face. Serena was questioning why Ash was acting so strange around Frogadier. Ash then looked at Frogadier in the eye.

"Hey Frogadier, I just want to let you know, if anything is bothering you or if I'm doing something wrong that you don't seem comfortable with, please don't be hesitant to let me know. I really care about you Frogadier, and I don't want anything to make things…bad between us of your own sake," Ash explained.

Frogadier was wondering why Ash would say something like this. He did seem like the only human he felt comfortable with when he hatched, and the two have become best friends. Did he believe Ash was going to do something wrong that could cause a rift between them? Then again, Frogadier doesn't know the other side of the story with Ash's nightmare a few nights ago.

"Frogadier," Frogadier replied.

"Thanks, Frogadier," Ash responded.

Now there was one more piece of business Ash needed to take care of. He was holding his Ultra Ball as he was now going to release his newest member of the group. Ash was hoping he could make amends with Primeape. Ash realized he made a bad first impression and that he made a mistake.

Ash then opened up his Pokeball releasing Primeape. He was still lying on the ground with a glazed look in his eyes. Ash took a look at Primeape and all Primeape could do was look at him with that glazed look. Primeape couldn't speak, but he wanted to tell Ash, I get it you beat me, now don't rub it in.

"Primeape, are you alright?" Ash asked.

Primeape's eyes widened when he heard Ash ask that question if he was alright. He wasn't because he tried to attack him and then he beat him with his Charmeleon. No, he wasn't alright.

"Pri," Primeape grunted.

"Primeape, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for going after you like that," Ash told Primeape.

Primeape couldn't believe what he was hearing from Ash. He actually was apologizing for his actions. Primeape realized that Ash made him angry. He could've apologized earlier, but that would only be because he was scared of him killing him and the apology would feel pitiful and empty.

"I thought you wanted to battle and was looking for a challenge, but it seemed you wanted to play around and try to be friends," Ash said with sincerity, "I ended up approaching you the wrong way which got you upset and angry."

"Primeape," Primeape replied with curiosity.

"Listen Primeape, despite stealing my hat which I didn't like and trying to be me up, I definitely would love to accept you as a friend. You proven to be a pretty tough Pokémon, but if I can help you get your temper under control and we work together, you'll end up being a lot stronger than you are now," Ash told Primeape.

"Primeape," Primeape responded.

"Primeape, you and I can make a pretty good team. I guess you can say we both made a bad first impression, but we can start over from the beginning. Primeape, do you want to travel with me?" Ash asked holding out his hand, "If you don't want to, I'll activate the release function on my Ultra Ball and let you go. I'm not going to take you as my Pokémon if you don't want to."

Primeape was hearing Ash out. Despite capturing him in a Pokeball, he was giving him the chance of staying with him and Ash didn't want to forcefully drag him along. Primeape thought it over and realized they did make a bad first impression. He could realize that Ash could help hone his abilities. Primeape could realize that if this trainer was able to beat him, who knows how he can excel if he trains under him. With that, Primeape started to show a sincere look and held out his hand.

"You really want to come with us?" Ash hopefully asked.

"Primeape," Primeape confirmed.

Ash took his hand out and reached for Primeape's hand. As soon as Ash grabbed Primeape's hand, the Pig Monkey Pokémon began to beat him up and took his hat yet again. Serena and everyone else felt frightened, but it didn't appear to be so hard. Ash was just moaning as Primeape was now happily stomping around.

"Pri Pri Pri," Primeape responded.

"Primeape says, yes I would love to be with you," Rotom Dex happily replied, "I guess that little beat up was just playful, not anywhere near vengeance like before."

"What a relief," Serena said as she gave a sigh of relief.

"Well then, welcome to the team Primeape," Ash said as he was able to get up without any problem until he showed an annoyed look on his face, "Just don't take my hat again."

Primeape ignored the last comment Ash gave to him. He probably would take that hat whenever he felt like it. The group now decided to laugh merrily at the situation that Ash now had a Pokémon that seems to be full of energy. Primeape would be a vital member to Ash's team, just as long as he didn't take his hat again. Otherwise he can have Pikachu or any other Pokémon of his take it without ease and Ash could just call him back.

Primeape was really going to have his work cut out for Ash. Right now, it was time for the group to continue their trek towards Saffron City. Though it was great for Ash getting Primeape, he wasn't going to be using him against the gym leader since it was a psychic type gym.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Silph Company**_

In the heart of the Kanto Region lies Saffron City, the largest city in the Kanto Region. The city had many things from lots of stores, restaurants, the Saffron Gym, and of course the most famous building in all of Saffron City, the Silph Company. The Silph Company is the famous cooperation that is beneficial to Pokémon trainers which produces all the products such as medicines, Pokeballs, and much more. They also carry the data of all Pokémon trainers and their Pokémon along with their accomplishments.

Right now, there were three people walking in the streets of Saffron City approaching the Silph Company. One of them was a man in a fancy orange suit with brown hair neatly combed, and that was Giovanni. The other two were Ariana and Archer, but they were in different attire since they didn't want anyone knowing they were with Team Rocket.

Ariana was wearing a black blazer with a white blouse underneath, a pencil black skirt, pantyhose, and black heels to make her look like she was going in for a job interview. Archer was wearing a black suit with a red tie with polished black shoes, and he was holding a brown briefcase. The three were looking at the Silph Company.

"Shall we get started?" Giovanni asked with a smirk.

The two nodded and began walking towards the door with Giovanni leading the way. Ariana couldn't help but think why is Giovanni acting like the leader of the pack most of the time? They were both the bosses of Team Rocket and it always seems like he's in charge most of the time. Though the other rockets hear her orders, it always seems like that the two aren't feeling like equals.

Come to think of it, despite both being evil and cruel bosses, Ariana does have the tendency to be patient while Giovanni doesn't. He immediately declared their son dead to them after he ran off while she does sometimes wonder how he's doing at times when not in business, when their plans get foiled, Ariana at least takes the time to see what was gained and how to move forward while Giovanni screams at them for failure. The only thing they pretty much have in common is their hatred towards Ash and Serena for interfering with their plans along with their hatred towards Jessie, James, and Meowth for their repeated failures.

Ever since the two got married and founded Team Rocket, the only thing Giovanni would be interested in Ariana for is business and sex. Though she enjoyed the power they have gained, sometimes she doesn't always feel complete happiness with Giovanni. But she had one personal goal in her life, and she did need Giovanni and Team Rocket to help her achieve that goal.

Ariana was aiming for revenge on someone she knew.

The three finally walked into the Silph Company. Inside there was marble tile floors, a big water fountain, and a whole bunch of Pokémon and trainers as this was a business that partook in Pokémon trainers. The three approached the receptionist at the front counter.

"Welcome to the Silph Company, may I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes, we would like to meet with your president," Giovanni said keeping the venom out of his voice, so he doesn't give anything away.

If everything goes to plan, Team Rocket should have full possession of the Silph Company within a few days.

* * *

 **So, it looks like Team Rocket's plan involving the Silph Company are now going to be put in progress. Do you feel sorry for the trio and the abuse they get put through with their teammates?**

 **Ash has gotten Primeape, and Charmander has evolved into Charmeleon. The battle with Primeape was almost like the canon except Charmander didn't use Rage, Charmander actually evolved.**

 **Now that dream Ash had about Frogadier, it'll make sense in a matter of time.**

 **The next chapter will begin the Saffron City Arc and I'd figure that maybe I should make this chapter an Amourshipping chapter. Also, a familiar face will be making their return. See you next time, and don't forget to review.**

 **Chapter 34: The First Date**


	36. The First Date

**Before I begin this chapter, I just want to mentioned that I've noticed people were upset with the Pokémon Sword and Shield game that they weren't going to get all of their Pokémon.**

 **Everybody has their own different views, but I can share my point of view. Whenever I get a new Pokémon game with a new generation, I just like to enjoy the region and the new Pokémon, even if my old favorites can be obtained. (Gardevoir and Tyranitar are two of them, and it's nice that both are in the game.)**

 **But when I play a Pokémon game in a new region, I only want to try out the new Pokémon. Find ones that I like, but also make a diverse team out of them along with my starter. It's just how I play the Pokémon games, and who knows, maybe the game will update where they will be able to put all the Pokémon in when it's out. I think there have been some games in the past that have been released that have been able to update within.**

 **Sorry about bringing this up. Maybe this wasn't the place to bring this up, but all I just mention is how I play the Pokémon games.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter which features Ash and Serena's first date. This originally wasn't going to be in the story, but as I said, I'd figure I needed to try to have some Amourshipping moments for these two. Also, I have been able to put in some plot moments as well, such as Team Rocket's progress with the Silph Company.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 _ **Saffron City**_

It was the day after Ash caught Primeape, and now he and Serena were in Saffron City which would be home to his next gym battle and Serena's next contest. Saffron City was the biggest city in all of the Kanto Region. Alongside their usual destinations such as the gym and contest hall, there were also many department stores, restaurants, a big park, the Silph Company, and more.

Ash and Serena were blown away by the size of the city. Celadon City was big, but Saffron City was much bigger. This city was also located in the heart of the Kanto Region. Serena was thinking things over along and realized her contest wasn't in five days, and Ash could challenge the Saffron Gym whenever he wanted. Now that they were in a big city and it was just them, Serena figured it would be time for her and Ash to do something.

"Is something on your mind Serena?" Ash asked as he noticed Serena's expression like she was daydreaming.

"Oh, it's nothing," Serena giggled.

"Aw, come on. Tell me," Ash replied as he bumped his elbow into Serena's side.

"Ow, okay since you want me to," Serena responded as she rubbed her side to get rid of the discomfort, "I was thinking that since were in a big city alone and were now officially a couple, we could…go on a…date."

Ash was looking pretty ecstatic when Serena said that. To be honest, despite wanting to get that fifth badge, this was a good chance that just the two of them could wind down. They have done that in Celadon City, but they had company, now it was just the two of them. Ash figured this would be a good chance for him and Serena to go out.

"Serena, I'd love to go on a date," Ash beamed.

"Really," Serena happily replied.

"Yeah, this is the biggest city in Kanto. We should take the time to explore this city rather than just be here for my gym battle and your contest. Who knows what fun things we can do here?" Ash happily explained.

Serena was amazed that Ash was going through with this. She could picture some of the things they could do together like visit the stores, see the skyline, go for a nice walk in the park. Who knows what else they could come up upon?

"If you want, I can put my gym battle off till the day after tomorrow so we can…go out," Ash said as he now held out his hand.

"I'd love too!" Serena squealed.

This was amazing for Serena, she was just thinking about possibly having a date with Ash in Saffron City, and now tomorrow they were going to have one. Serena couldn't help but give Ash a big hug.

"It'll just be you and me tomorrow," Ash said as he accepted the hug.

"What about our Pokémon? What about Rotom Dex?" Serena asked as she looked at Pikachu and Rotom Dex.

"Yeah Ash," Rotom Dex rebutted as it floated right in front of Ash's face, "What about me and the Pokémon?"

"We might need Rotom Dex to help us get through the city, and as for our Pokémon, I'm sure we can find a nice daycare to have them in," Ash answered, "And if we aren't in any needs of Rotom Dex's assistance, we can shut it off."

"Well at least I can provide you with assistance still," Rotom Dex replied.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash and Serena arrived at the Pokémon Center and decided to just crash for the rest of the day since it was near evening. This Pokémon Center was a lot bigger than the other ones they went to. It shouldn't be a surprise since this is the largest city in the region and a lot more trainers would come here for a checkup. They went up to Nurse Joy and handed them their Pokémon to her so they can get a nice checkup. As soon as they handed her their Pokémon, Ash began to spoke up.

"Hey Nurse Joy, tomorrow me and my girlfriend are planning to spend the day together just the two of us, and we were wondering if there's a good place we can leave our Pokémon so they can play," Ash addressed.

Nurse Joy smiled when she heard Ash's comment. It looks like she might have that covered.

"I think you might be in luck. Here in our Pokémon Center, we have a nice big play area in back so all of the Pokémon can have fun while their trainers are out," Nurse Joy answered.

"That's great to hear," Serena said with a praise and then proceeded to ask another question, "So I've heard the next contest will be here in five days, is that correct?"

"You are absolutely right. We already have a few people here ready to compete in the upcoming contest," Nurse Joy answered, "I take it you're competing?"

"That's right, and my boyfriend here will challenge the gym leader here for the Marsh Badge," Serena responded gesturing to Ash.

"I see," Nurse Joy replied as she then turned to Ash with a stern look, "I just want to let you know about the gym leader Sabrina. Her Pokémon are not only powerful, but they're dangerous as well. I don't want to go into details, but I would recommend you only face her when you're ready."

"I've already heard about the gym leader Sabrina from other trainers who've challenged her. And not to worry, I'm going to make sure my Pokémon are 100% ready for Sabrina and we're going to win!" Ash declared to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy was concerned with Ash's enthusiasm. He sounded like he was going to just walk in and expect to win, but he doesn't have a clue on what Sabrina has done to not only the trainer's Pokémon, but possibly the trainer's spirits. She wasn't going to say anything to Ash right now.

"We'll I will wish you the best of luck. Just a suggestion, take all the time you want to get ready for Sabrina, no rush," Nurse Joy told Ash.

"That's fine, after my date, we'll challenge Sabrina the next day," Ash told Nurse Joy.

"Thanks once again for taking care of our Pokémon," Serena added.

"You're welcome," Nurse Joy replied as Serena looked a bit concerned from Nurse Joy's tone.

* * *

 _ **Later that night**_

So, Ash and Serena had dinner in the cafeteria, but the two were certain they were going to have a much better dinner tomorrow. They would look for some restaurants to eat in for dinner and maybe lunch and do some other activities as well. They were going to take a day off from training for gym battles and contests so they could have their day together.

Serena was a bit concerned about what Nurse Joy said about Sabrina. Though she didn't go into detail, she was a bit worried about Ash's upcoming gym battle. She usually looks forward to them, but this one just seemed different in a bad way. Ash and Serena already heard how badly Trevor and Tierno were beaten when facing Sabrina, and that they were going to come back to that gym another time. She prayed that Olivia was going to put that gym off till later.

Serena was suggesting that Ash could put off his battle till maybe after her contest, however Ash chose to ignore that as he was just too pumped. He might be letting his ambitions of getting another badge get the best of him as she wasn't sure what Sabrina could be like. Also, the fact that Paul beat Sabrina only made him more eager. Maybe Serena was overreacting, but she did hope for the best for Ash.

Right now, it was time for her to go to sleep and get ready for their big day tomorrow. Serena was now in a deep sleep and started dreaming.

* * *

 _ **Serena's Dream**_

 _Inside a busy department store, a huge sale was taking place in honor of a special event taking place in the city, but it was mostly for the girls. Serena dragged Ash by the arm who was carrying plenty of bags already, and even Rotom Dex was dragging along some bags with Pikachu trying to hold a bag._

 _It looks like Ash and Serena are going shopping during their date, and Ash had to pay for everything. Wait, what's Pikachu doing here? Weren't all of their Pokémon spending the day in the play area at the Pokémon Center? Maybe Serena was getting so much stuff from these sales that they had to get more arms._

" _Not another store," Ash muttered as they saw another store._

" _Come on Ash, everything in here is 75% off and I have to take advantage of it before all the other girls come in and takes it," Serena sternly told Ash with her hands on her hips._

 _Serena then looked at her Pokeball belt and pulled out Braixen's Pokeball. So, they did have all of their Pokémon with them, but why? Serena looked at her Pokeball and knew how Braixen was feeling lately, and she had no idea why she was acting like that, so maybe joining Serena in shopping would lift her spirits._

" _Maybe I'll have Braixen be with me. Maybe getting her some outfits might put a smile on her face," Serena said as she let out a small giggle._

 _As soon as they walked into the store, Ash immediately sat on a bench for a chance to rest while Serena dashed over to the clothing department. Serena was fighting for clothes with a whole bunch of other girls. It was a complete madhouse in the store. Serena was able to get some clothes and then brought Braixen out of her Pokeball._

 _The Fox Pokémon didn't seem to notice Serena was there as she stood there looking completely out of it. All Braixen did was stand there feeling completely tense. Serena then approached Braixen with a bright smile on her face._

" _Hey Braixen, I managed to get us some clothes. If you want, we can try clothes on together. We can look like besties, or even sisters," Serena responded with a lot of glee in her voice._

 _Serena was showing plenty of different tops that Braixen could wear even though Pokémon don't usually wear clothes, but Braixen wasn't feeling happy or embarrassed, she was just feeling that strange out of it behavior. Braixen was healthy, no broken bones, no cuts, no bruises, no nothing. Come to think of it, Braixen hasn't been eating either._

" _Braixen, are you alright?" Serena asked with concern in her voice._

 _Serena couldn't understand what was wrong with Braixen. Why was she acting so tense? Serena knew that this behavior just mysteriously came out of nowhere and she had no idea why she was acting like that. Serena gave out a sigh and then spoke._

" _Listen Braixen, I don't know what's wrong with you. I was just hoping maybe some fun would get you back on track," Serena sighed as she then looked at the clothes, "Maybe shopping wasn't the thing I guess."_

 _Serena was wondering what it could be that made Braixen feel this way. She could remember something happening to Frogadier that made him feel somewhat similar, but there was a possible reason behind it. Maybe Braixen loves Frogadier as much as she loves Ash, and it rubbed off on her. Serena was feeling a bit worried for her Pokémon._

* * *

 _ **The Next Morning**_

Serena woke up the next morning as today was going to be her and Ash's date. Serena felt confused from the dream she had last night. She then remembered that today was their date and their Pokémon were going to be staying at the Pokémon Center, not going shopping with them. Rotom Dex was the possible exception.

She remembers that she was going shopping with a big sale taking place due to a special event, and Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were carrying everything. When Serena went into the store, she wanted to have fun trying clothes on with Braixen, but she didn't budge at all or even knew Serena was there. It was almost like her Slowpoke, but Serena wasn't annoyed, but concerned. Why would Braixen act like that? She knew Frogadier was acting like that too, but there might have been a root to that.

Little did Serena know, Ash had a dream somewhat like that with Frogadier's behavior, but they weren't in a shopping mall fighting shoppers, they were in some sort of factory fighting Team Rocket.

Right now, she wasn't going to worry about it, but she would keep it in the back of her head. Today it was just her and Ash, and Rotom Dex if they need it. Serena looked at her clock and saw that it was 8:00 AM. She was able to get the proper rest for today.

"Wow, today me and Ash get to go on an actual date," Serena happily said to herself as she then went into thought, _"I do wonder what that dream meant. It felt so…real."_

Serena got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to get herself ready. This was going to be such a great day for the two of them.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Silph Company**_

Inside the Silph Company, there was a man with short black hair and he also wore a lab coat with a pink collared shirt and red tie inside along with brown pants and black shoes. This man was Hector Rikardo who was one of the scientist at the Silph Company.

He was in a room in the Silph Company that had a pool as it was to inhabit any water-Pokémon if any should come in. He had a baby Lapras in there whom he rescued from pirates with the help of Seymour and Lorelei of the Elite Four. Hector adopted Lapras after learning she would never be able to be on her own in the ocean from all the trauma she went through.

"Good morning Lapras," Hector commented.

Lapras was resting in the pool. Though it was small, Lapras was able to move around in it. Lapras was pretty happy to be seeing Hector as he played a part in saving her life.

"I got you some high top of the end Pokémon food. It has the proper nutrition to help you grow and become stronger," Hector said as he poured some Pokémon food into Lapras's bowl.

Lapras went over and enjoyed the food that Hector gave her. Lapras was feeling comfortable around Hector and the people at the Silph Company as they have been treating her with such dignity and respect. Though they couldn't get her out into the water, they didn't want her to be crammed in a tiny pool forever.

"So how are you feeling Lapras?" Hector asked.

Lapras gave a coo towards Hector and licked him on the cheek. She has truly befriended Hector, but she knew what Hector told him. If there was anyone else out there to take care of her, Hector would have no problem letting her go. Deep down, he wants Lapras to see the world, but he doesn't want her to be alone.

"Well I'm glad to see you feeling happy Lapras," Hector told Lapras as three more scientist came in.

"Mr. Rikardo, we need to continue on our project," one of the scientist told Hector.

Hector heard what his fellow workers had told him. They have been working on a big project which happened to be the Master Ball which could catch any Pokémon without fail. Hector explained the Silph Company's project to Lapras when he had some down time as a way for her to know who he was and what he was doing. Hector looked at Lapras and smiled.

"Well Lapras, I got to get to work. We're going to continue our research with the Master Ball," Hector told Lapras, "If you're good, I'll give you a treat."

Lapras happily cooed at Hector's response. She has always been fond of Hector since he rescued her, and she even understood what his job was. As Hector bid goodbye and left the room, Lapras remembered that he would like her to go out to see the world, but he is always too busy with work. Hector would love for her to have that chance, but it would have to be with a very trustworthy trainer.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash was waiting in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. Last night he told his mom that he was going on a real date with Serena. While Ash and Serena have been traveling together through Kanto just the two of them, they never had an official date. His mom gave him some advice.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-Last Night**_

 _Ash was on the video phone with his mom Delia. He told his mom that he was now going to have an actual date with Serena. She already knew that he and Serena were dating, but now they were going to have an official date. Delia gave Ash some pointers._

" _Now remember Ash, you have to always be a polite gentleman. Chew with your mouth closed, don't make any sounds, and have a napkin on your lap when you eat," Delia told Ash._

" _Okay mom," Ash confirmed._

" _Also, since this is your first date, I wouldn't worry about wearing anything fancy. Just wear something nice and casual," Delia suggested._

" _Like what?" Ash asked._

" _How about you lose the hat, fingerless gloves, and jacket for the day, so you don't look too informal," Delia suggested._

" _Okay, what else?" Ash asked._

" _Wash your hair and comb it too because you don't want to present yourself to Serena like a mess on your date," Delia added._

" _Alright, I understand," Ash groaned as he didn't like the fact, he had to completely wash his hair._

" _And most importantly, wear clean underwear!" Delia scolded._

" _Mom!" Ash shrieked._

 _Ash was completely embarrassed by the last thing she said. She always tells her son to change his underwear every day, and he wouldn't be surprised if Serena was telling him that in the future._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Ash did take his mom's advice to make himself look presentable. He wasn't wearing his favorite hat, or his jacket, and we wasn't wearing his fingerless gloves. Ash was wearing just a plain black T-shirt with blue jeans and his usual white and black sneakers. His hair was different as he wash it and comb it. Ash had to admit, he actually looked pretty good and was going to be very presentable to Serena. Speaking of Serena, Ash was wondering what she would look like today? He did have a good feeling that she was going to look beautiful.

Then Serena emerged into the lobby and Ash just looked stoked when he saw Serena. She was wearing her usual clothes of her black shirt, red skirt, black knee-high socks, and black high tops. She did have her pink hat, but it was in her hand right now. Ash did noticed that her honey blonde hair actually looked a bit, shiny. The other thing different about her was she was wearing makeup. As Ash stood up, Serena looked just as amazed to see Ash looking different.

"Serena you look…beautiful," Ash stuttered as his face was starting to blush.

"Thanks," Serena replied with a glee as she blushed too, "And you look very handsome."

Serena went up to Ash and stroked his chest. Ash couldn't understand how to feel. Well happy, she was his girlfriend. Ash then gave a romantic look towards Serena and kissed her on the cheek. Serena's face just really lit up with red blushing as Ash did that. She couldn't believe he was her boyfriend. Serena finally put her pink hat on. Ash could understand that unlike his hat, Serena's hat looked like something you could wear on a date.

Now there was still one question. What were they going to be doing today? Of course, they would have dinner in the evening, but what else could they do in Saffron City? Ash and Serena would probably just explore the city and see if something comes up.

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

Ash and Serena were inside the play area at the Pokémon Center. They had Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Scyther, Primeape, Braixen, Beedrill, Abra, Squirtle, Slowpoke, Pinsir, and Pikachu all looking at the young couple.

"Alright everyone, today you all get a day off since me and Serena are going out today. Also consider this a reward for all of your hard work," Ash told all of the Pokémon.

All of the Pokémon were happily chanting and jumping up and down. Primeape on the other hand wasn't doing such a thing since he recently joined Ash's team. Slowpoke on the other hand was just standing there with his usual blank expression. Abra was just floating.

"You all have fun today and please behave. We'll be back during the evening," Serena told all the Pokémon and then walked up to Braixen and put her hand over Braixen's heart with a concerned look, "Hey Braixen, if there's anything bothering you, just let me know."

Braixen's eyes widened when she heard Serena say that. It sounded like she was concerned for her. Braixen had no idea about that strange dream Serena had, but in Serena's perspective, it felt more like Braixen's behavior was prominent in the dream rather than the activities they were doing. Besides, Serena was leaving Braixen here, so they weren't going to suddenly go shopping.

"Braixen," Braixen responded reassuring that she's alright.

Braixen assured Serena nothing was wrong. A nice day of relaxing was what she needed, and Braixen knew Serena needed that too. Besides, she could have a chance to spend more time with Frogadier. Speaking of Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon put his hand on Braixen's shoulder and gave Serena a thumbs up.

"I guess you'll be alright," Serena said as she was looking cheerful once more, "Besides all of these Pokémon are your friends and you get to hang out and play with them all day."

"Braixen," Braixen responded.

"Frogadier," Frogadier responded.

Serena and Ash couldn't help but smile at Frogadier's gesture. Something tells them that those two Pokémon were looking forward to having this time together.

"Also, if anything does happens, Nurse Joy will help you out," Ash told the Pokémon.

All the Pokémon nodded to confirm that things will be good today.

"Alright, we'll see you later," Ash announced as he and Serena left the play area.

Everyone waived goodbye to Ash and Serena as they got ready to enjoy their first date together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Rotom Dex was staying with them for guidance and also if they do somehow come across new Pokémon. This was also a chance for the Pokémon to spend some time together.

As soon as Ash and Serena left the Pokémon Center, Ash turned to Serena with a curious look on his face.

"Serena, what was that about?" Ash questioned.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

"Asking if anything was bothering Braixen," Ash confirmed.

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure she was alright. I mean we will be apart for the day and I don't want her to feel lonely," Serena answered.

"Are you worried something could happen to Braixen?" Ash asked.

"No, I'm just overreacting," Serena lied, "Let's just enjoy each other's company."

"Okay," Ash replied now having a big grin on his face, "Besides, she has Frogadier, Pikachu, and the other Pokémon keeping her company."

Serena was not going to worry about that right now as today was her and Ash's day. Ash never knew that Serena was asking that because of that dream she had last night. Little did Serena know; Ash had a similar dream with Frogadier's behavior. Neither knew about each other's dream, but they should keep it in the back of their heads.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Conference Room**_

Giovanni, Arianna, and Archer have been at the Silph Company for the past two days on negotiating a reasonable sale price. Team Rocket had gained over twenty billion Pokedollars in revenue from the patrons at the casino in the past couple of years along with making money in other departments. Now they are meeting with the president of the Silph Company who is hearing that these people want to buy the company from him.

"Why should I give you this company?" the president asked.

The group of rockets were in the conference room which had two large brown sofas. One of which the president was sitting in, and another where Giovanni was sitting with his legs crossed.

"Well you see, I tend to be someone who can help their workers get their tasks done as soon as possible. There are many things that the people would want that you're working on, and it could take a pretty long time before they come out, and by then they won't care anymore which could hurt business," Giovanni explained.

"This company is to produce products for Pokémon and their trainers, and we need to take the time to make sure that our products work properly for both sides," the president explained, "This company has been in my family for many generations. I can't just give it up to some businessman."

"Oh, but do you have anyone you wish to pass this company onto? And if so, how will they know to keep up with the times?" Giovanni questioned as he placed his elbow on his leg while having his hand hold up his chin.

Ariana looked at Giovanni as it felt like she was just meant to sit there. It seems that Giovanni was more into gaining control of the Silph Company for himself than for the two of them running it as equals. This was just what was going through Ariana's head at the time.

"Listen, I'm going to make making you a big offer to hand the company over to me. Then you can use that money for your retirement and maybe if you have family, they can be set for life," Giovanni explained to the president.

Archer came forward with a briefcase and presented it to the president. Archer opened the briefcase to show a whole lot of money. There had to be up to one billion Pokedollars as the case was filled mainly with thousand pokedollar bills.

"Let's start at one billion Pokedollars," Giovanni said with a smirk as the negotiations continued.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City**_

Ash and Serena were walking down the streets of Saffron City. After having breakfast, the two agreed that they could start the day by maybe just walking down the street.

" _Wow, Ash and I are all alone. It really does feel like a date,"_ Serena thought to herself.

While Ash and Serena did have their Pokémon, this was the first time the two of them were truly alone.

" _Man, just me and Serena. It feels like a dream come true,"_ Ash thought to himself.

"Hey Ash, were approaching the Saffron City Park! Why don't you and Serena have a romantic walk there!" Rotom Dex rebutted as he got into Ash's face.

Ash and Serena shrieked when they saw how close up Rotom Dex was. That had to be a little frightening for Ash to deal with, maybe with the sudden surprise. Ash took his time to regain his composure until he gave out an answer.

"Sure Rotom Dex," Ash replied, "Just don't scare me like that again."

"Sorry Ash, I just wanted to help," Rotom Dex muttered as it was rubbing its arms.

"It's okay Rotom Dex, just don't do that again," Serena told Rotom Dex.

Then Ash and Serena were approaching the park that Rotom Dex mentioned. It was a big beautiful park with trees, a fountain, a basketball court, battlefields for Pokémon battles, a playground, and of course some paths they could walk on.

As they looked at the park, Ash looked at Serena and smiled at her. Serena was smiling right back as they walked into the park. Their hand interlocked with each other as they set foot into the park. There they could see kids playing with a frisbee, they also saw a loving set of parents watch their kids play in the sandbox, and kids playing on the jungle gym and merry-go round on the playground. There were also some people having a Pokémon battle inside a battlefield, and young adults riding on their bicycles.

It truly was a beautiful scene at the park for this young couple. The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing gently which caught Ash's attention. He saw Serena's hair flowing with the wind like that time they walked on the beach before meeting the Butterfree. As the two continued walking, they passed by an older couple who were sitting together on the bench.

"That reminds me of us when we were younger," the old woman said to the old man who happened to be her husband.

"It sure does," the old man kindly said to his wife.

Serena heard what the couple said. She could imagine herself and Ash growing old like that too, together. That would be a dream come true for Serena if her and Ash were to be married.

" _I can already picture me, and Ash married. I wonder if we'll be like that couple,"_ Serena thought to herself.

Serena looked at Ash again and smiled. If they did get married, who knows what they could be like. But that was a long time from now. Right now, the two just continued walking on the path staring at each other.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Back at the Pokémon Center, all of Ash's and Serena's Pokémon were in the play area enjoying each other's company. Pikachu along with Bulbasaur and Squirtle went down the slide together; Beedrill, Pidgeotto, and Scyther were playing air tag with Scyther being it, Abra was just floating and taking a nap while Slowpoke just stood there with his blank expression. He still probably doesn't realize where he is.

Meanwhile Pinsir and Charmeleon were with the newest member of the group, Primeape. Charmeleon had heck of a battle with the Pig Monkey Pokémon and even evolved during the process. The three Pokémon looked at each other and probably could see themselves as the brawns of their group. Right now, it was Primeape and Charmeleon having a conversation with each other.

"I have to say Charmeleon, you proven to be pretty strong," Primeape told Charmeleon, "Especially when it came to our battle."

"Yeah, you were truly a formidable opponent. You've helped me achieve my second stage thanks to you and I only wish to become stronger," Charmeleon told Primeape.

"Become stronger?" Primeape questioned.

"Yes, I want to be the strongest Pokémon possible, so I never get considered weak," Charmeleon confirmed.

"Considered weak? I've fought you when you had Ash on your side, and I've seen how strong you are. Why would I consider you weak?" Primeape questioned.

Charmeleon gave out a huge sigh as he was ready to tell Primeape about his past. Sometimes Damien still causes him grief.

"Before Ash, I had a trainer named Damien. He considered me pathetic and weak and even called me retarded because I couldn't win Pokémon battles for him. Ash did save me and made me understand what kind of person he was. They had a Pokémon battle to determine who my trainer would be, and Ash won, but Damien thought he had strong Pokémon and took them and dragged me back. I wasn't strong enough to stop that as I might have been brought back to the abuse," Charmeleon explained telling the story about Damien before looking over to Squirtle, "But thanks to that Squirtle, they got me back and Damien was truly brought to justice, but the pain from the past is still there. If he ever sees daylight again, I really want to prove him wrong."

Primeape was understanding what Charmeleon was talking about. Apparently Primeape had the feeling that Damien was an abusive trainer who ridiculed Charmeleon back when he was a Charmander. Abuse can take a toll on someone, even when the abuser is gone.

"I don't want to show anymore traces of being weak. When I battle, I only want someone that I can consider a challenge so the only thing I can get is improvement," Charmeleon explained.

"What about Ash?" Primeape asked.

Charmeleon looked down. Ash really did help save his life and give him this second chance, but Charmeleon also has started to develop a sense of pride.

"I just hope he understands," Charmeleon replied.

Out in another part of the play area were Frogadier and Braixen. Frogadier watched over the conversation taking place between Primeape and Charmeleon and listened in. Frogadier heard how Charmeleon wanted to become stronger just like he did, but more to better himself. Frogadier's actions on getting stronger was to help Ash whenever he could, especially if they were to keep running into Team Rocket.

Frogadier then looked over at Braixen. The two just couldn't believe it every time they see each other that they weren't in their first stages anymore. The two always seen each other as great friends who always enjoyed hanging out with each other, but since they evolved, they started to realize how beautiful they looked.

"You look nice today," Frogadier said nervously.

"Um thanks, I can say the same for you," Braixen nervously responded.

Despite the two having different trainers, they really enjoyed being together since they hatched. However ever since the two evolved, it felt like their crushes for each other have grown into something more.

"I'm glad were traveling through Kanto together," Frogadier said.

"Same here," Braixen replied.

The two were indeed happy to be in Kanto, especially with Ash and Serena. They just felt safe with them. But then something came to their minds, Ash and Serena have been treating them a little differently. It was like their trainers have felt a bit more worried for them than before.

"You know Ash has been acting a little strange around me lately," Frogadier told Braixen as he sat down.

"Like what?" Braixen asked as she sat down with a curious expression.

"Well Ash told me that if anything was bothering me or he did something wrong, he told me not to be hesitant to tell him," Frogadier explained.

"What does he mean by that?" Braixen asked.

"It means I should tell him right away if something is up," Frogadier stated, "The question though is why did he say something like that?"

"Maybe Ash is growing up and wants to really understand all of his Pokémon's emotions and problems," Braixen answered.

"Yeah, and I just hope he has the chance to understand Charmeleon's dilemma," said Frogadier as he looked at Charmeleon.

Braixen could understand the words coming out of Frogadier's mouth. This ended up bringing up something to Braixen's attention. He was talking about how Ash was acting towards him, and she remembered that Serena was feeling somewhat concerned when she left her here.

"You know Frogadier, Serena might have been taking that measure too," Braixen told Frogadier.

"Really?" Frogadier questioned.

"Yeah, before Serena and Ash left for their date, she told me if anything was bothering me to let her know," Braixen stated.

Wow, Ash and Serena have really been concerned for them. When they first got them from Professor Oak's lab, they have taken the time to bond together and help them get over their uneasiness of humans. Now it feels like they're a little more worried about them than before. What could've caused them to feel like that?

"It's great that they're looking out for us. But I don't think anything is bothering me except for the fact that mental institute escapee Pokémon barbarian is still out there," Braixen explained.

"What about Team Rocket?" Frogadier questioned.

"Them too," Braixen responded.

It really was tough for the two Pokémon. They've already have known of Siegfried, and they've have plenty of encounters with the Pokémon criminal group Team Rocket. They just hope they can have peace soon and just enjoy helping Ash and Serena further their careers.

They should look at the positives right now. They were by themselves, with all of the Pokémon of course, Ash and Serena were out, and now they had a chance to enjoy each other's time together since they're not training.

"Hey, since Ash and Serena are out, do you want to do anything just the two of us?" Braixen asked.

Frogadier couldn't help but blush a little. A chance for some quality time with Braixen, and no scheduled training for gym battles or contests today. This may be just a play area, but the two were going to do whatever they can to enjoy themselves.

"I'd love too," Frogadier replied nervously.

With that, Frogadier and Braixen got up and decided to walk around the play area together. Sure, they probably can't go outside, but as long as they were together, that's what matters.

Little did they know that on the other side of the play area, Nurse Joy witnessed a red convertible pulling up in front of the Pokémon Center. Inside the convertible was a boy with spiky hair and a posse of cheerleaders.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Roller Rink**_

Ash and Serena had a great walk in the park, and now they've come across a nice roller rink. It was funny that neither Ash nor Serena have ever roller skated before, so they decided to give it a try. After getting their roller skates, Ash and Serena each sat on a chair to switch out of their shoes and into the skates.

"It's kind of weird that none of us even know how to roller skate," Serena said as she was tying up her skates.

"I know but having you around should make things a lot more fun," Ash replied as he was tying up his skates.

After they finished knotting up their skates, the young couple began to stand up. Both of them felt pretty wobbly since the bottom of their feet now had wheels. Ash and Serena both held hands firmly until they entered the rink. There were about twenty people inside the big rink.

Funky music was playing while the lights were going around the place. Everybody was having a good time laughing or maybe even dancing and doing some tricks. Ash and Serena even saw someone spinning on their toes, and then doing a backflip and landing perfectly on one foot while having his arms spread out. People were even cheering for that trick.

"We're not going to do anything like that are we?" Serena questioned.

"No way," Ash retorted.

Ash and Serena didn't want to do any fancy tricks, hell they were even struggling to just keep their footing. Ash and Serena were holding hands as they continued to skate along the side. They didn't want to be in the middle because they might fall and struggle to get out.

Ash and Serena stared into each other's eyes as they continued to skate. Then all of a sudden Serena's footing became wobbly and she struggled to keep her composure.

"Whoa whoa," Serena muttered as she struggled.

Serena was holding onto Ash's hand tight so she could keep her balance, unfortunately that wouldn't be the case. She fell on her bottom and she ended up dragging Ash down with her. Serena's hat came off as she fell. She was groaning and so was Ash. Serena grabbed her hat and placed it back on her head and looked over at Ash who was also groaning.

"I'm sorry Ash," Serena muttered sheepishly.

"It's okay Serena," Ash chuckled.

After letting the pain pass by, Ash got up and grabbed onto the side. He then grabbed Serena's hand to help her up. Serena was still wobbly a bit, but Ash kept his grip firm.

"I guess neither of us is good at roller skating huh," Ash stated with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah," Serena said with a giggle, "Let's do something else."

Ash and Serena went off to the side and immediately took off their skates and went back into their regular shoes. It was clear that they both pretty much sucked at roller skating. Even though it was short, Ash and Serena enjoyed it because they were together.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City**_

Ash and Serena were back on the streets of Saffron City with Rotom Dex acting as the map again. The two were figuring out what else they could do. As they continued walking, the young couple walked by what appeared to be a spiky looking white dome. It may look like that building doesn't serve any interest to them, but that's when Rotom Dex butted in.

"Rotom Dex?" Ash questioned feeling a little surprised.

"Ash, I just want to let you know that the building you see right there is the Saffron Gym. I have it right here on my map," Rotom Dex told Ash as it pinpointed their exact location which indeed identified the Saffron Gym.

Ash took a look at the building. That would be the sight of his next gym battle where they gym leader Sabrina awaits. Ash can recall what Tierno and Trevor told him that Sabrina was tough. He already knew that Sabrina would be using psychic-types, but he still needed to know what Pokémon he was going to use.

"Thanks for the update Rotom Dex," Ash told Rotom Dex as he continued to stare at the gym.

"Ash, are you sure you want to maybe take some time to prepare for Sabrina rather than go in tomorrow?" Serena asked, "I mean, maybe you could train some and visit the gym after my contest."

"I'll be fine Serena; I'm going to make sure I got the best Pokémon going in. I won't use Primeape since he's a fighting type, not to mention I just captured him," Ash stated.

"Well I don't know what Sabrina has in store for us, but I want you to just be ready for whatever comes your way," Serena told Ash with a hint of concern, "I mean it wouldn't hurt for you and your Pokémon to have more time to prepare."

"Like I told you Serena, I'll be fine. I won't be going in there if I didn't have the determination that I was going to win," Ash told Serena giving a thumbs up.

Serena was feeling a little worried for her boyfriend. Sure, Ash might have the right attitude to win, but did he really have what it takes to beat Sabrina. Serena was just feeling unsure and was worried about what Sabrina could do.

"Alright Ash, I believe you," Serena replied as she stared at the building and turned back to Ash, "Let's just continue enjoying our day together."

"You're right, I've dedicated today to you," Ash said as he kissed Serena's hand.

Serena couldn't help but blush and giggle at Ash's romantic gesture. Maybe she was just overreacting to how Ash's gym battle would go. Right now, they needed to enjoy today.

"Okay Ash," Serena said smiling.

With that, Ash and Serena continued to walk down the road in Saffron City with Rotom Dex still acting as their map. As Ash and Serena rounded a corner, they never noticed that a red convertible pulled up in front of the Saffron Gym.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

The young Pallet Town couple continued walking through the streets when they came across some sort of big house. There were a few people going in and there was one man standing there greeting everyone going in. The man had gray hair and he was wearing a gray suit with a yellow tie.

"What's going on over here?" Ash questioned.

"I don't know," Serena answered, "Do you want to check it out?"

"Sure, why not," Ash answered as he smiled back at Serena.

The two walked up towards the man who was greeting people. The man looked at Ash and Serena with a curious but friendly look on his face.

"Hello there," the man said.

"Hey, so what's going on?" Ash asked.

"We're having an auction," the man answered.

"An auction?" Serena questioned as she looked a bit puzzled.

"Indeed. This family is very wealthy and every two months they like to sell off some the valuable things they don't need whether if it's a Pokémon accessory or a valuable artifact, or maybe a Pokémon," the man explained, "You kids can attend if you like. Maybe you might get something you want."

This auction seems to be interesting to Ash and Serena. Maybe they might get something valuable that they want or something they need. If they did give out a Pokémon, Ash and Serena better hope they have it in good shape.

"You know, I think that sounds like fun," Serena stated.

"Yeah, let's go," Ash said as he and Serena held hands to go in.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Wealthy Family's House**_

Ash and Serena walked inside and saw that the inside looked very regal. There was some luxurious furniture such as nice tables and a lamp along with a white couch. There were even pictures of some Pokémon. Ash and Serena could admit that this was a nice house.

They were then guided to another room where they had plenty of chairs set up. A couple of people were sitting in those chairs and Ash and Serena would find two empty seats and sit together. Most of the people in there looked older than the two Pallet Town kids, in fact Ash and Serena may have been the only kids in there. Ash was holding a green paddleboard with the number seven. Man, what was his luck with seven.

There was a podium in the direction Ash and Serena were sitting and coming towards the podium was a man with brown hair and facial hair wearing a black suit and red tie.

"Hello there everyone, my name is Henry Soler and welcome to the Soler Family Monthly Auction. Every month I auction off items and donate the money to charity," Henry explained.

All the people were happy to know that the money from this auction would go to charity. Ash and Serena would like to get some things, but not to the point where they break the bank. Serena already had that mishap when she got Magikarp who was now a Gyarados along with the marble.

"Here is the first item up for bid," Henry said as he presented the first item.

It was a picture of three birds. One was majestic blue with a light blue belly and the wings almost looked like an angel's wings and had a long blue flowing tail. The second one was yellow and looked spiky even with the wings and almost carried a hostile look on its face. The last one was orange with flames coming from its head and it's wings.

"This is a painting of the legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," Henry announced.

Ash and Serena gasped when they heard who those birds were. The two have learned from Professor Oak that Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were legendary Pokémon that thrive around Kanto, but were difficult to find. Even Professor Oak has never even met these legendary birds, and it could take a lifetime for trainers to come across one.

Ash and Serena can still remember on the first day of their journey when they believed they saw a legendary Pokémon fly over the rainbow leaving behind a Rainbow Feather and Sacred Ash. Rotom Dex wasn't operating yet so it couldn't get an analysis, and also it could not do an analysis on Pokémon in paintings, so they weren't going to get any information on those Pokémon. None of those birds represented the one they saw though.

"That's a nice painting, but none of us need that," Serena whispered to Ash.

"I know, and besides, I got a better painting in my house," Ash said winking as he was referring to the painting Serena gave him on his birthday.

The two didn't have any interest in getting that painting. The bids were coming in with one person aiming for 250 Pokedollars, another for 500 Pokedollars, and then the 500 Pokedollar bidder won the bidding.

"Sold for 500 Pokedollars," Henry announced as he hit the gavel on the podium.

The man came up to the front and obtained the painting for himself. He carefully took it with him back to his seat as they all awaited the next item.

"Here is the next item up for bid," Henry announced as he placed what appears to be a small silver cylinder onto the podium, "This is an actual Metal Coat which can evolve certain Pokémon."

Ash donned the words of what Henry said about the next item. Ash learned from Rotom Dex that Scyther can evolve into Scizor as it could show evolution lines. That was something he and Serena didn't realize Rotom Dex could do.

"Let's start the bidding," Henry announced.

Ash was thinking about Scyther. He just got him recently after saving him from Team Rocket, so it was too soon to evolve him. He did wonder what if Scyther decided to evolve down the line. He wasn't sure where he could find another Metal Coat if he ever considered getting one.

Ash then noticed that after nearly a full minute, no one has placed a bid. Something tells him that these people aren't interested in the Metal Coat, and this was Ash's chance. The best part, he didn't need to place a high bid.

"Going once, going twice," Henry said.

"One Pokedollar!" Ash announced as he raised his panel.

"One Pokedollar, do I hear two Pokedollars," Henry said as he was hoping to hear someone out, "Going once, going twice, sold for a Pokedollar!"

Ash walked up to the front and grabbed the Metal Coat from Henry and thanked him. He took a look at the silver cylinder as he went back, and he only paid a single Pokedollar. Ash really did think this one through not just for his Pokémon, but for his and Serena's savings.

"Way to go Ash, and you didn't have a pay a whole lot," Serena said giving him a hug.

"Yeah, I realized that Scyther can evolve if I gave him a Metal Coat. If that ship ever comes where Scyther considers evolving, I'll give him this Metal Coat," Ash told Serena showing the Metal Coat.

"I think that was a great thing you did Ash," Serena kindly told Ash as she kissed him on the cheek.

Ash blushed when Serena kissed him on the cheek. He didn't want to make a scene in front of all of these people with him being in a love trance, especially in a wealthy family's home.

The next couple of items that were being passed by served no purpose to Ash or Serena. Some were just pieces of furniture, others were figurines, but then there was another item that caught Serena's attention. It was a stone that resembled an egg.

"Next item up for bid, an Oval Stone," Henry announced as he showed the Oval Stone.

Just like Ash did with Scyther, Serena learned about Happiny's evolution line and learned a Happiny holding an Oval Stone can evolve into Chansey. Serena didn't have a Happiny, but her moms did get him at the casino and named him Happy. She wondered if her moms ever felt like evolving Happy, they could give him an Oval Stone. It would also be a good way to show how supportive Serena is of her mothers, by giving them an item that could evolve their Pokémon.

Serena then noticed that no one was placing a bid just like no one did with the Metal Coat. As Henry was about to call off the bid, Serena placed a last second bid.

"One Pokedollar!" Serena announced as she grabbed Ash's arm and raised it to raise the panel.

"Whoa," Ash responded.

"One Pokedollar, do I hear two Pokedollars," Henry said as he was hoping to hear someone out, "Going once, going twice, sold for a Pokedollar!"

Serena smiled as she gently put Ash's arm down. Ash was a little surprised when Serena grabbed his arm like that and raised it up. Maybe it was the fact he was caught off guard. Serena obtained the Oval Stone and politely thanked Henry. She then proceeded back to her seat. Like Ash, she made a wise bid and would only go higher if needed.

"Sorry about that Ash," Serena said rubbing the back of her head.

"It's okay," Ash replied.

"When I saw the Oval Stone, I was just…thinking of my moms and how they have a Happiny of their own," Serena explained.

"You mean Happy," Ash said.

"Yeah, and I could give this to them if they ever want Happy to become a Chansey," Serena explained as she looked at the Oval Stone she was holding.

"That's a nice thing you're doing for your moms and Happy Serena," Ash said with a genuine smile, "I would've done something like that for my mom if the scenario and opportunity presented itself like it just did."

"I know you would Ash," Serena told Ash.

Ash and Serena were pleased with the fact that they both were able to get something from the auction that would benefit their Pokémon. However, they were still interested to see what Henry would be giving out.

A couple more items came and gone, and nothing seemed to interest Ash or Serena at the time being. Then another item came that neither Ash nor Serena had any interest in, and it was an Everstone. The stone would prevent a Pokémon from evolving if the Pokémon was holding it.

Ash wasn't in the mood of getting an Everstone as he felt as it wasn't needed, and Serena had no interest in the stone either. Ash was actually amazed to see the strength of his Pokémon after they evolved, especially his Frogadier and Charmeleon. Luckily for Ash, Pikachu could only evolve by Thunderstone, and he had no plans on evolving. There was a bidder who wished to purchase it, and she brought it for 100 Pokedollars.

"Sold, to the beautiful young lady with a number five panel," Henry said hammering the gavel and pointing to the woman.

The young woman went up and took the Everstone from Henry and she thanked him for it. The woman went back to her seat and placed the Everstone in her bag.

"Did you want that Everstone?" Serena questioned, "You looked a bit focused on it.

"Oh no, I wasn't interested," Ash answered, "I was just thinking why would I need one, and I clearly don't have a good reason."

"I see your point," Serena responded.

Ash knew he wasn't interested, but there was a funny feeling in his gut. Something was telling him that the Everstone would've been valuable for him, and the fact he didn't try to outbid the lady for it could come back to haunt him in the future.

"Here is our next item up for bid," Henry announced as he presented a Pokémon that got Serena's attention.

The Pokémon was an Eevee.

"This Eevee has been found in the wild and we have given it the best treatment it could have from a nice warm bed, to a proper diet, and even has been let out to play," Henry announced.

Ash could see they were giving away a Pokémon at the auction, but he smiled because the Eevee looked to be in great shape and was happy. They didn't treat that Eevee like the way Team Rocket treated all of the Pokémon in their casino, so that could give Ash the good feeling that Eevee wasn't being treated like a tool.

Serena was wanting to get herself an Eevee ever since seeing on in Celadon City, but that Eevee would be caught by Olivia. She even remembered how she saw three possible evolutions for Eevee after meeting with Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno. She now had a chance to get herself an Eevee.

"Ash, I really want an Eevee," Serena told Ash.

"You do," Ash replied.

"Yeah, ever since I saw the one Olivia caught back in Celadon City, I thought they were cute, and I wanted one myself. Also learning from Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno that they got one too and had multiple choices of what they can evolve into makes me want one more," Serena explained.

The honey-blonde coordinator was eager to get herself an Eevee right about now. With that, Ash kindly gave Serena the number seven panel and with no hesitation raised it up.

"100 Pokedollars!" Serena exclaimed.

"One hundred Pokedollars, do I hear 101 Pokedollars," Henry announced.

Serena had a look on determination on her face. She would do anything to get that Eevee. That adorable look on Eevee's face is showing that Serena would do anything to get her hands on it.

"100,000 Pokedollars!" another man announced.

Serena's face then crumbled when she heard that bid. The person who raised their panel had shiny black hair neatly combed, brown eyes, and wore a fancy black suit. Serena didn't have that kind of money, and that man would shoot down her chance at getting an Eevee.

"100,000 Pokedollars, going once, going twice," Henry announced as he smacked the gavel, "Sold for 100,000 Pokedollars."

Serena then let out a sigh. She wasn't upset, just disappointed that she was snatched a chance at getting an Eevee. She wasn't filthy rich like this guy was supposed to be which brought her to a huge disadvantage.

"I was really hoping to get that Eevee," Serena muttered.

Then Serena felt a hand on her back. Ash she turned her head, she noticed that it was none other than Ash's hand.

"It's alright Serena. I'm sure you'll get another chance," Ash told Serena.

Feeling the comfort of Ash's hand and hearing his words made her feel better. She wondered if it had the effect of him being her boyfriend. Either way, Ash was right, another Eevee would pop out for Serena to get.

The wealthy man approached Henry and obtained the Eevee.

"Thank you, Mr. Soler," the man replied.

"You're welcome," Henry replied back until he noticed something, "Wait a minute, aren't you Oscar Welch?"

"You mean the Oscar Welch from the Welch family that has carried a long history in Kanto of being one of the richest families in the region, Indeed I am," Oscar answered giving a bow, "I was hoping to contribute to you and provide this Eevee to my daughter."

"You were getting that Eevee for your daughter?" Henry questioned.

"Indeed, I was, you see she is a high-class Pokémon coordinator and a Pokémon like that Eevee would be perfect for her," Oscar explained, "I can't wait to tell my daughter that I got an Eevee from Mr. Soler. She completely respects any Pokémon she receives from the wealthy."

Oscar took the Eevee and left the room. Serena was intrigued by those words. This Oscar Welch guy has a daughter who happens to be a Pokémon Coordinator. While he did buy away that Eevee from Serena and was planning to give it to his daughter, Serena did wonder what kind of a coordinator was this girl like. Serena was curious on asking that man where his daughter lives, but he was gone before she got the chance to ask.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Back at the Pokémon Center, Frogadier and Braixen were sitting on the ground just thinking about Ash and Serena. They were on their date possibly doing some romantic things together. Frogadier and Braixen were enjoying the time they were spending with each other as well.

"What do you think Ash and Serena are up to right now?" Frogadier asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure they're enjoying each other's company," Braixen answered.

Frogadier was wondering if there was anything he and Braixen could do if they were to..ever go on a date. The two Pokémon have been good friends, but they've gotten closer since joining Ash and Serena.

"Hey Braixen, if we weren't in here today and we could go out, what would you do?" Frogadier asked.

"Me, well I guess I would go berry hunting," Braixen answered.

"Berry hunting?" Frogadier questioned.

"Well that or go out and give a show. I can show everyone my awesome techniques and chorography that I learned from Serena in our contest practices," Braixen explained.

"If you were to do any of that stuff, I would've liked to try it out," Frogadier responded.

Braixen's eyes widened to the words Frogadier said. He would actually want to try a contest out. Well to be fair, Frogadier did participate in a Pokémon Contest in Viridian City when he was still a Froakie, but that was just for Ash and Froakie to do something together and see what Froakie could do.

"You would want to be in a Pokémon Contest on your own will?" Braixen questioned.

"Heck yeah. I actually had fun when we battled each other on the S.S. Anne before the whole Team Rocket mess, and maybe one of these times I could convince Ash to enter a Pokémon Contest with me so I can go up against you to experience what you do with Serena," Frogadier explained, "Not to mention it could, bring us closer."

It would be interesting for Braixen and Frogadier to compete against each other in a Pokémon Contest. Sure, they both entered one with Ash and Serena, but that was just a fun thing to do. Now these two have more experience, and Ash still should have his Contest Pass from when he competed in Viridian City.

"We'll see about that, but you know you'll have to convince Ash first," Braixen told Frogadier.

"Yeah, I know," Frogadier replied.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Park**_

It was evening in the city and over an hour since they were at the Soler Family auction. It was a pretty interesting thing for Ash and Serena to do. They did succeed in obtaining items from the auction such as Ash getting a Metal Coat and Serena getting an Oval Egg. Serena was a bit disappointed she didn't get the Eevee she wanted, but she hoped another one would come soon.

Right now, Ash and Serena were sitting on a park bench in front of the pond. They were back in the Saffron City park and all Ash and Serena did was sit and watch the Pidgey fly around.

"Isn't this nice Serena?" Ash asked Serena with a genuine smile on his face.

"It sure is Ash," Serena answered with bliss coming from her voice.

Today truly was a great day for Ash and Serena. Sure, there were some ups and downs like with Serena not being able to get an Eevee or them falling on their butt at the roller rink, but the fact they were together was made this day special.

"You know something Serena, there isn't anyone in the world I would love to be with than you," Ash told Serena.

"Really?" Serena questioned still in a state of bliss.

"Yeah," Ash answered, "The fact that were just sitting here and enjoying the scenery at the park with you is enough to keep me happy."

"Me too Ash. I really liked you since the day you helped me at summer camp, and I've grown to love you when our journey started. You truly are the most amazing person I've ever met," Serena genuinely told Ash, "Even if you tend to make rash decisions at times."

Ash could understand what Serena meant, but it didn't matter to him as she always stood by his side. Serena could be making rash decision at times too, like when she ended up buying a Magikarp and a marble from the same salesman. Though it worked out with Magikarp for evolving, the same probably can't be said about the marble except for making it an accessory. Either way, they were glad to have each other.

Then all of sudden, Ash's stomach growled to indicate he was getting hungry. Ash and Serena chuckled as they knew what that meant.

"I guess we should have dinner right about now," Ash said with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, I know you and your stomach Ash Ketchum," Serena said nodding her head with her hands on her hips.

Serena then went into her backpack and activated Rotom Dex once again. Rotom Dex beamed out in joy once it looked at Ash and Serena sitting on the park bench.

"What did I miss!" Rotom Dex exclaimed as it looked at the young couple, "Did you two make out yet?"

"No Rotom Dex!" Serena ranted towards the Pokedex.

Rotom Dex backed away a little bit feeling a bit nervous. Probably should've not answered a question like that.

"Rotom Dex, we needed your map feature again to see where we can eat. Dinner time is coming in," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Most certainly!" Rotom Dex cheered in excitement, "I will try to locate the fanciest five-star restaurant that has classical music, moonlight dancing, and a waiter named Jeeves."

"No no no, we can't afford that!" Serena exclaimed.

"But it's what can help you making your romantic date more romantic," Rotom Dex said.

"But as I said, we can't afford that. Can you use your map to locate somewhere we can eat as a couple, and is affordable?" Serena asked.

"If that's what you want, then okay," Rotom Dex said as it crossed its arms with a disapproving look, "But let me tell you, you won't have a romantic dinner now."

The two sighed at Rotom Dex's comment. It didn't matter where they ate, just as long as they were together and was affordable.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-TAI Friday's**_

After searching the city, Rotom Dex helped Ash and Serena find a place to eat called TAI Friday's. The exterior of the restaurant was a brown building with red and white bar stripes sun setters over their windows and front entrance. They also had a neon sign reading TAI Friday's.

Ash and Serena walked inside and saw that the interior looked almost like a family restaurant. There were plenty of tables and booths and a couple of TVs, and a bar area for the adults. Ash and Serena were not old enough to drink or sit there. The hostess took Ash and Serena to a nearby booth where they were seated and given their menus.

"This place looks nice," Serena said as she looked around while holding her menu.

"I know, I've heard of this place, but I never actually ate here," Ash said he looked around holding his menu.

Ash took the time to look around to see some of the things that were hanging up like a black and white photo of a Jigglypuff singing in a microphone, another included a big neon Pokeball sign, and another included a mural of Kanto's former champion Red and his Charizard taking on Kanto's current champion Blue and his Blastoise when they were teenagers. Ash grimaced and looked away from that mural. He didn't want to think about his dad right about now.

Ash looked back at his menu and when the waiter came by, Ash and Serena made their orders. The waiter took their menus and then Ash turned to look at the TV to see there was a Pokémon League battle about to take place.

"Welcome back to this year's Kalos League in Lumiose City. We've seen so many great battles, and now we got another one about to start," the announcer on the TV said.

Ash got some interest in what was on the TV. It was the Kalos League, and if recalled that Kalos was the region his Frogadier was from along with Serena's Braixen.

"I see you spotted a Pokémon battle on the television," Serena said as she put her finger on Ash's nose which got his attention.

"Yeah, it turns out this year's Kalos League is about to begin," Ash told Serena, "Isn't the Kalos Region where you used to live?"

"It is," Serena responded as she saw the TV as well.

"That's also the region where Frogadier and Braixen came from," Ash said.

"I know," Serena replied.

They could see so many people in the stands cheering, and the battlefield looked so futuristic. This is where the people come for the Kalos League, in Lumiose City. As the camera was moving around, it spotted two people waving and it looked like one of those people looked familiar.

"Isn't that Professor Sycamore?" Ash asked in amazement as he noticed the man.

It was Professor Sycamore, but he wasn't wearing his lab coat. He was then turning to a woman who felt like had more authority over Sycamore. The woman had smooth pointy black hair and blue eyes, and she wore a white dress with a white jacket and white wing like accessory, along with white ankle boots. She also had a gold necklace with a strange looking marble inside.

"That is Professor Sycamore!" Serena exclaimed in excitement.

"But who's the woman next to her?" Ash questioned.

"I believe that might be the Kalos Champion Diantha," Serena answered as she had a puzzled look herself in front of the TV.

"Diantha?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, I may have moved to Pallet Town when I was seven, but I knew a bit about Kalos. The champion Diantha I heard is a movie star in the Kalos Region, and there is one Pokémon that she always has by her side is her Gardevoir," Serena explained.

"Gardevoir?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, unfortunately Rotom Dex won't be able to analyze a Gardevoir unless we see one in person," Serena stated.

" _Gardevoir, I never heard of that Pokémon,"_ Ash thought to himself as he looked at Diantha again, _"If Diantha is the champion of Kalos, does that mean she knew my dad at one point? Not that I care."_

The trainers then approached the battlefield on the TV. One of them was a boy with black hair almost similar to Professor Augustine wearing a yellow button up shirt with a white jacket, blue pants, and black shoes. The other was a girl with long yellow hair wearing a black shirt with a white collar, black skirt, and black boots.

"Our next matchup of the Kalos League is Alain Alverz of Lumiose City going up against Astrid Bryant of Anistar City!" the TV announcer announced.

Ash and Serena watched as the two trainers named Alain and Astrid approached the stage. Both trainers grasped a Pokeball in their hands and the judge announced the rules that it would be a three on three battle. Both trainers sent out their first Pokémon.

The trainer known as Alain sent out a black bird with grey patterns on his body with green on his lower body, and black talons. On his face was what looked like a red mask over his yellow pupil eyes which the ends spread out. The trainer known as Astrid sent out a Pokémon covered in white fur with a black face and red pupils on her eyes. The Pokémon was on four legs and had a scythe like horn sticking out of her with a blade tail.

"Alain has chosen Unfezant and his opponent Astrid has chosen Absol. Let's see how these trainers and their Pokémon play out," the announcer on the TV announced.

Ash and Serena watched the match while waiting for their food. Alain's Unfezant unleashed a powerful Air Slash right at Absol, but Absol leaped up into the air and struck Unfezant with a Psycho Cut attack. Unfezant came right back at Absol with Quick Attack, however Absol used Double Team to evade the attack and create copies of herself. Unfezant was trying his best to locate the real Absol, and that was enough time for Absol to fool Unfezant with a Night Slash.

Ash was excited to be watching this match. So, this is what it would be like when he faced trainers in the Pokémon League. Going up against the most experienced trainers around the world in front of a huge crowd on worldwide television.

"You really are enjoying the battle aren't you?" Serena happily asked.

"You bet I am, I've dreamed of competing on the big stage of the Pokémon League since I was a little kid. Now I'm halfway there with the four badges I got," said Ash.

"I know you are," Serena said with a smile as she then paid close attention back to the TV, "I wonder if this will be the same thing with me when I enter the Grand Festival?"

"I'm pretty sure that would be the case Serena," Ash responded, "I mean we did learn that the regional Grand Festivals is a major competition just like the regional Pokémon Leagues."

"You could be right Ash," Serena said.

As Serena was watching the match, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be a coordinator with millions of people watching. She already enters Pokémon Contests with a big crowd in front of her, and people watching on TV in the region, so imagine when she goes on international television to compete for the ribbon cup.

Back on the television, Unfezant was getting worn out as Absol was getting the upper hand. Absol was now going to send in the finishing blow with Razor Wind, but then Alain called something out at the last second.

"Unfezant use Echoed Voice!" Alain retorted.

Unfezant sent out a large booming sound wave which caught Absol by surprise knocking her backwards. Absol was quickly trying to regain her composure, but it was too late as Alain called out the final attack.

"Now use Sky Attack!" Alain yelled out.

"Hurry and use Quick Attack!" Astrid retorted.

Unfezant began to glow and flew towards Absol who was coming in with Quick Attack, however Unfezant beat Absol out by a single second beginning to commence his attack and striking Absol. The Disaster Pokémon was thrown up into the air and then come crashing back down limping in defeat.

"Absol is unable to battle, the winner is Unfezant!" the referee announced.

"Wow, what a turn of events! Absol has been in control for most of this matchup, but Alain has been able to come up with a last second strike to take Absol by surprise," the announcer said.

It was a shame for the couple that Rotom Dex was only able to get information on live Pokémon, and not the ones on TV. Ash had to admit that Alain guy was pretty good in figuring out how to turn a battle around. Ash knew this would be the competition he would be dealing with in the Indigo League along with Gary and Paul. Speaking of Gary, Ash hasn't seen him since he left Pallet Town. He would love to give him a piece of his mind, especially since he always puts him down since they were babies.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

After Ash and Serena finished their meals, they decided to order dessert. Knowing Ash, he wasn't quite full yet. It almost like his stomach was a bottomless pit. The match on television was over with that Alain guy winning the battle over Astrid.

As Ash watched that match, he could see that nothing was holding the Pokémon back. It reminded him of that dream he had when Frogadier was going up against Team Rocket and suddenly wasn't fighting. He always wanted the best for his Pokémon, and he wondered if that was a sign that maybe he wasn't knowing his Pokémon well enough and that they had a limit that was holding them back.

Ash could only wonder if that's what his dream was telling him. That maybe he needed his Pokémon the most, they were being held back by something. Serena noticed the look on Ash's face as he was sitting there thinking.

"Is something bothering you Ash?" Serena asked.

The expression Ash was showing indicated that something was troubling him. Serena now knew that something was bugging Ash, and he couldn't hold it in. Ash took a deep sigh and began speaking.

"Yeah, when I was watching that match, I could see that Alain's Pokémon were not holding back. And it made me wonder if there could be anything with my Pokémon that could be holding them back," Ash explained.

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked as she got a curious look on her face.

"It made me think of a bad dream I had a few nights ago," Ash stated.

"A bad dream?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, you see me, and you were inside some sort of factory that may have been taken over by Team Rocket, because Team Rocket was in my dream. When we came across a group of rockets, I sent Frogadier out to attack," Ash explained.

"And," Serena trailed.

"And Frogadier just stood there. He didn't do anything and there were rockets ready to kill us," Ash stated.

Ash started to grimace at the fact that Frogadier wasn't helping Ash in any way in his dream. Frogadier would always go the extra mile to make sure Ash was okay. Serena's eyes started to bug out when she heard that. What could make Frogadier act like that?

"I can't believe Frogadier would act like that," Serena said shakily.

"Yeah, and you even insisted I use a different Pokémon," Ash stated, "And just when the rockets were ready to kill us, a blinding light came in and that was the end of the dream."

"A blinding light?" Serena questioned.

"I didn't know what it was. Maybe…death was coming for us," Ash muttered, "That nightmare, just felt so real."

Serena couldn't help but feel bad for Ash, but also scared at the same time. Not only did Frogadier not fight back, but a light was coming in to indicate possibly entering the afterlife.

"I did remember something else, but it was a thought that only was planted in my head during the dream. Frogadier ended up having some back issues from a humiliating loss sometime before that, but he was good enough to fight," Ash stated, "It made me wonder if that loss might of…did something to him that caused him to not fight back."

"Like, Frogadier lost a match badly and got hurt?" Serena questioned.

"I guess so," Ash answered.

"You know something Ash, I had a dream somewhat similar to yours," Serena told Ash.

Ash's eyes widened. Serena had a dream similar to Ash's. This really caught Ash's attention.

"You did," Ash said in astonishment.

"Well, not exactly like yours really. Unlike you, we were in a safe environment," Serena told Ash, "We actually went shopping."

"Wow, so I stared in two nightmares," Ash muttered in amusement as he really hated shopping.

"Well, technically it wasn't a nightmare. Probably in your case," Serena said giving out a giggle, "But seriously, I had the same situation with Braixen. She was acting completely strange."

"Really," Ash said as that caught his attention making it feel somewhat similar to Frogadier.

"Yeah, after I fought a whole bunch of girls for clothes, I brought Braixen out of her Pokeball to try some clothes on, to maybe make us feel like sisters," Serena said giving a smile before she started sounding serious again, "But it didn't help Braixen, she just stood there feeling like something was bothering her."

"Was it like Frogadier where she suffered an embarrassing loss and got hurt?" Ash asked.

"That's the strange thing. Braixen was completely healthy and didn't take any major defeats, it just that Braixen's behavior came out of nowhere and I didn't know why. Frogadier was understandable to your point of view, but Braixen's just happened for no reason," Serena explained.

Ash could understand what Serena was talking about. Ash can remember that the one thing that stood out in his nightmare was Frogadier's behavior, and not Team Rocket or that blinding light. In the dream Serena was talking about, it was Braixen's behavior that stood out, and it got Ash thinking.

"Serena, I'm glad we brought up those dreams because it makes me wonder. Do you think those dreams mean something?" Ash questioned.

"Like what?" Serena questioned.

"Well, Frogadier's and Braixen's behavior were the two things that stood out in both of those dreams. That makes me wonder if those dreams meant something, but I don't know what," Ash explained.

Serena looked down at the table. If she and Ash both had dreams that involved their Pokémon acting tense, it meant something, but what? Maybe this wasn't something they should be talking about right now. They were on a date, and they should enjoy it.

"Maybe we should not worry about right now," Serena suggested.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"They could just be silly dreams. Even if those dreams did mean something, it doesn't feel like anything is happening right now," Serena explained, "I would suggest we keep it in the back of our heads right now, and not worry."

Serena made a good point it could just be just two silly dreams and they had nothing to worry about. For right now at least.

"Yeah, maybe your right," Ash sheepishly said rubbing the back of his head.

"But I'm glad we talked about it," Serena said as she reached out and grabbed Ash's hands.

"Me too," Ash replied.

Ash just couldn't help but enjoy the beautiful touch of Serena's hands. It made him forget about that dream he had a few days ago along with Serena forgetting about the dream she had last night. Their hand holding moment wouldn't last long as the waitress came in with their dessert.

Ash ate his dessert like there was no tomorrow while Serena took her time eating. Serena giggled at Ash's eating antics. They were messy, but she could deal with it.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash and Serena returned to the Pokémon Center. The two were completely beat after the activities they went through today. They went walking in the park, roller skating, partook in an auction, sat on a bench in the park, and had dinner at TAI Friday's. There was a red convertible park by the Pokémon Center, but the young couple didn't notice.

The two walked up to Nurse Joy to let her know that she can let their Pokémon rest for the night, but not without them meeting with them. All of the Pokémon were happy to see Ash and Serena again as they gave them a hug. Then after the short reunion, they gestured to Nurse Joy that they can get their rest for the night.

After the Pokémon went back into their balls and Pikachu being taken on a tray with them, Ash and Serena went to their respective rooms. The two looked at each other and each had a blush on their face.

"I had a really great time today," Serena said with bliss.

"Me too Serena," said Ash.

"Thanks again for a wonderful time," said Serena.

"You're welcome. We should do this again sometime," Ash said with some happiness in his voice.

Serena liked what Ash just said. The two of them go on another date in the near future. Ash and Serena could tell the Pokémon had a great time when they were gone, especially Frogadier and Braixen. The two figured that the Pokémon were having fun and Ash and Serena were having fun, they definitely would consider another date.

"I would love that Ash," Serena happily said holding her hands close to her heart.

Serena just felt like the happiest girl in the world. She and Ash were just perfect for each other. She was glad to be travelling around Kanto with him while competing in contests. If she felt herself and Ash being this close right now, they could become a lot closer further down the road. She really did treasure her relationship with Ash.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go to bed," Ash said.

"I know," Serena replied.

Ash and Serena just stood there looking at each other for another ten seconds. Then the two leaned in for a kiss on the lips that lasted a good five seconds. The two then broke the kiss and looked at each other. Both of them had a genuine smile on their face to know that being together made them happy.

"Thanks again Ash, good night. And I love you," Serena said as she walked into her room.

"You're welcome Serena. Good night, and I love you too," Ash responded as he walked into his room.

The two then held their hands close to their hearts to know that they made the other happy. Today was indeed a great day. No gym battles to worry about, no contests to participate in, and no one came in to cause problems. It really was a great day for Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Conference Room**_

It was late into the night and the negotiations were still going on. Giovanni was placing bids on how much the president was willing to sell the Silph Company for. While he had just enough money to make the purchase, he did want to negotiate a good price. Giovanni was explaining how he would help market the prices of trainers items, and how to move forward with their big project the Master Ball.

"I know what you plan to do. But the question is how do we know we can trust you with our big project. We've been working on the Master Ball for years, and it just doesn't seem right that we sell this company to a businessman who understanding with Pokémon seem unknown," the president explained.

Giovanni kept a calm composure. This man treated Pokémon nothing but tools to meet needs end, and the president wants to get his take on Pokémon. He didn't want to show the president he was a ruthless man trying to gain power, otherwise he would take over the Silph Company and people and employees would get Giovanni's name and image and his face would end up in the public which could make business harder for Team Rocket.

"Well, my understanding for Pokémon is…" Giovanni trailed until Ariana stood up.

Ariana wanted to have her chance speak with the president. She showed the president a friendly smile when he mentioned understanding of Pokémon.

"Ariana?" Giovanni questioned.

"Let me handle this," Ariana told Giovanni.

"I'm running the business of making a sale, you're just here to support me," Giovanni told Ariana.

"I'm your wife and I wish to help you. So, let me speak," Ariana told Giovanni.

The president was a bit bewildered with the conversation the two just had. Ariana then cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Of course, we know that the Pokémon and their trainers are important. I myself was once an expert Pokémon trainer traveling to all different regions across the world, and my Pokémon were my best friends," Ariana explained.

Giovanni growled at what Ariana was speaking about. He was thinking to himself how dare he talks about Pokémon as best friends and not the tools needed to get what they want.

"I understand that a bond with a Pokémon and their trainer makes them strong, and I taught that to my husband right here after I met him," Ariana explained gesturing towards Giovanni, "With my knowledge of connecting with Pokémon and his business ethics, we can make the Silph Company the most round known company in the world as we can take the time to understand trainers and Pokémon alike, along with marketing this company's products in resources and prices so that every trainer can have the best essentials."

Giovanni was absolutely disgusted with everything Ariana was throwing at him. He was supposed to be making the negotiations, not her. When Giovanni first met Ariana, she was a Pokémon trainer who ran away from home after everything crapped out on her. Giovanni let her be with him and eventually they got married and had a child before he ran away, like how his mother did. They managed to form the organization Team Rocket with them both in charge, but Giovanni seemed to be the one who wanted to do most of the major work. Now here was Ariana taking the lead as she really wanted to prove something to Giovanni.

"Mam, your words inspire me that you care about the trainers and the Pokémon, and this is coming from someone who once was a Pokémon trainer I can presume. With the teamwork of you and your husband, I now believe the Silph Company will be in good hands," the president explained.

Giovanni's face was in pure shock. Ariana was able to convince the president that they would be fine suiters for the Silph Company. Ariana had to give Giovanni the message that this was their organization, and not just his. The president then took the briefcase with ten billion pokedollars.

"Sold!" the president or should we say former president announced.

Giovanni couldn't believe it, but Ariana has done it. The Silph Company was theirs. They got the president to make a deal with Giratina.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Morning came to Saffron City. Ash rose up from his bed and stretched his arms out. He had such a great time yesterday with Serena on his date. Now a new day has arose and Ash was going to get some training in before his battle at the Saffron Gym. He would also take the case of helping Serena get ready for her next contest.

" _I'll train today, and tomorrow I will get my fifth badge,"_ Ash thought to himself.

Ash would then shower and then get dressed. Once he emerged out of his room in his clean clothes (and underwear for his mom's sake), he saw Serena who was already dressed for the day.

"Good morning Ash," Serena happily said.

"Good morning Serena," Ash replied as he gave Serena a kiss on the cheek, "I had fun yesterday."

"Me too," Serena replied which caused her to giggle.

The two just looked at each other admiring the other in front of them. They really have been enjoying their time together since leaving Pallet Town.

"Come on, let's get breakfast," Serena told Ash as she grabbed his hand.

"You got it, I'm hungry," Ash declared.

Serena couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes when Ash declared he was hungry. Today the two were going to train for their upcoming challenges after breakfast. Once Ash and Serena entered the cafeteria, they both heard a voice.

"Well look who finally caught up! Such a loser, he couldn't catch up to me for breakfast!" a voice announced.

Ash and Serena were surprised when they heard that voice. That voice sounded familiar to the young couple as they looked around. That's when Ash and Serena spotted a boy with spiky brown hair with a group of cheerleaders who were cheering the boy for eating his breakfast. Ash's blood boiled as he recognized that boy. He always gave him a hard time back in Pallet Town and talked down to him as a loser when he always acted so high and mighty. It was him; it was Ash Ketchum's greatest rival.

"Gary," Ash muttered in a somewhat angry tone.

* * *

 **That concludes the first date of Ash and Serena, and the chapter ends with Ash meeting up with Gary. Wonder how that will go.**

 **Team Rocket has officially purchased the Silph Company with everything now being under their control. Despite being enemies of Team Rocket, they won't play around with Ash's and Serena's trainer data, or else something would be up.**

 **So, Serena had a dream like Ash, but like Ash's dream, does it mean something?**

 **I figured I have a little auction in this chapter because it made me think of that auction house from Final Fantasy 6, and Ash got a Metal Coat which he will use to evolve Scyther when he's ready, and Serena got herself an Oval Stone which she will send back home to her moms for Happy (Happiny).**

 **Serena missed out on getting an Eevee, but she'll get another chance soon. As for the person who got the Eevee Oscar Welch, he got it for his daughter whom will be another one of Serena's rivals. It also might give you a clue who that rival could be, heh heh.**

 **I'm hoping to get the next chapter out soon, because Super Mario Maker 2 is coming out and have a feeling I might get hooked onto that game. So, I want to get the next chapter out soon. Until then, see you next time.**

 **Chapter 35: Rival Showdown: Ash VS Gary**


	37. Rival Showdown: Ash VS Gary

**Alright now, here is the meeting with Ash and Gary where the two end up having a Pokémon battle with each other. During the battle, see if you can spot two puns I placed in there as they reference something.**

 **Enjoy the chapter and I do not own Pokémon.**

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

* * *

"Gary," Ash muttered.

Ash stood there as he saw Gary smirk at him. This was their first meeting since leaving Pallet Town to begin their Pokémon journey. Ash only gritted his teeth in anger when he saw his longtime rival.

Serena had turned Rotom Dex on after she woke up, and they were looking at the scene taking place between Ash and Gary.

"Serena, who's that?" Rotom Dex asked.

"That's Gary Oak. He's been Ash's rival for a long time, definitely since before I moved to Pallet Town," Serena answered.

"You mean like Paul, Trevor, Tierno, and Olivia?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Yeah, but way before Ash began his journey," Serena answered, "He always likes to brag about how he's the best and talks Ash down."

Rotom Dex didn't know how to take this in. It was just a Pokedex built for Ash and Serena who they could also have a conversation with, maybe silly ones sometimes. But Rotom Dex didn't understand the history between Ash and Gary.

"Loser Ash Ketchum, lagging around like always," Gary mocked.

"I'm not lagging around, I've been taking my training as a Pokémon trainer seriously," Ash told Gary.

"Really?" Gary asked in a mocking tone.

"Yeah," Ash answered.

"It's hard for the great Gary Oak to believe you since you're a loser. Hell, even a dead Magikarp has more badges than you Ash Ketchum because you have none!" Gary declared.

"That's not true!" Ash yelled out opening his jacket revealing his four badges, "I got four of the Kanto badges right here!"

Gary took a closer look at Ash's four badges. All Gary did was have a mischievous look on his face when he saw Ash's four badges.

"And how many Pokémon did you have?" Gary asked crossing his arms smirking at Ash.

"Seven," Ash responded as he made sure not to count Butterfree.

Gary laughed at Ash and so did his cheerleaders. Gary thought that Ash was nothing more than a loser. Serena and Rotom Dex were watching the conversation between Ash and Gary. Serena hasn't been pleased with the way Gary has been treating Ash for a long time.

"You really are pathetic with just four little badges and seven baby Pokémon. Well guess what, I got a million badges and caught every Pokémon in existence, and do you know why! Because I'm the greatest there ever was!" Gary exclaimed in a mocking tone.

"Gary Oak is gaining fame, while he put Ash into shame!" the cheerleaders cheered.

Ash decided to just roll his eyes because he knew Gary was joking. He just loves to make Ash feel like he's at the bottom.

"I'm just messing with you Ashy boy, but in seriousness I am better than you. I got thirty-five Pokémon," Gary mockingly told Ash.

Ash's eyes widened when he heard that. He managed to catch that many Pokémon in a time span of a couple of months.

"Thirty-five Pokémon," Ash muttered.

"That's right," Gary replied as he then pulled out his badge case revealing his badges, "And as you can see, I have five badges. It would've been six if the Viridian Gym were open when I was there."

Ash saw his badge collection and noticed Gary had the same four badges as he did, but the one exception was the Marsh Badge that was in his case. Gary must've beaten Sabrina.

"I beat the Saffron Gym leader yesterday, and Sabrina was a tough opponent. But not tough enough to withstand the great Gary Oak!" Gary declared as he raised his fist forward in the air.

"You were in the Saffron Gym yesterday?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, didn't I just tell you," Gary answered.

Ash turned his head and looked at Serena who was watching. Ash knew where he and Serena were the other day, they were out exploring Saffron City on a date.

"You did, but yesterday me and Serena went on a date," Ash replied.

"And we're dating now," Serena rebutted as she held Ash's hand.

Serena showed a smirk to Gary as soon as she told him that Ash was now her boyfriend. Ash felt a little better when he heard that knowing that he did have a little pride in hooking up with Serena.

"Congratulations Serena," Gary replied as he then looked back at Ash, "I just wish you didn't pick a loser."

"Hey, Ash beat you in getting a girlfriend by a landslide. Something you never even gotten a head start on because you were too busy showing off," Serena said making a comeback, "And you won't ever get one if you keep that act up."

Gary just sighed and crossed his arms like he didn't care. Serena wasn't mocking him; she was just telling him what would happen if he continued to be the arrogant boy he was.

"I'm just being honest," Serena confessed, "Now you can start by changing topics."

"Alright. So, Serena, how have you been doing?" Gary asked in a tone where he sounded like he wasn't interested.

"Fine, I've been taking part in Pokémon Contests here in the Kanto Region," Serena said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her ribbon case showing Gary her ribbons, "I've won two ribbons and I hope to get my third while I'm here."

"That's great Serena, good for you," Gary said in a fake nice tone while patting her on the shoulder and then looking at Ash, "See Ash, even Serena is doing better than you."

"We're not even on the same career path," Ash muttered with a tint of anger.

This was really getting Ash's blood to boil. He just wanted to find any excuse to torment Ash, even when Ash has gotten some accomplishments under his belt.

"You just want to find any way to get to me, don't you!" Ash yelled.

"Well can I say, I'm Gary Oak, future Pokémon Master and son of Kanto's champion Blue Oak! And you are the loser Ash Ketchum who will never amount to anything," Gary sneered.

That was it. Ash had it. Gary has been tormenting him for years, even during his time his dad was champion of Kanto. Ash really didn't care for his dad after he left, but Gary should know that Red resigned from his duties and he passed it onto Blue for unknown reasons. Ash wanted to give Gary a piece of his mind right now.

"Gary Oak, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" Ash yelled out.

Gary was startled a little bit by Ash's yelling. It only lasted a second or two before he regained his ego state.

"I don't challenge loser Pokémon trainers," Gary sneered, "Now will you excuse me, I have to get my sixth badge at Fuchsia City. Later Ashy boy!"

"Gary!" Ash called out.

"Gary Gary he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can," the cheerleaders cheered as they walked to the exit with Gary.

Gary and his cheerleaders were about to leave the area, but then Rotom Dex floated right in front of him. It had an angry emoji looking face as it was looking at Gary. Rotom Dex wasn't going to let Gary get away like that.

"How dare you deny Ash Ketchum a challenge!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"Hey, move it, I got to get my sixth badge or loser Ash will catch up to me which could sink me into being a loser," Gary argued.

"No one talks to Gary like that, now move or he will stomp you flat," the cheerleaders cheered.

"If you want to be considered a great and all-powerful Pokémon trainer, then you have to accept a challenge from all opponents!" Rotom Dex argued.

"You think I'm going to listen to some floating computer," Gary said.

"You listen here, I am Rotom Dex, a special Pokedex given to Ash Ketchum along with Serena Gabena. In order for Ash to progress his experience, which by the way he has gained, Ash must test his abilities against you," Rotom Dex explained.

"So, Ash wants to get creamed by me?" Gary asked.

"No Gary," Serena said in an assertive tone as she stood by Rotom Dex's side, "Ash wants to challenge you to a battle, and you're going to give him a Pokémon battle. He wants to show you how much he's improved since his journey began. Besides, if you back out or reject a challenge, how will everyone see you? No one will think you're so great, or worse they might think you're a coward."

Serena had some powerful words for Gary as she made a point. Gary has always been caught in his ego, and Serena found a way to speak to him in that state. If Gary wanted everyone to believe he was considered, the greatest Pokémon trainer in existence and the best there ever was, it meant he had to accept a challenge from anyone to prove he's not afraid of a challenge. Even against Ash. Gary had steam coming out of his nose as he was about ready to throw a fit, but he took a closer look at Serena's and Rotom Dex's angry faces and Ash's determined face and in the end he gave in.

"Alright, we'll have a battle," Gary confirmed.

"Thank you," Ash responded as his anger subsided a bit.

Ash then approached Gary with a serious expression. He wanted Gary to know that he wasn't some loser Pokémon trainer, he wanted to beat him.

"There's a park in Saffron City that is able to hold Pokémon battles. We'll have it there, and it will be a full six on six so you can see how all of my Pokémon are," Ash told Gary.

"Whoa whoa, I'm not agreeing to something like that," Gary said with a stern tone as he crossed his arms, "Let's make it three on three, it's much shorter and it can be a better way to analyze each other."

"Fine with me," Ash confirmed.

"Good, now get ready to lose Ashy boy," Gary said as he went back to his mocking ways.

With that Ash, Serena, Rotom Dex, Gary, and the cheerleader posse left the Pokémon Center. This was Ash's and Gary's first meeting since Pallet Town and now it was time to see how these two faired in a Pokémon battle.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Park**_

About an hour later, everyone arrived at the Saffron City Park. Ash has already decided which Pokémon he was going to use in his battle against Gary. He was going to go with Frogadier who was his starter, Charmeleon so he test out his new strength gained from evolving, and Pikachu who volunteered to join the battle as he hasn't seen much official action since the Vermillion Gym.

Ash was standing on one side of the battlefield with Pikachu by his side while Gary stood on the other side of the battlefield. Gary's cheerleaders were chanting his name and cheering him on.

"Gary Gary he's the best, he is better than all the rest!" the cheerleaders cheered.

Serena was standing with an annoyed look on her face. Serena is wondering why the hell does Gary need this cheerleading posse. Rotom Dex had pictures of Ash and Gary on its screen with three empty boxes underneath each of them.

"This will be a three on three Pokémon battle between Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak of Pallet Town. Whoever defeats all of the opposing trainer's Pokémon first will be declared the winner!" Rotom Dex announced.

Ash and Gary each had a Pokeball in their hands. Ash was going to show Gary how great of a Pokémon trainer he was and that what Gary says was nonsense.

"Charmeleon I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Charmeleon.

Charmeleon came out of the Pokeball and was now in a battle stance ready for whatever Pokémon Gary was going to send out. Charmeleon was hoping that he had someone that would be a worthy opponent.

"Heh, a Charmeleon. Well it won't stand a chance against my Growlithe!" Gary exclaimed as he threw his Pokeball.

Emerging from Gary's Pokeball was an orange tiger like puppy Pokémon. That Pokémon was Growlithe and Rotom Dex did an analysis on the Pokémon as soon as both Pokémon appeared on screen.

 _#058-Growlithe: Puppy Pokémon_

 _A Pokémon with a friendly nature. However, it will bark fiercely at anything invading its territory._

Charmeleon took a look at the Growlithe in front of him. He was a fire type Pokémon like him and seems slightly bigger than a regular Growlithe which probably indicates that Gary has been taking care of his Pokémon very well. Charmeleon got a determined look on his face as he was ready to battle.

"Are you ready Charmeleon?" Ash asked as he looked over at Charmeleon.

"Char," Charmeleon responded giving a thumbs up.

"Begin the battle!" Rotom Dex announced.

"Alright Growlithe, let's start things off with a Flame Wheel," Gary called out.

"Charmeleon, jump up out of the way and use Flamethrower!" Ash retorted.

Growlithe was running at Charmeleon engulfing him in a flame to commence Flame Wheel. Charmeleon jumped up in the air and opened his mouth to unleash a Flamethrower at Growlithe. The attack hit Growlithe, and it only was absorbing strength rather than getting hurt. Growlithe then brought his Flame Wheel attack to a halt and Gary smirked.

"Well Ashy boy, you didn't know about Growlithe's Flash Fire ability which caused Growlithe's fire attacks to become stronger," Gary said smirking.

"Grrr," Ash grunted.

Ash was in a big hole now as Charmeleon can't use his fire attacks due to Growlithe's Flash Fire, the same ability Shauna's Ninetales has. What made matters worse for Ash was this was a single battle so he couldn't try and turn the opposing Flash Fire into an advantage like Serena did in her contest.

"My Growlithe can now use all the fire attacks he wants while yours can't Ashy boy, because they will only make Growlithe stronger," Gary stated as he was smirking, "Now Growlithe, use Flamethrower!"

Growlithe opened his mouth to unleash a Flamethrower from his mouth. With Charmeleon knowing that his fire attacks would only make Growlithe stronger, he was pleased that the match was much more of a challenge now. Ash knew that even though Charmeleon couldn't use his fire attacks, he had other attacks he could work with.

"Charmeleon, counter with Dragon Rage!" Ash commanded.

Charmeleon then opened his mouth and unleash a Dragon Rage right at Growlithe's Flamethrower which caused an explosion to cancel the attack out. It was hard to see, but Ash could use that to his advantage to surprise Growlithe.

"Now use Slash," Ash told Charmeleon.

Charmeleon studied the smoked to try and figure out where Growlithe was. He jumped in to prepare for a Slash attack when all of a sudden.

"Take Down," Gary muttered.

Charmeleon didn't see it coming, but Growlithe came charging with a Take Down to knock down Charmeleon. As the smoke cleared, Ash's eyes widened as he saw Charmeleon on the ground in pain while Growlithe gave out a mighty howl.

"What happened?" Ash asked in shock as Charmeleon was able to get back up.

"My Growlithe's nose is capable of picking up scent, and he had your Charmeleon's scent. Thanks to that, Growlithe was able to pick up where Charmeleon was and come right at him with Take Down," Gary explained.

Ash couldn't believe it; Gary was even a step ahead of him in battle. Serena was amazed to see how Gary used his Pokémon's abilities to his advantages. Well, that's what he got for having a famous Pokémon professor as his grandfather.

"We're not going to quit, Charmeleon use Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled out.

"Growlithe use Crunch!" Gary Retorted.

Charmeleon was coming at Growlithe with Dragon Claw, but Growlithe then came in and opened his mouth for Crunch attack right on Charmeleon's hand canceling out the attack. Charmeleon roared in pain.

"And follow that up with a Flamethrower," Gary told Growlithe.

Growlithe opened his mouth off of Charmeleon's hand and charred Charmeleon with a powerful Flamethrower. Charmeleon was weakened pretty badly, but the Flame Pokémon proven to be pretty tough as he was still standing. Granted that also had to do with the fact Charmeleon was a fire-type himself.

" _I can't believe it! I can't lose to Gary! This battle has just started, and Gary's already gotten complete control. Charmeleon can't use his fire moves which leaves me with mostly Slash, Dragon Claw, and Dragon Rage," Ash thought to himself until something came up, "Or maybe I can turn this around with another attack."_

Ash remembered in his training sessions with his Pokémon, Charmeleon has shown that he knew another move. While Ash has seen Charmeleon use this move, he has yet to use it in an official battle. This could be the perfect time to use that attack.

" _I think I know what to do,_ " Ash thought to himself.

"Well Ashy boy, it's time to lose," Gary told Ash.

"We'll see about that, Charmeleon use Slash!" Ash called out.

"Such a loser, you're doing the same thing!" Gary called out laughing, "Growlithe use Crunch like last time! Ashy boy hasn't learned a thing."

Ash just gritted his teeth. He better hope this works. Charmeleon was running towards Growlithe with a Slash attack, and Growlithe was closing in with a Crunch attack like before. Right when Growlithe's mouth was getting near Charmeleon's hand, Ash made the call.

"Turn that Slash into a Metal Claw!" Ash retorted.

Charmeleon's claws began to show a silver shine as it came towards Growlithe. Growlithe chomped on Charmeleon's hand but felt the vibrating pain in his teeth. Growlithe opened his mouth and began to moan in pain that he just bit into a Metal Claw.

"What the," Gary muttered.

"Now use Dragon Claw!" Ash retorted.

Charmeleon then came charging Growlithe who was now a bit too focused on the shocking pain of Metal Claw. Growlithe was now being slashed by Charmeleon's Dragon Claw. Ash's face lit up with excitement.

"And finish this with Dragon Rage!" Ash yelled out.

Charmeleon then opened his mouth and fired off a Dragon Rage attack point blank at Growlithe. The Puppy Pokémon's eyes widened as he saw Charmeleon's attack coming in. Dragon Rage would then explode, and everyone saw Growlithe fall to the ground knocked out cold.

"Growlithe is unable to battle, the winner is Charmeleon!" Rotom Dex announced turning Growlithe's picture gray.

"We did it!" Ash cheered.

"Char," Charmeleon muttered.

"Way to go Ash," Serena cheered.

"Oh no, Gary lost!" the cheerleaders cried as tears came from their eyes.

Serena began to roll her eyes looking at the cheerleader's faces. She couldn't believe it, Gary only lost one Pokémon in a three on three battle, and he still had two remaining. Those cheerleaders were one of the things Ash and the girls from Pallet Town couldn't stand about Gary, because they were connected to his ego.

"Growlithe return," Gary called out returning Growlithe, "You did a great job Growlithe, take a good rest."

Ash and Serena had a small smile one their faces when they saw Gary complement his Pokémon on a job well done. Though Gary knew about his Pokémon and their abilities, at least he wasn't cold to them unlike a certain purple hair boy named Paul.

"Growlithe was just probably holding back because he wanted to give a loser like you a chance, because in reality you would've been down in one hit," Gary said mocking Ash.

Ash just growled very hard. Even when he beats one of Gary's Pokémon, he just finds an excuse to make Ash look like nothing more than a hobby trainer. Now Ash just wanted to crush his next Pokémon.

"Not to worry, my next Pokémon will stoop to your level as well to give you a chance," Gary said as he held out his Pokeball and gave it a kiss, "Let's go Eevee!"

Gary tossed his Pokeball and coming out was an Eevee who was already in position to battle. Serena gasped when she saw Eevee. First it was Olivia, then Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, and soon that rich guy's daughter, and now Gary. It seems everyone was getting an Eevee these days, and Serena still doesn't have one of her own.

" _So, Gary has an Eevee too,"_ Serena thought to herself.

Ash took a look at Charmeleon, and despite the damage he took against Growlithe, he looks like he could have a round at Eevee. Ash took a close look at Eevee and then back Charmeleon and he couldn't help but smile. Charmeleon should be able to smash that Eevee into the ground, but he also shouldn't judge a book by its cover. That Eevee could be strong.

Meanwhile in Charmeleon's mindset, he took a closer look at that Eevee. Charmeleon took a close analysis at him and could probably consider it to be a normal type Pokémon, and that he doesn't seem like a strong opponent. Charmeleon then grunted.

"Are you ready to go for another win Charmeleon," Ash said encouragingly.

Charmeleon turned around and gave Ash a disapproving look. His face was tense, his eyes were widened, and his mouth was frowning tight. Something was saying Charmeleon was not pleased.

"Char," Charmeleon grunted.

"Charmeleon?" Ash questioned.

Charmeleon was speaking to Ash about his Eevee and when he was battling Gary's Growlithe. Charmeleon was telling Ash that Eevee was not a worthy opponent for him because he only wants to fight Pokémon at his level or higher. Rotom Dex then floated to Ash to translate.

"Ash, Charmeleon wanted to tell you that he doesn't want to fight Eevee and is willing to forfeit the match," Rotom Dex confirmed to Ash.

"What!" Ash exclaimed.

"Charmeleon doesn't want to back out because he's tired or bored, he wants to back out because that Eevee doesn't look like he could be a challenge for him and he refuses to fight Pokémon that are below his level because it seems like an insult," Rotom Dex explained, "Growlithe was an exception because his fire-type and Flash Fire ability made him a challenging opponent."

Ash couldn't believe it, Charmeleon didn't want to battle Eevee because he felt like it was weaker than him? He rescued him as a Charmander from the rain where he was left to die by Damien, and this is how he repays him in a battle against someone who has been ridiculing him for years? Then again, Damien abandoned Charmeleon back when he was a Charmander because Damien considered it weak, so it is possible that the abuse of Damien may be the cause of this mentality.

"Alright Charmeleon, I'll talk with you later so I can try and understand this. Other than that, you can take a good rest," Ash told Charmeleon.

Rotom Dex sighed. It didn't like the fact that Charmeleon was letting down Ash, but at least Ash had an understanding to that fact. Charmeleon on the other hand did feel some regret on letting Ash down, however his pride of being strong has overshadowed his desire to help Ash.

"Charmeleon has pulled himself from the match which means Eevee wins this round by default," Rotom Dex sighed as Charmeleon's picture turned gray.

"What's wrong Ashy boy is your Charmeleon scared of my Eevee," Gary said mockingly.

"No, it just didn't want to fight Eevee because he…would prefer someone stronger," Ash muttered.

"Oh, poor Ash, he can't even control his starter Pokémon. That proves he's a loser!" Gary laughed as he pointed and laughed at Ash with the cheerleaders laughing at him too.

"Charmeleon is not my starter!" Ash yelled.

Serena was just hating how Gary was treating Ash. Gary has been nothing more than a bully towards Ash as he just wants to find any way to make him feel low. She has known Gary for three and a half years and he has been treating Ash like trash. Serena truly hoped Gary had something that knocked his senses around to bring him into reality.

"Hey Gary, he still has two reliable Pokémon that can show you!" Serena yelled as she then turned to Ash who was ready to rage at his longtime rival, "Hey Ash, get your head straight and beat Gary."

Ash heard Serena call him out, and just hearing her voice made him feel better. He hoped that it didn't come to a point where Serena would have to defend him by battling Gary herself. She already did that with Paul, and she lost that battle too.

"Gary, I will beat you," Ash told Gary as he then looked over at Pikachu, "Pikachu, do you want to battle Eevee?"

"Pika!" Pikachu chanted as he sparked his cheeks.

"Alright!" Ash chanted as he now felt encouraged again, "Let's go Pikachu!"

Pikachu then hopped onto the battlefield to face Eevee and his picture appeared on Rotom Dex's screen. Gary was now just smirking mockingly at Ash, but Ash needed to keep his head cool so the best thing he could do was ignore what Gary threw out at him.

"Gary Gary he's the best, he will wipe out all the rest," the cheerleaders chanted.

Ash should also ignore the cheerleaders too as they were irritating. Serena was wondering how she and Leaf were able to tolerate Gary's behavior. Ash has been getting tortured with it the most, and it's probably clear that if Ash isn't around, Daisy is then the one who has to deal with his ego moments.

"Okay Pikachu let's win this. Start with Agility," Ash told Pikachu.

Pikachu then started to run around as fast as he could with Agility. Gary has already proven tactics that he had with Growlithe, so imagine what he can do with this Eevee.

"Eevee use your Sand-Attack!" Gary called out.

Eevee started to kick up sand right at Pikachu. Pikachu didn't have time to hit the brakes or get away, so he ended up taking the attack. Pikachu was panting as he now had sand in his eyes.

"Great job Eevee, now use Swift!" Gary yelled out.

"Watch out Pikachu!" Ash cried.

Pikachu was having a hard time seeing due to the sand, and he wouldn't be able to see the stars coming towards him. Pikachu was being pelted by Eevee's Swift attack and he slid back towards Ash laying on his back.

"Are you okay Pikachu?" Ash asked feeling worried for Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied as he hastily got back up.

"Ready for more aren't you, Eevee use Quick Attack," Gary told Eevee.

"Dodge it and use Thunderbolt!" Ash retorted.

Eevee bolted right at Pikachu with Quick Attack, but the Mouse Pokémon was able to get out of the way and unleash a powerful Thunderbolt attack on Eevee. The Evolution Pokémon cried in pain as he was being shocked. Once Pikachu finished with his attack, he could see Eevee looking numb meaning that he paralyzed Eevee.

"Great job Pikachu," Ash praised as he saw the state Eevee was in, "It looks like Eevee is going to have a hard time moving."

"I don't think so Ashy boy," Gary told Ash as he then called out Eevee's next move, "Use Refresh!"

Eevee then started to show a small blue glow around his body which took away all of the static that was on Eevee. Eevee then shake it off and started to jump up and down to let Pikachu know that he can move again. Ash's eyes widened when he saw what Eevee just did.

"What just happened? Why is Eevee suddenly moving again?" Ash asked.

"Didn't you hear me Ashy boy, Eevee used Refresh to cure himself of all paralysis. It also cures him of burns and poison," Gary explained.

Well that just killed a positive mood Ash was hoping to get. Eevee was looking good as new, and Ash and Pikachu really needed to outwit Gary and Eevee.

"Alright Eevee, it's time to use Dig," Gary commanded.

This Eevee had to be full of tricks as he knew Dig. Eevee dug a hole and began to hide underground. Pikachu was now standing looking around trying to figure out where the Evolution Pokémon was.

"Pikachu try to listen to Eevee's movements," Ash called out.

Pikachu stood there trying to listen to where Eevee was. Eevee could be coming out anywhere and Pikachu needed to be ready. Eevee was still digging around and just when Pikachu felt a bit of a rumble, he jumped out of the way.

However, to his surprise, Eevee didn't come out and it was now silent underground. Pikachu was feeling a bit confused on what just happened.

"Pikachu?" Ash questioned.

Pikachu just stood there wondering what Eevee was up to. Was Eevee tired which was unlikely, or did Gary have something planned for Pikachu. Either way, Pikachu had to keep his guard up. After another fifteen seconds, no sound was being made and that's when Gary spoke.

"Shadow Ball," Gary muttered.

Pikachu then all of sudden felt the ground vibrate underneath him and them crumble as a black energy sphere came out from the ground and hit Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon was caught in the explosion which really weakened him. Ash was just standing in shock wondering how Gary did that?

"What just happened?" Ash questioned, "I had Pikachu listen to Eevee's movements underground, but that Shadow Ball caught him by surprise."

"Oh, I guess you didn't realize, Eevee was digging around but not to hit Pikachu, to surprise him. After digging around, he went through the tunnels he already dug so that way a sound wouldn't be made which made it the perfect time to hit Pikachu with Shadow Ball," Gary explained.

Ash couldn't believe it, despite always shooting him down, he was a pretty skilled Pokémon trainer. Pikachu was feeling weakened, but he was still standing. Gary looks like he was going to get this matchup though.

"Alright Eevee, use Double-Edge!" Gary called out.

Eevee was coming right at Pikachu with a powerful Double-Edge attack. Pikachu was trying to get his senses back, but it was too late as Eevee's attack hit Pikachu dead on. However, there was a slight spark that transferred to Eevee.

"And finish this off with Swift," Gary commanded.

Eevee was about to use Swift to finish Pikachu off, however Eevee felt a state of shock. Ash's eyes couldn't believe it, Eevee must have gotten paralyzed.

"What the," Gary uttered in a surprised tone.

Ash now could recall that Pikachu's special ability Static was behind this. Remembering how Eevee knew Refresh, Ash had to quickly take advantage of this. Pikachu was still focused and needed to capitalize on this opportunity quickly.

"Pikachu hurry, use Shock Wave!" Ash yelled out.

"Refresh!" Gary yelled out.

Eevee was about to use Refresh, but Pikachu beat Eevee to the punch with a Shock Wave attack that struck Eevee dead on. Eevee was down on the ground but struggling to get up due to the paralysis.

"Now use Iron Tail," Ash commanded.

Pikachu now had a smirk on his face as he came right at Eevee with Iron Tail smacking him dead on. Eevee was sent flying up into the air, and that's when Ash ordered the final blow.

"Electro Ball!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu then produced an electric sphere and fired it right at Eevee. The Evolution Pokémon watched in horror as Electro Ball was coming in like a comet. The attack exploded on impact and Eevee came falling down onto the ground completely knocked out.

"Eevee is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu!" Rotom Dex announced with a whole lot of enthusiasm as Eevee's picture turned gray.

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

" _Wow, it looked like Gary was going to beat him right there, but Pikachu's Static came to the rescue and the tide turned on Gary,"_ Serena thought as she was stating in her head what just happened.

Serena then put her finger under her eyelid and pushed it down while sticking out her tongue. Gary on the other hand got out Eevee's Pokeball so he could call him back.

"Great battle Eevee, you can take a break now," Gary said as he returned Eevee and then grinned at Ash, "Well Ashy boy, that matchup proved that I was better than you."

"No, it didn't, Pikachu beat Eevee," Ash ranted.

"Pika," Pikachu responded agreeing with Ash.

"Oh no it didn't, because that paralysis was a lucky accident. Eevee did lose a little energy to Double-Edge, but if Pikachu's Static wasn't activated or it didn't exist, then I the great Gary Oak would have won. My Eevee got the best of your Pikachu and proved to be the better Pokémon proving that I'm better than you," Gary explained while smirking at Ash.

" _Really Gary. It's true that if weren't for Pikachu's Static ability, the battle would've been a lot different. Still if Gary wanted to prove to be so great, he should've been able to use his head to figure out a way through that situation with Eevee,"_ Ash thought to himself.

Well Ash can agree on one thing, despite Gary being a complete asshole, he does show that he appreciates his Pokémon. Even though Gary is being arrogant, he does seem to show a bond with his Pokémon.

"Alright Gary, bring on your last Pokémon and if I beat it, I don't want to hear any excuses from you that can still make you feel like an Arceus," Ash muttered.

"I don't need to, because this last Pokémon is going to wipe the floor with you," Gary said as he gave the Pokeball a smooch, "And even if Charmeleon still wanted to battle, he would've been creamed by this Pokémon too."

"Gary Gary, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!" the cheerleaders cheered.

"Thank you, thank you," Gary said as he gave a bow, "And now I give you my strongest Pokémon who happens to be my starter, which unlike you Ashy boy I'm saving for last!"

Gary threw his Pokeball and coming out was none other than a Wartortle. Ash remembers seeing one from Tierno back in Celadon City, but never really got to witness that Pokémon's moves, unless it was dance moves.

Ash and Serena knew who that was. That was the Squirtle Gary picked as his starter Pokémon. Gary thinks his Charmeleon was Ash's starter, but it wasn't it was Frogadier whom he was going to be using after Pikachu. Ash did have the edge since Pikachu was an electric type, but he was greatly weakened from his battle against Eevee. Maybe Pikachu can weaken Wartortle before Frogadier comes in.

"Hey Pikachu, do you think you can give me a hand here with Wartortle?" Ash asked looking at Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu confirmed nodding his head.

Pikachu stood his ground as he stared at the Wartortle in front of him. Wartortle gave a smirk to the yellow rodent despite being an electric type.

"Alright Pikachu, let's use Shock Wave!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu's body was engulfed in electricity which he let out towards Wartortle.

"Wartortle use Withdraw!" Gary commanded.

Wartortle got into his shell as soon as Shock Wave came in. Wartortle was able to shield himself from the electricity.

"Now use Rapid Spin!" Gary called out.

Wartortle's shell began to spin around and was coming right at Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon stayed here he was waiting to dodge or counter.

"Pikachu use Iron Tail once Wartortle comes closer!" Ash called out.

Wartortle's spinning shell was coming in, however Pikachu's tail started to glow, and he batted Wartortle away with his Iron Tail as a baseball bat and Wartortle as a baseball. Wartortle was feeling shocked inside as he was sent flying into the air.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu sparked up his cheeks and unleashed a Thunderbolt right at Wartortle. The electricity got into his shell and Wartortle was feeling the shocking vibration inside. Ash was feeling good about himself until Gary yelled something out.

"Scald!" Gary shouted.

Wartortle opened his mouth and unleashed what appears to be water, but it almost looked like it was boiling. The hot water powered through the Thunderbolt and hit Pikachu in the face.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu screamed as the water burned him in the face.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"What just happened?" Serena frantically asked.

"Gary's Wartortle know Scald. It's a water attack that unleashes boiling hot water at the opponent, and even has a chance of burning the Pokémon," Rotom Dex explained.

Pikachu covered his face as he was almost crying to the fact that he was hit with such hot water.

"Come down with a Skull Bash!" Gary yelled out.

Wartortle was rocketing down at Pikachu headfirst. He was about to use Skull Bash and Pikachu wasn't aware of it or had time to get out. Ash had to face the facts that Pikachu was helpless as Wartortle smashed right into Pikachu knocking him down to the ground and then flipping backwards back onto his feet. Pikachu on the other hand didn't get up.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, the winner is Wartortle!" Rotom Dex announced but feeling a bit down as Pikachu's picture turned gray.

Ash walked up to his fallen comrade. He picked up Pikachu and smiled at him. Pikachu was able to do some damage to Gary's Wartortle which was enough for the Mouse Pokémon.

"You did great Pikachu, now it's time for you to take a nice rest," Ash told Pikachu as he walked over to Serena, "Here Serena, hold on to Pikachu."

"I will," Serena replied as she cradled Pikachu in her arms.

"Gary Gary he's the best, he will beat out all the rest," the cheerleaders cheered.

Gary was blowing kisses out after Wartortle took out Pikachu. Both trainers were down to their last Pokémon and Gary's body language looked like he was in an award show ready to give an acceptance speech.

"Well Ash, I win," Gary told Ash mockingly.

"It's three Pokémon, and I still have one Pokémon left," Ash argued.

"It's hopeless, especially since you already used your starter. He would love to battle, but he quit because he wants to fight more strong opponents and doesn't have time to help loser like you Ash Ketchum!" Gary declared as he was laughing.

"I told you Charmeleon wasn't my starter," Ash argued.

"I believe he was, since you had to wait longer for more Pokémon to get because me, my sister, and Leaf took all the Pokémon," Gary said.

"Gary, Ash caught that Charmander!" Serena argued, "You can ask Daisy since she was around when Ash caught it."

"Yeah Gary. You haven't seen my starter Pokémon yet, it's not even from this region," Ash told Gary.

Gary completely forgot because he was too caught up in his ego. His sister Daisy told him back before he challenged AJ's gym that Ash got a Kalos starter as his starter Pokémon for special circumstances.

"Well it doesn't matter, I'm still going to beat whatever you give me with my precious Wartortle," Gary said presenting the Wartortle in front of him.

"You might know your Pokémon well, but I can assure you that you won't know this Pokémon well," Ash declared as he gripped his special blue Pokeball, "Frogadier, I choose you!"

Ash threw his Pokeball and coming out was Frogadier. Gary was surprised when he saw this Pokémon. He clearly never seen this Pokémon in his life since it wasn't from Kanto. Gary took out his Pokedex only to discover it wasn't giving any data.

"No data on this Pokémon," Gary ranted.

"Don't worry, I got you covered," Rotom Dex told Gary as he shared the information on Frogadier to him.

"Yeah Gary, you were so caught up wanting to be great and mighty that you didn't get to stick around to watch me and Serena get our first Pokémon. My Pokémon was a Froakie and he evolved into Frogadier right here," Ash explained gesturing Gary to Frogadier.

Then right on que, Serena's red Pokeball opened up revealing her Braixen. Gary then turned around to see the Fox Pokémon standing next to Serena. She noticed Frogadier came out and wanted to watch his battle.

"And while we're introducing Ash's starter, say hello to my starter," Serena said as she showed off Braixen, "She started off as Fennekin and now she has evolved into Braixen."

Braixen raised her twig to send out a Flamethrower aimed at Gary's face. Gary ducked and avoided the attack which caused him to get mad.

"Hey watch it!" Gary yelled as he got up.

"Oh sorry, Braixen sensed an arrogant little boy and wanted to teach him a lesson," Serena mocked as she turned to Rotom Dex, "Go ahead and show Braixen's information to Gary."

Rotom Dex showed off Braixen's data to the arrogant Gary Oak. It then floated back to where it was to continue officiating the match.

"Well it doesn't matter what Pokémon you give me Ash, my Wartortle will crush that…that," Gary said as he stuttered.

"Frogadier," Ash muttered.

"Frogadier!" Gary declared.

Ash and Frogadier were ready to take on Gary and Wartortle. Ash has had it; he was getting sick of how Gary was treating him. This battle was the perfect chance to put him in his place. Frogadier always wants to give it his all for Ash, and Ash couldn't ask for that at a better time than now.

"Alright Frogadier, let's start things off with Bubble," Ash called out.

Frogadier opened his mouth and unleashed a flurry of bubbles right at Wartortle.

"Wartortle use Withdraw followed by Rapid Spin," Gary commanded.

Wartortle jumped into his shell and started spinning around to cancel out the bubbles that were coming towards him.

"Now spin your way right at Frogadier," Gary told Wartortle.

"Dodge it!" Ash retorted.

Wartortle came in at breakneck speed and Frogadier just barely jumped out of the way.

"Now follow that up with Acrobatics!" Ash yelled out.

Frogadier started to flip around and come crashing down into Wartortle. The Turtle Pokémon was still in place when Gary got Wartortle to make his next move.

"Get back into your shell and use Iron Defense," Gary told Wartortle.

Wartortle quickly got back into his shell and the shell started to show a silver shining. Frogadier came down with Acrobatics, but his hands were hurt after striking the shell which caused Frogadier to back up.

"Nice work with that Iron Defense Wartortle," Gary said smirking.

"Wartortle," Wartortle replied.

Serena was watching the match, and despise how much she can't stand Gary, she couldn't help but give some respect to his Wartortle. Wartortle has already proven how strong he is in front of her against Ash's Pikachu, and now his Frogadier. Serena couldn't help but think of her own Squirtle wondering that he would want to reach that level.

Ash on the other hand was getting frustrated as Gary found a way to have Wartortle's Iron Defense do damage to Frogadier. With that in mind, Frogadier got himself back in position.

"Okay Frogadier use Quick Attack," Ash told Frogadier.

Frogadier began to spring forward right at Wartortle who was going to brace himself for a Quick Attack, but Gary had other ideas.

"Use Bite," Gary told Wartortle.

Wartortle leaned in awaiting for Frogadier, and just when Frogadier was about to strike, Wartortle took a big chomp onto Frogadier's arm with his Bite attack. Frogadier cried in pain as he tried to break out of it.

"Hang in there Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" Ash called out.

It probably wouldn't do much damage, but Ash was thinking. Frogadier was able to fire off a Water Pulse sending Wartortle flying up in the air and landing on his back.

"Wartortle!" Wartortle cried.

"Wartortle!" Gary cried.

Ash was now feeling satisfied as Gary made a big mistake. Wartortle was now helpless as he was laying on his back. Ash was ready to finish the Turtle Pokémon off.

"Alright Frogadier, now that Wartortle is vulnerable use Smack Down," Ash told Frogadier.

Frogadier jumped up in the air and came crashing down at Wartortle with a Smack Down. Despite the helpless situation Wartortle seemed to be in, Gary knew that Wartortle could still fight, and that's when he surprised Ash.

"Wartortle use Ice Beam!" Gary retorted.

"Ice Beam?" Ash questioned in panic.

Wartortle opened his mouth and shot out an Ice Beam right at Frogadier. The Bubble Frog Pokémon's eyes widened in terror as he saw Ice Beam coming in. Ash and Frogadier didn't see that coming.

The attack hit Frogadier and he came crashing down onto the ground right near Wartortle. The impact was so violent that it shook the ground a little bit and flipped Wartortle onto his stomach which allowed him to get up.

"Frogadier," Ash muttered as he stood there in shock seeing Frogadier staying there like a popsicle.

"Okay Wartortle, use Skull Bash," Gary commanded.

Wartortle charged at the frozen Frogadier headfirst with a Skull Bash breaking the ice and sending Frogadier flying a couple of yards away. Frogadier was laying on the ground but wasn't knocked out yet as he got back up.

"Are you okay Frogadier?" Ash asked.

"Frogadier," Frogadier responded giving Ash a thumbs up.

Wartortle on the other hand stood there smirking at Frogadier. He couldn't believe that he ran right into a trap like that. Just when they thought victory was in their sights, it gets snatched away. However, things took a turn for the worse when Ash and Frogadier saw what was happening with Wartortle.

Wartortle began to glow white and got bigger. Gary was smirking at the situation while Serena was completely lost in words like Ash was. The Pokémon that took Wartortle's place was blue with a big red shell with cannons in his back. This clearly was Wartortle's final evolution.

"Well what do you know, because I'm so great, my Wartortle has evolved into Blastoise," Gary announced as he blew a kiss.

"Who's got the power, Gary does!" the cheerleaders cheered.

Ash couldn't believe it that Gary's Wartortle evolved into Blastoise. Meanwhile Rotom Dex changed the picture on its screen from a Wartortle to a Blastoise, and Serena then looked at Rotom Dex with a concerned look.

"Rotom Dex, could we get an analysis on this Pokémon," Serena requested.

"Most certainly," Rotom Dex answered as he did an analysis on Blastoise.

 _#009-Blastoise: Shellfish Pokémon_

 _Once it takes aim at its enemy, it blasts out water with even more force than a fire hose._

Things were now looking bad for Ash and Frogadier. It was at times like this where he wished Charmeleon could still partake in the battle and not be forced into a forfeit. This would've been a perfect challenge for Charmeleon.

"Hurry Frogadier use Ice Beam," Ash cried out.

Frogadier prepared to fire an Ice Beam at the Shellfish Pokémon. Gary just stood there with his arms crossed and smiled. He knew he had this battle now.

"I don't think so Ashy boy. You lose," Gary told Ash, "Blastoise use Hydro Pump."

Blastoise took aim at Frogadier and unleashed a massive shot of water that was more powerful than what comes out of a fire hose. The Hydro Pump just washed away Ice Beam but absorbed some of the effects and then hit Frogadier. Frogadier was screaming in pain not only by the force of the water, but also with how extremely cold the water was which was caused by his own doing using Ice Beam.

The Bubble Frog Pokémon was now laying down like he was roadkill. That Hydro Pump really packed a punch. Ash was about to hyper-ventilate as he saw Frogadier was completely knocked out cold, he knew that he just lost.

"Frogadier is unable to battle, the winner is Blastoise. Meaning the winner of this match is...sigh…Gary Oak," Rotom Dex announced as Frogadier's picture turned gray and then the image of Gary's picture enlarged with the word WINNER underneath.

"Gary Gary he's the best, he will beat out all the rest," the cheerleaders cheered.

Ash couldn't believe it, he just lost to Gary. He wanted to beat him so badly to show him that he wasn't a loser, and he ends up losing. When Wartortle evolved into Blastoise, that was pretty much the final straw. At the same time, the battle could have gone differently if he knew about Charmeleon. The only thing Ash was feeling was pity.

"Well done Blastoise, and congratulations on your evolution," Gary said praising Blastoise until he turned to Ash with buggy eyes and a huge smirk where his teeth were showing, "You see Ashy boy, am I great or what. I'm the greatest there's ever been, and you're a big loser!"

Gary just pointed and laughed at Ash along with the cheerleaders. This was just plain cruel bullying. Ash knew he was a great Pokémon trainer who had four Kanto badges, and not some hobby trainer. He was almost being reminded of Paul, only he didn't make fun of him.

"The only Frogadier lost is because Wartortle evolved during the battle! I could've won that battle!" Ash cried.

"And how would you have won that battle? You get a Wartortle, but you don't prepare for a potential Blastoise coming your way? No wonder you're stinking it up! And don't even get me started on that Charmeleon who quit on you because he didn't want to continue helping a loser!" Gary shouted while laughing.

Ash was heavily breathing, and it looked like he was about to cry. Serena saw the state Ash was in. He usually would check in on his Pokémon to know if they're alright after the match, but here he was ready to break down. It was Braixen who actually went over to inspect Frogadier. She knew Gary has given Ash a lot of grief back in Pallet Town, but he doesn't respect the progress he's made. He beat two of his Pokémon for crying out loud so that was something.

"Well I got to go and get my sixth badge, enjoy more of losing Ash Ketchum!" Gary shouted as he called back Blastoise and his cheerleaders went with him to his red convertible.

They were all heading for his convertible with the cheerleaders chanting his names. However, once they got to the door, they saw someone stand in the way. It was an angry Serena Gabena who's eyes looked hostile. The fact that he puts Ash down like that and gets away with it. She wasn't going to allow.

"IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO SHUT UP!" Serena screamed.

This caught Ash's attention, along with Rotom Dex who floated by Ash, and Pikachu who was waking up and joining Ash. Frogadier was waking up with the assistance of Braixen, and now they were looking over at Serena. What was she doing?

"Hey, I got to get moving Serena, you're in the way," Gary argued.

"No, you're going to listen to me Gary Oak! I'm sick of the way you treat Ash, and I'm sick of the way you treat all of us because of your arrogant prideful ego! You can't respect one bit of how far Ash has come in being a Pokémon trainer! If he was a loser, he wouldn't even be holding a single badge to his name! He's a great trainer because I've seen and so have his Pokémon, most notably Frogadier!" Serena ranted.

Ash felt a bit of pity that Serena was standing up for him against Gary as he couldn't do that himself, but he was also very grateful that he had a girlfriend who would have his back.

"You treated us horribly thinking you're an Arceus! I don't care if your dad is the champion of Kanto, or if your dad is a famous Pokémon professor, you attitude has only cause us to possibly hate you! I hope one day you lose a Pokémon battle so badly that you get a FUCKING reality check to see what kind of person you really are!" Serena screamed.

Gary was actually pretty startled by Serena's outburst. When he first met her, she was a shy girl who was afraid to speak to anyone, now here she was standing up for someone showing how far she's come from when she first moved to Pallet Town. The next words that came out of Gary's mouth surprised her.

"Don't ever talk to the great Gary Oak like that," Gary spat.

"Yeah!" the cheerleaders ranted.

Serena decided to just take a deep breath. There was no point in getting to Gary anymore. The only thing she could do was hope something happens that would give him a wake-up call in his life.

"Well, I'm outta here. Good luck to you," Gary muttered as he got into the convertible with his cheerleaders.

The red convertible sped up and droved off into the distance. Serena wasn't sure if she caused a friction between herself and Gary. He did have some respect for her, but she wasn't sure if she threw it out with that outburst. Serena then walked over to Ash who was now smiling.

"Serena, thanks for standing up for me like that," Ash complemented.

"You're welcome Ash. I wasn't going to let Gary talk down about you like that. It was just cruel," Serena told Ash.

Serena then embraced Ash in a hug to comfort him. Even though it didn't look like Serena's words got to Gary, Ash was grateful that she stood up for him like she attempted to do with their last meeting with Paul. Ash finally put the situation aside and saw Frogadier slowing getting back up thanks to the help of Braixen.

"It looks Frogadier is just fine," Rotom Dex said looking at him.

Braixen gave Frogadier a warm smile and Frogadier couldn't help but blush. He really did see Braixen as a great friend, but was she now becoming something even more. Ash walked over to check on Frogadier.

"Are you okay Frogadier?" Ash asked.

"Frogadier," Frogadier confirmed.

"Let me check on you," Ash told Frogadier.

Ash was feeling parts of Frogadier's body. Frogadier was a tough Pokémon, even though a Blastoise Hydro Pump. He was feeling a little sore, but Ash was thankful that he didn't react when he rubbed on his back. What was it with Frogadier's back lately? It has been like that since the nightmare.

"Well, nothing serious. But I say you get some rest at the Pokémon Center, and if we have time today, we can train for our upcoming gym battle," Ash told Frogadier, "And just to let you know Frogadier, you did a great job so don't feel bad about it."

True, Frogadier didn't feel great about losing to Gary's Blastoise, but the only thing he could do is move forward. He looked up at Braixen who gave him a warm smile and then she embraced him in a hug.

"I'm glad you're alright. I'll try to put this loss aside and focus on what's ahead, and one day I'll beat Gary in a Pokémon battle," Ash declared.

"You know what could make it better," Serena stated.

"What?" Ash questioned.

"If you beat him in the Pokémon League where it would hurt him the most," Serena told Ash.

Ash smiled at what Serena just said. True he didn't beat Gary today, but he could beat him in the Pokémon League where it truly matter. By that time, Ash would be much stronger, but Gary would be too. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done though.

"You're right Serena! I won't let this loss get to me. Gary has been pushing my buttons all my life, but one day I will get the better of him! Not today, but someday," Ash declared.

"I know you will Ash," Serena said as she then kissed Ash on the cheek.

Ash was going to prove to Gary that he is a great Pokémon trainer. Today's battle didn't prove it, to Gary's eyes at least, but he would show him that he's a great Pokémon trainer and maybe one day, Gary would come to respect him and maybe those longtime rivals could finally…be true friends. Ash knew that his first step in doing that was to beat Sabrina for the Marsh Badge, and then Serena would have her contest.

Ash and Serena returned their Pokémon as they made their way back to the Pokémon Center with Serena carrying Pikachu. Ash pulled out Charmeleon's Pokeball and looked at it while walking. Before he could train, he needed to understand something.

What was up with Charmeleon?

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Conference Room**_

With the Silph Company now under their control Giovanni called in some of the agents along with Cassidy and Butch and the executive Proton. He also had another man with him who looked like a scientist. He was bald on top but had light brown hair on the back along with a mustache. He wore a white lab coat with a black shirt with the red R on it, grey pants and black shoes.

The only ones who weren't present at the time were Petrel, Jessie, James, and Meowth. Speaking of the trio, Giovanni, Ariana, and the rest of the rockets (mostly Proton) did want them coming near the Silph Company at all due to the fact they will find a way to screw everything up.

Giovanni called everyone in for their first meeting since their successful purchase of the Silph Company. Giovanni was smoking a cigar before he was ready to speak. Now that they had the company under their control, it was time to put their plans into action.

"Thank you all for coming. As you may have known, the Silph Company is now ours and I would to thank everyone for their hard work in making this happen," Giovanni announced to everyone.

"Except for Jessie and James," Cassidy said out loud.

"Yeah, fuck them," Archer said where he then gave out a chuckle.

"Thank you for saying that Archer," Proton replied giving a smile towards his comrade.

Most of the rockets really love to enjoy the fact that they hate the trio because of their constant screw ups. Proton even found a way to blame them for the casino being shut down just by breathing in there.

"Yes, Jessie and James along with that Meowth are complete fuck ups, and tragically they're part of Team Rocket," Ariana announced, "And even though they fuck everything up leading us to a few setbacks, we do need to use them for something."

"Janitor duty?" Proton questioned.

There wasn't an answer. As of now Giovanni needed to move forward with their plan for their ultimate goal, world domination and taking control of the Silph Company was the first step.

"Alright, enough of this chit chat, let's get down to business," Giovanni announced.

Everybody was sitting in a seat of stand up with authority. Most of the high ranked rockets were in the seats such as the two bosses, the executives, Cassidy and Butch, and the scientist.

"Now, the reason we've taken control of the Silph Company is so we can further the progress in perfecting the Master Ball that this company has been working on for years. With the help of the Silph Company scientists and our scientists, we can accomplish the objective faster. When we do that, we will be able to make many Master Balls as we can," Giovanni announced.

"Yeah, Team Rocket is going to be flooded with Master Balls where we can catch every wild Pokémon in the world," one of the rockets said raising his fist.

"No, not like that. We will only capture the necessary Pokémon such as legendary Pokémon and mythical Pokémon since they possess so much power. However, there is one Pokémon that we clearly are after, this will be the Pokémon that will take Team Rocket into the direction of the dynasty that will last an eternity," Giovanni told everyone.

Everyone was listening in to what Giovanni was speaking about. He has been wanting to get this Pokémon for quite a while, and he even knows of its whereabouts.

"The Pokémon that I will use the Master Ball to capture is Mewtwo. The Pokémon cloned by Mew," Giovanni confirmed.

Almost all of the high-ranking rockets have heard of Team Rocket's desire of using Mew's clone Mewtwo. Mewtwo would be considered the most powerful Pokémon alive when Team Rocket gets their hands on it.

"Mewtwo?" one of the rockets questioned.

"Allow him to explain," Ariana told the rocket as she gestured to the scientist, "Professor Namba."

"Thank you," the scientist known as Professor Namba said.

Namba stood up and there was a white screen behind him. One of the rockets turned the lights off and Namba began to show a slide of what appears to be a small pink floating cat creature with a long slender tail.

"A long time ago, Giovanni came across a speck of saliva that belonged to a Pokémon. After further research, it was discovered that the Pokémon who obtained that saliva was none other than the mythical Pokémon Mew," Namba explained as he presented the slide, "Giovanni figured that if we could clone this Pokémon and put some advances into it, we could make a Pokémon more powerful than Mew."

Namba then shows another slide of what appears to be a creature in a green tube. This must be the clone they were talking about.

"For years, Team Rocket has been attempting to clone Mew, but they've always died in the process. However, it seems we may have finally gotten one clone to stay stable, and it isn't what we expected," Namba explained showing the slide, "The clone's power was much higher than we were expecting which means this Pokémon could even overpower it's original."

Namba then showed another slide of the creature, but much closer. It almost looked like a baby when they were developing for the miracle of birth.

"We've given a name to the clone of Mew, we called it, Mewtwo," Namba explained.

Namba then showed another slide which showed the readings of Mewtwo's lifeforce and power readings.

"As we've been noticing on Mewtwo's reading, its psychic powers are tended to surpass Mew by a tremendous landslide. In a couple of months if we can keep our lab at headquarters up and running, Mewtwo will be fully developed and awaken," Namba explained.

Namba then proceeded to the next slide which showed the blueprints for the Master Ball.

"And this is where the Silph Company comes in. They were working on the Master Ball for a number of years which will capture any Pokémon at a 100% rate. When we team up our scientists with the Silph Company scientists, we can perfect the Master Ball quicker and capture Mewtwo when it awakens," Namba explained.

Namba then concluded his slideshow and the rocket turned the lights back on. Professor Namba now wanted everyone to have their attention on Giovanni.

"Thank you Namba," Giovanni praised as he then turned towards his subordinates, "Professor Namba and our scientists have been working on the Mewtwo clone which is located in a secret lab within headquarters that no one except me, Ariana, Namba, our executives, and our scientists know how to gain access to. It's just in case the police ever found our headquarters."

Everyone had their attention kept on the boss rocket as he continued to speak.

"Since me and Ariana are the prime owners of the Silph Company, we will stay here and monitor the progression of the Master Ball as we will bring Pokémon here to test it on, or any other Pokémon that already inhabit this facility," Giovanni explained.

"Now for our assignments, Professor Namba is going to hop over between the Silph Company to check on the progress of the Master Ball, and headquarters to check on the progress with Mewtwo since we have scientists in both facilities," Ariana announced as she then turned to Cassidy and Butch, "Cassidy and Beavis."

"It's Butch not Beavis!" Butch yelled.

"Sorry, Cassidy and Butt-head," Ariana addressed.

"That's it I'm changing my name," Butch muttered.

Everyone looked around as they saw how Butch was feeling. He couldn't handle the fact that everyone kept forgetting his name. Ariana then went back to business.

"Anyway, in the northeast part of Kanto, there is a power plant that helps flow electricity to different parts of the region. The two of you have been assigned along with a group of men to take control of that power plant and control the flow of electricity where most of it will be directed towards the Silph Company and Team Rocket Headquarters so we can potentially help with the progress and not get any interruptions in the form of a power outage," Ariana addressed.

"Yes ma'am," Cassidy and Butch addressed giving a salute.

"Good, a chopper will be on the way to take you to that power plant," Ariana announced.

Ariana then turned to Proton as she was about to give him the assignment that Giovanni planned. Ariana wished she could try to think of somethings herself. After all it was her own thinking that helped Team Rocket succeed in buying the Silph Company.

"Proton, Mewtwo is considered to be a psychic-type Pokémon which is weak to ghost-type Pokémon. I need you to lead a unit into Lavender Town and collect many ghost-type Pokémon as you can. We can use the supply of excess Ultra Balls to help you increase your chances in catching them," Ariana addressed.

"Yes ma'am," Proton addressed

"And that leaves Archer and Petrel in keeping an eye at headquarters. I need you two to monitor our base and the progress on Mewtwo when Namba is absent so if anything goes wrong, most notably with those twenty something year old toddlers, you can contact us," Ariana addressed.

"Yes ma'am," both Archer and Petrel addressed while giving a salute.

It did add some despair that Ariana was not going to be spending much time with Archer during this operation, but once everything comes to fruition, they will get to work together more. Archer has seem to appreciate her more than her husband.

The meeting then concluded, and everyone left. Proton knew he would be in charge of the operation of obtaining ghost-type Pokémon. It was then he started to think about Jessie, James, and Meowth when they made fun of them. He knew that anything that those three did always led to destruction. Like Ariana said, they sadly were part of Team Rocket and for some reason they had admin titles. Proton thought of something, Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena were mortal enemies of Team Rocket and no one has seen them more than those three clowns.

Proton then got out his phone and made a call. One would think he would be calling the trio, but he actually was calling someone else.

"Hello?" a voice answered.

"Yeah, this is Proton of Team Rocket. I have to call you in for something," Proton answered.

* * *

 **So, Team Rocket is now beginning their operations with Mewtwo, and Professor Namba made his first appearance. He's the one who will be in charge of the Mewtwo project along with the Master Ball at the Silph Company.**

 **Just a warning, I'm going to do a different take on Mewtwo as it won't be playing out like Pokémon the First Movie.**

 **So yeah, Ash lost to Gary which I was planning on happening, and yes Eevee is already on Gary's team (which of course will evolve into Umbreon) and Wartortle evolved into Blastoise during the battle which probably felt like a fitting time for Gary's starter to evolve. I know Gary was an absolute jerk to Ash, but like later in the anime he does mature out of it.**

 **I'm also have a new poll up which is mainly an opinion poll. The question is which gym battle of Ash Ketchum has been your favorite so far? I'll even include the losses at Pewter Gym and Vermillion Gym.**

 **Stay tuned as our next chapter will feature, Ash's gym battle against Sabrina. How will that go? You'll find out.**

 **Don't forget to leave your reviews and vote in the poll, other than that, please await the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 36: Abra Kadabra**


	38. Abra Kadabra

**Apologies, I forgot to put the poll up when I finished the last chapter. It is up and you can go ahead and vote. Now here is the fated battle between Ash and Sabrina.**

* * *

 _ **Mysterious place**_

There was a little girl who was sitting on the lap of a shadowy figure. She had blue hair and wore a white hat with a red ribbon going around and a white dress while holding a white orb. The shadowy figure was sitting on what appeared to be a throne who looked almost like an older version of the girl. Her eyes started glowing red and then upon closer inspection, the woman tended to have blue eyes. She was a vision of Ash at the park apricating all his Pokémon for a great job with training.

"Time for us to play," the voice of the shadowy figure said which sounded cold.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

It has been a day since Ash had his battle against Gary and lost, and now he was ready to move forward. Today he was going to challenge the Saffron Gym in hopes of getting his fifth badge. Hearing from Trevor, Sabrina masters in psychic-type Pokémon and Ash already was thinking about his possibilities.

He definitely wasn't going to use Primeape. Despite him being an unbelievably strong Pokémon, Ash has just caught him and has very little experience with him, not to mention that he was a fighting-type too which put him at a severe disadvantage. Bulbasaur wasn't a good candidate either since he had a part poison-type which could put him in peril. Pidgeotto didn't have any type disadvantages, but her abilities haven't been shown for her yet to take on powerful psychic Pokémon if what was said about Sabrina was proven to be true.

His four best options were Frogadier, Pikachu, Scyther, and Charmeleon if he was willing to take part against any of Sabrina's Pokémon. Yesterday before Ash began getting some training in with his Pokémon, he had a talk with Charmeleon.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-Yesterday**_

 _ **Saffron City-Outside the Pokémon Center**_

 _Ash was standing outside in the back portion of the Pokémon Center with Rotom Dex. Ash remembered that during his battle with Gary, Charmeleon refused to battle his Eevee because it was considered not strong enough to challenge him. Ash wanted to call out his Charmeleon, but he didn't because he might have been clouded by the fact that he badly wanted to beat Gary._

 _Ash opened Charmeleon's Pokeball revealing the Flame Pokémon who gave a curious look towards Ash. Ash was looking at Charmeleon with concern as he still remembers when he backed out against Eevee. Before Ash wanted to train for his upcoming gym battle, he wanted to talk with Charmeleon._

" _Hey Charmeleon, I was just wondering what was up with you during the battle? I know you were having no problem wanting to go up against Growlithe, but why didn't you want to battle Eevee?" Ash asked._

 _Charmeleon looked down on the ground in pity. He truly did let his strength get in the way of helping Ash. Charmeleon knew Ash has saved his life, but he also needs to know that the pain of his past wanted him to not feel a shred of weakness, which is why he only prefers Pokémon at his level or higher._

 _Charmeleon began to speak to Ash about what was going through his mind, and that he now wanted to take serious pride in his own strength. He almost was like Frogadier wanting to be strong, but Frogadier took pride in working with Ash so he can achieve his goals and that Frogadier can bring closure for himself. Charmeleon on the other hand did it so he could be considered strong all the time and never feel weak, because his weakness led to his trainer leaving him out to die._

" _Charmeleon says that being weak was, got him into being tricked by Damien to be left on a rock to die. He knew that you were a kind loving person who was going to help him out and be great friends. However, he even though you helped him become stronger, the pain is still haunting him. Once he evolved, he felt that he gained a lot of power in where he felt he could now crush opponents which he was not fond of. Charmeleon feels the only way to truly gain strength and power is by beating Pokémon at his level, or even higher as it would help in feel a great sense of pride. Beating weak Pokémon would not make him feel satisfied," Rotom Dex explained solemnly._

 _Ash could recall what Charmeleon was saying. When Damien wanted to take Charmander back, he didn't take him back because he felt bad for what he did, he only wanted him back because he realized how strong he was. Ash was not a heartless person like him who just wanted strong Pokémon to win battles, he wanted a trainer who deserved him, and Ash was that person. Charmeleon didn't like what he did in the battle against Gary, but he knew that his sense of strength was important to him._

" _Charmeleon, I didn't understand that until now. Those dark times with Damien got the best of you, and you just want to do everything you can to put it aside," Ash said looking down at Charmeleon, "You might be a Pokémon, but you also are a living creature and like us humans, Pokémon also have to contain a sense of pride."_

 _Ash could feel a teardrop coming from his eyes. Charmeleon is representing the damage that comes from abuse, just like Frogadier and Braixen. Technically they weren't abused, they just had their families murdered before they were born, and they were near that scene._

" _I will respect your wishes Charmeleon. I'll only use you against a Pokémon that you might consider strong enough for you, but this doesn't mean you can back out of every battle when someone isn't at your liking," Ash explained._

 _Charmeleon had a serious look on his face wondering what Ash was meaning by that._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

What Ash was telling Charmeleon is that he would need to battle lesser opponents just once in a while not to win, but just so he doesn't feel rusty. Ash needed Charmeleon to think realistically and know that it could be a long time before another opponent like that comes to Charmeleon. The Flame Pokémon did agree on one thing, if there was ever a crisis, Charmeleon would push his needs aside and come to Ash's aid, for example if they were in a life-threating situation with Team Rocket. Charmeleon may only worthy opponents, but he will not put it in the expense where Ash is in danger.

Ash got some training in that day with all of his Pokémon to prepare for his gym battle. He knew Sabrina would be dangerously powerful, but he would still be cautious with what Pokémon he will use. Ash wasn't just going to throw Charmeleon in like that. Frogadier was ready to give Ash a hand if needed. After all he scored him a big victory in the Celadon Gym against Erika's Vileplume.

Serena on the other hand has been training with her Pokémon too, but the only one she seems to be looking at lately is Abra. She wanted to give him a chance in the contest, but it looks like he only can use the move Teleport, and not constantly. Rotom Dex even gave her a feature of moves Abra can learn, but the Psi Pokémon can't seem to learn anything. Rotom Dex told her that her best bet was to wait until he evolves and then they can get some training in. Much to her dispense, Serena wanted to give Abra a shot, maybe make something out of that Teleport, or better, he could learn a new attack that they can put some effort into.

Well she was going to watch Ash's gym battle against Sabrina, so maybe she could get some pointers from Sabrina on how she could help her Abra. Then again, they were hearing that Sabrina was pretty cold, so she wouldn't be getting any help from her at all. Ash was all set to go, so she wouldn't worry about that for now.

"Are you ready to get going?" Ash asked Serena who was sitting on a sofa looking at Abra's Pokeball.

"Oh yeah, I'm ready," Serena responded as she clipped Abra's Pokeball back onto her belt.

With that Ash and Serena left the Pokémon Center and made their way to the Saffron Gym. Little did they know, the mysterious woman at the unknown place was watching their movements knowing that they were coming to the Saffron Gym.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Saffron Gym**_

Ash looked up at the Saffron Gym. This would be the sight of his fifth badge. Was Sabrina considered to be a threating gym leader as some people claim she was? Well Gary and Paul have already cleared this gym, so Ash knew that if he wanted to catch up to them, he would need to beat Sabrina too.

"I'm confused, didn't Sabrina have a talking Alolan Meowth who would hang around with her in high school and a family who also had psychic powers like her mother?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Rotom Dex, I think you're thinking about an old TV sitcom," Serena answered.

"Oh, I see," Rotom Dex replied.

As they were looking at the gym, a man came jogging by with a small grey blackish beard. He wore a yellow hat, turquoise jacket, grey sweatpants, and black shoes. The man was jogging in place behind Ash and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex.

"So, I take it you're going to challenge Sabrina's gym?" the man questioned to which he drew their attention.

Ash and Serena turned around to see the man jogging in place. They were confused on who this man was. Probably was just another pedestrian or someone who has been a resident of Saffron City for such a long time.

"Um, yes I am," Ash confirmed.

"Unless you truly know that you're a powerful Pokémon trainer aiming to enter the Pokémon League, I suggest this is one gym you stay away from," the man warned.

"Stay away from this gym, but why?" Ash questioned.

There was no response as the man jogged away. Both of them were looking confused on what that man was doing. Why would he tell them to stay away from this gym? Was Sabrina truly that bad? Ash wasn't going to think about that for right now. He wanted to beat Sabrina and get his Marsh Badge. Serena on the other hand looked at Ash with a hint of worry.

"I'm just wondering, are you sure you're ready to face Sabrina?" Serena asked, "I mean can we maybe put it off until the day after my contest so you can have more time to get ready."

"I am ready Serena," Ash answered with a determined look, "I'm determined to get that next badge, and all of my Pokémon are ready.

Ash could tell Serena was feeling a bit worried. Did she really think this gym leader was going to be truly dangerous? Maybe that man got her a bit worked up and she started to fear for Ash and his Pokémon. She just hopes Ash didn't walk in and yank a win out of Sabrina. Serena was hoping Ash knew what he was doing.

"Don't worry Serena, I won't let my guard down, I promise," Ash reassured Serena.

Serena then smiled at her boyfriend. What was she thinking? She should be having high hopes for Ash and not always fear for the worst. While it could be bad, the only thing she can do is hope for the best.

* * *

 _ **Saffron Gym-Hallway**_

Ash and Serena were now in a big hallway inside the Saffron Gym. They probably wondered that this hallway would lead them to Sabrina. Ash they walked further down the hall they saw different doors leading into different rooms. Ash and Serena took a look through one of the doors and saw a group of people talking or doing something.

"A circle," one man said.

"A star," the other man answered getting the man to groan.

One woman was staring and focusing hard on a spoon until it bent. What on earth were these people doing?

"Wow, are these people waiting for ice cream? If they are, this is the weirdest waiting for ice cream in an ice cream social I've ever seen," said Rotom Dex.

"What are you kids doing here?" a voice asked.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex turned around to see a man wearing scientist like clothing. He had red hair tied into a ponytail and wore a white mask over his mouth.

"We've come to ask for a gym battle so I can get a Marsh Badge," Ash answered.

"You want to challenge the great Sabrina?" the man asked.

"Sure do," Ash answered.

"Excuse me, but what are all those people doing in that room?" Serena asked pointing to the door they just looked through.

"Hmph, you know so little, yet you wish to challenge the great Sabrina," the man said with a hint of disgust in his voice and then let out a chuckle.

The man then pulled out a spoon. Ash and Serena stood there and watch the man concentrate on the spoon as he held it out. What was this guy trying to do? Well they saw one woman bend a spoon with her mind so maybe he was doing the same. The man was grunting, and his face was turning red along with the fact he was sweating. Then there was a slight bend to the spoon.

The man was panting after he managed to bend the spoon ever so slightly. What was the purpose of that?

"Is something wrong, it looks like you got a headache," Ash responded.

"Fool, it's telekinesis," the man answered, "You can't control a psychic-type Pokémon without using telekinetic powers."

What was this man talking about saying they can't control psychic-type Pokémon without telekinesis? Serena has a Braixen who is capable of using psychic attacks, granted it's not a psychic-type. Then there was her Abra, but it seems he can only use Teleport, could that be a concern?

"Hmmm, that's what you think," Ash said as he walked over to the man and grabbed the spoon from him, "Telekinesis is okay, but I have my own secret method for bending spoons."

Ash then gripped the spoon tightly and began to his hand strength to bend it. The spoon was then bent into a ninety-degree angle and Ash gave out a laugh.

"Muscle over mind," Ash declared.

"Wow, great," Serena muttered feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"It's okay Serena, you have a strong boyfriend," Rotom Dex assured Serena, "But I don't think he can eat cereal if he can do that."

"Pikachu," Pikachu muttered feeling embarrassed and scratching his head.

"Now hurry up and take us to Sabrina so we can start the match," Ash told the man.

"Hmph, as you wish," the man responded.

They all decided to put that aside and make their way towards Sabrina.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

The man took him further down the hall until they came to a set of double doors with were purple with Pokeball symbols on each door. The man opened the double doors, and everyone walked inside.

"Here we are," the man said.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all gasped when they saw the regular looking battlefield. There were dark gold walls with purple columns on the side, and two torches that were well lit, but it seems on the other side there may be some sort of figure there. The place looks more like a temple than a Pokémon gym. The man went to the other side and knelt down.

"Oh, great Sabrina, these strangers have come who wish to challenge you," the man reported to what might be the strange figure, "Though I don't know why you'd waste your time on this group of losers."

Ash just ignored the fact that he called them a group of losers, as he didn't need to lose his cool like he did with Gary. Speaking of Gary, he wondered if that was the case when he came to challenge Sabrina, or Paul. Probably likely would've said that to Trevor and Tierno along with Shauna.

Then the figure revealed something, it was a little girl in a white dress wearing a white hat. Ash and Serena were looking pretty shocked to see the little girl on the other side. Was this the gym leader that was told to be so strong and dangerous?

The girl then looked up, but she had glowing red eyes. The man was then caught in a blue aura causing the man to be effected by what was engulfing him.

"Forgive me great one, it's not my place to decide whom you battle!" the man cried as he ran out of the room.

Everyone was completely shocked at what they just saw. Did that little girl really just do that to him? Also, was that girl Sabrina?

"Are you Sabrina?" Ash asked.

The little girl was giggling. Why was she giggling? Did she think this was fun?

"Sabrina, I demand an official match to compete for the Marsh Badge," Ash called out.

The girl then nodded her head and gave a response.

"I'd like to have a match," the little girl said.

"Well that was easy," Ash said as he turned to Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex.

"But if you lose…you have to be my friends and let me play with you," the little girl told the group.

Be their friends? Was this girl lonely or something? Well this little girl was strange, and Ash didn't want this to drag out.

"Ah, be your friends? Hah, okay you bet!" Ash declared giving a V sign and then turning over towards his girlfriend, floating Pokedex, and Pikachu who were looking completely frightened now, "You all just have to have faith in me. I will take this battle seriously even though she's some little girl with psychic powers."

"Of course, I'll have faith in you Ash," said Serena with a hint of worry, "I'm just worried what might happen."

"Just remember Ash, don't judge a book by its cover. This battle may be much more intense than you imagine so don't let your guard down," Rotom Dex reassured Ash.

"I won't," Ash confirmed.

Ash then noticed that there the gate was rising, and the lights turned on. The girl who was sitting on someone's lap holding a Pokeball. It looked like a teenage girl wearing a red shirt, white leggings, and black boots and she had black hair along with blue eyes. She had a cold look in her eyes as she was about ready to kill someone.

"So now…time for us to play," the teenage girl said.

Everyone gasped as the doors closed right behind them almost like they were going to be trapped. She narrowed her eyes at the group and looked directly at Ash. It was clear he was going to be the challenger.

"So, I take it you must be the gym leader Sabrina," Ash nervously responded.

The teenage then levitated out of her seat while holding the little girl. She then floated onto her position on the battlefield as the lights turned on. She didn't even give a response yet if she was Sabrina.

"One on one, an all-out match!" the girl responded, "Agreed?"

"Agreed," Ash answered.

Well that rule set confirms it she was indeed Sabrina. So, Ash was only going to need to beat one of her Pokémon to get the Marsh Badge. Man, they say that she was a dangerous gym leader, but maybe that was because she might have used multiple Pokémon against them. Still, it did not give Ash the luxury to get laid back.

"So, Ash just has to beat one Pokémon and that's it," Rotom Dex said happily.

"Yeah, but he can only use one," Serena told Rotom Dex, "And the question is, what Pokémon is she going to use and what can it do?"

Ash needed to figure out which Pokémon he was going to use. Ash needed to see what Sabrina was going to bring out before he could consider Charmeleon an option. Ash figured if the Pokémon wouldn't be a suitable opponent, he would go right to another Pokémon.

"So, aren't you going to send out your Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"No, you will send your Pokémon out first," Sabrina said in a cold tone, "Choose your Pokémon now or forfeit."

Well this was a complete bummer for Ash. That officially threw having Charmeleon battle out of the question. Ash didn't want to chance it, if he sent out Charmeleon and Sabrina's Pokémon somehow wasn't a suitable opponent, Charmeleon would refuse to battle and Ash would lose the match. True, maybe all of Sabrina's Pokémon were terrifying powerful, but Ash wasn't going to chance it.

He could throw Pikachu in there, but he was worried that maybe his small size would make him more prone to severe damage from psychic attacks that could result in broken bones if Sabrina was the person they thought she was. Scyther was a good option since he was a bug-type and the fact that he had the ability Swarm which would raise his bug-type attacks in a pinch if he was getting weakened, but right now he only had one bug-type in Fury Cutter and Ash wasn't sure if that would be enough along with his other moves. So, Ash made his decision, he was going to give the battle to Frogadier since he was Ash's strongest and most well-trained Pokémon.

"Frogadier I choose you!" Ash called out releasing Frogadier.

Frogadier emerged from his Pokeball and saw the gym leader Sabrina right in front of her. He was ready to take on Sabrina's Pokémon.

"Frogadier, this is going to be a single Pokémon match and I'm giving to you," Ash told Frogadier, "So you just need to beat one of Sabrina's Pokémon and we're done."

"Frogadier," Frogadier responded as he gave a thumbs up.

Then right on que, Serena's Pokeball opened up revealing Braixen. Serena smiled at Braixen since she knew Frogadier was going to be the Pokémon for this match, so of course she wanted to see Frogadier give Sabrina's Pokémon a mind mashing. Sabrina on the other hand noticed the Braixen and she gave a dangerous look towards Serena and Braixen.

"Return your Pokémon immediately," Sabrina threateningly told her.

"But she just wanted to watch Frogadier," Serena told Sabrina.

"I said return your Pokémon immediately," Sabrina told her once again as he eyes started to glow blue.

Serena and Braixen were starting to get frightened by this girl. Serena knew what that man must've gone through when Sabrina used her telekinesis, so she didn't want to deal with that or worse. Serena hastily grabbed her Pokeball and returned the Fox Pokémon. Frogadier looked to the side and started to give a sigh. So Braixen wasn't going to be watching.

"It's okay Frogadier. I know Braixen has to go back in the ball, but I can guarantee you she will be cheering you on from inside," Ash said reassuring Frogadier.

Frogadier heard Ash out. He needed to focus on the match and having Braixen out watching was just an added luxury. Today he would have to do without it. Besides, they probably didn't want a repeat of the Vermillion Gym. Now with that out of the way, the battle can now begin. The little girl let go of the Pokeball and it levitated in the air.

"Come out Abra," Sabrina said in a monotone voice.

The Pokeball zipped over to the battlefield and opened revealing an Abra. Ash was completely surprised to see that her one lone Pokémon was going to be an Abra.

"Abra," Abra muttered.

"So, she has an Abra too," Serena muttered as he pulled out Abra's Pokeball and stared at it, "I wish I could have a Pokémon out to watch the match, because I know Abra could learn a thing or two."

Serena knew her Abra only knew Teleport, and maybe that was the case for Sabrina's Abra. Then again, this was a gym leader who probably had this Abra longer than Serena had hers meaning Sabrina could've properly trained it, so this Abra could be full of surprises. Ash was lucky not to use Charmeleon as he would probably refuse to battle, especially since he knew about Serena's Abra who could only use Teleport.

"Alright Frogadier, we got a good edge since this is a Pokémon we know," Ash told Frogadier, "But that doesn't mean we can go easy."

"Frog," Frogadier responded.

Frogadier walked up to the Abra who appeared to be sleeping. There had to be some sort of trick. Whatever was the case, the Bubble Frog Pokémon had to be ready.

"Okay Frogadier, let's start this off with Water Pulse," Ash commanded.

Frogadier obeyed the command and unleashed a massive wave of water right at Abra. As the water was coming in, Sabrina called out a command.

"Teleport," Sabrina told Abra.

With that, Abra teleported away from the Water Pulse attack and onto another portion of the gym. Well, Ash knew that a direct attack was not going to do the trick, that's for sure. Ash would need to think through the elements of surprise.

"Okay Frogadier use Double Team!" Ash called out.

Frogadier began to make copies of himself all across the battlefield surrounding Abra. The Psi Pokémon was still sitting down sleeping, despite just using Teleport earlier.

"Now use Water Pulse again!" Ash called out.

Frogadier and all of the copies began to unleash a Water Pulse attack right at Abra, even though only one of them was going to be real.

"Teleport," Sabrina told Abra.

Just as Ash suspected, Abra used Teleport again to evade the attack. Just when Abra began to Teleport, Ash called out to Frogadier.

"Use Smokescreen!" Ash retorted.

Frogadier began to unleash smoke all across the battlefield. The Bubble Frog Pokémon got a good look at Abra who probably couldn't see anything since she teleported into the smoke. This was the perfect chance for Frogadier to strike.

"Lick!" Ash called out.

Frogadier opened his mouth and whipped his tongue out on Abra and struck it. Abra then felt Frogadier's tongue, Abra was starting to feel paralyzed. The smoke cleared and Abra was now feeling pain and Ash and Frogadier couldn't help but smile.

"Way to go Frogadier!" Ash cheered.

"Frogadier," Frogadier responded.

Little did Frogadier know, he had a paralysis effect somehow come to him too. Frogadier didn't notice yet, and neither did Ash or anyone else. However, Ash was completely surprised to hear what came out of Sabrina's mouth after that strategy by Ash.

"Use Rest," Sabrina muttered.

They were all completely shocked to hear that. Abra knew the move Rest? Abra was starting to fall asleep and whatever she felt from Frogadier was long gone. Ash and Serena were in utter shock when they saw that.

"Abra…knows…Rest?" Serena questioned as she was shocked.

Serena couldn't believe it, she saw Abra be able to use another move other than Teleport. If Abra was able to do that, then Serena knew her Abra would be capable of doing other things too. Now that got her really thinking about wanting to use Abra in a contest, but now was not the time to think about that.

Ash then realized something, since Abra was asleep, she actually would be completely vulnerable. This would be the perfect time for Frogadier to get some blows in. After all, Abra has healed from Frogadier's Lick.

"Frogadier hurry, use Quick Attack!" Ash called out.

Frogadier was about to spring forward for a Quick Attack when suddenly he felt numb. Everyone in the group gasped except for Sabrina and the little girl. Frogadier should've been in the driver's seat and now it looked like he was paralyzed.

"Frogadier!" Ash cried.

"You would've had your Pokémon use a different attack if you knew about Abra's ability," Sabrina muttered.

"Abra's ability?" Ash questioned.

Ash was unsure of Abra's ability. Rotom Dex's circuits were heating up. Ash was studying his Pokémon along with Serena's Pokémon, and Serena had an Abra who had that same ability. Rotom Dex knew that Ash just made poor judgement right there.

"Synchronize Ash! Abra's ability is Synchronize! If Abra feels a status element, it will pass on to the opposing Pokémon which means Frogadier gained Abra's paralysis!" Rotom Dex called out explaining what just happened.

Ash completely grimaced and breathed heavily through his nose. How could he have forgotten about Abra's Synchronize? He knew Serena's Abra also carries that ability. Ash was so stupid knowing that Lick was a ghost-type move that could paralyze an opponent and do more damage on a psychic-type Pokémon, he didn't know about the effects of Synchronize. Ash put himself in a complete bind right there as this could be a fatal mistake. He should've turned to a move like Quick Attack or Acrobatics.

"I just hope Ash can think of something," Serena said as she clasped her hands.

"Pikachu," Pikachu muttered.

Then to his horror, Abra was finished resting and she woke up. Frogadier was in trouble as not only was he feeling paralysis, but Abra wasn't going to fall for that again. Abra then teleported over in front of Frogadier.

"Childish fools," Sabrina muttered.

Sabrina then engulfed herself in a blue glow which took effect on Abra. Then right before their eyes, Abra began to glow white and evolved. The Pokémon that took Abra's place was a gold creature who was bigger. She had big pointy ears, a red star on her forehead, long whiskers, had a brown upper body looking like she was wearing armor, a giant slug looking tail, red wave marks on her lower body, and she was holding a spoon.

"Kadabra," the new Pokémon responded.

"What's that!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's got to be Abra's evolved form." Rotom Dex said as it was completely petrified, "Let me do an analysis."

 _#064-Kadabra: Psi Pokémon_

 _Many odd things happen if this Pokémon is close by. For example, it makes clocks run backward._

Frogadier was looking like a wreck when he saw the newly evolved Kadabra. She was so menacing and threatening, nothing like an Abra. Serena couldn't help but look at the Kadabra in front of her. She couldn't believe it, that's what her Abra would evolve into.

"Be careful Frogadier!" Ash called out.

Frogadier was going to do what he could do to fight off the paralysis and beat this Kadabra. He had to realize that this would just be another obstacle.

"Try using Quick Attack again," Ash told Frogadier.

"Disable," Sabrina muttered.

Frogadier was going to fight through the paralysis with a Quick Attack, however Kadabra's eyes glowed blue and Frogadier was stuck in place making him unable to use that attack.

"Psybeam," Sabrina said in a monotone voice.

Kadabra unleashed a Psybeam right at Frogadier as he was unable to get out of the way. Frogadier screamed in pain while he was being hit by Psybeam, and deep down he didn't want to admit it, but this blew Braixen's Psybeam out by a long shot.

"Fight back with Water Pulse!" Ash yelled out.

Frogadier gathered enough strength to unleash a Water Pulse. When Frogadier sent his Water Pulse out, it was enough for Kadabra to stop using Psybeam, but Sabrina had other methods.

"Use Light Screen," Sabrina muttered.

Kadabra quickly brought out a clear barrier to cancel out Frogadier's Water Pulse. Ash was gritting his teeth as he needed to think of something quick. But right now, Ash didn't have a clear head.

"Frogadier use Ice Beam!" Ash cried.

Frogadier hurried and launched an Ice Beam. That wasn't a good idea as Ash now completely forgot again about Kadabra's Synchronize. Kadabra looked like she was going to take the hit until.

"Confusion," Sabrina muttered.

Kadabra's eyes glowed blue and she used Confusion to redirect Frogadier's Ice Beam right back at Frogadier.

"Frogadier hurry, dodge it!" Ash retorted.

But it was too late. Frogadier's own Ice Beam hit Frogadier and the Bubble Frog Pokémon was now frozen solid.

"This is bad," Serena said as she was taking shallow breaths.

"I know Serena, I hate to say this. But Frogadier isn't going to stand a chance," Rotom Dex muttered as its screen showed a nervous face.

"Psychic," Sabrina said in a monotone voice.

Kadabra unleashed a round of psychic waves right at the frozen Frogadier. Frogadier was sent flying to the wall and the ice shattered on impact. Frogadier then started to grimace as he was greatly weakened.

"Hurry Frogadier, get out of there!" Ash called out to Frogadier.

"Now use Confusion," Sabrina told Kadabra.

Once again, Kadabra's eyes glowed blue with Sabrina engulfed in a blue aura. Kadabra was now taking control of Frogadier's body getting him to move his arms back and forth, and then tangle him up into an awkward position. After that Kadabra unraveled Frogadier back to his normal self where he got on his knees. Frogadier was trembling as Kadabra was taking complete control. Serena was starting to get tears in her eyes as she couldn't bear to watch Frogadier like that.

"Ash, call the match!" Serena cried.

Ash heard Serena call him out. The situation seemed hopeless for Ash. However, Kadabra wasn't done as he now started to use Confusion again to slam Frogadier up into the ceiling. Then Kadabra used his attack to bring him back down on hard impact. Kadabra then repeated the process.

"Serena is right Ash! I don't think Sabrina wants to beat your Frogadier, it looks more like she wants to kill it! You have to call the match before something serious happens to Frogadier!" Rotom Dex cried, "My circuits can't bear to gather data on something like this!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried.

Ash was hearing everybody's plea to have him stop the match. As Ash continued to watch Kadabra slam Frogadier from the ceiling to the floor, he could notice that Frogadier wasn't budging out of Kadabra's Confusion attack. That had to be one powerful psychic Pokémon putting Frogadier in a bind like that. No one could bear to watch this horror anymore, neither could Ash. The only good thing about this was Braixen was not out to witness this. Little did the group know, Serena's red Pokeball was starting to show signs of small wiggles.

Ash gritted his teeth and hated to admit it, but the situation has now become completely hopeless. Ash had two choices, stop the match or possibly keep going and have Frogadier killed. The second option clearly would give him a horrible reputation as a Pokémon trainer and could severely damage the relationship he has with Frogadier. Ash hated to do this, but he had no choice.

"I FORFEIT!" Ash shouted, "Now please stop this!"

Sabrina heard Ash yell that he wanted to forfeit. With that, Kadabra finally halted his attack and Frogadier fell onto the ground landing on his stomach. Frogadier was shaken up as it almost looked like he might have serious damage.

Ash ran up to Frogadier to check on him. Frogadier was covered in bruises and he wasn't moving, but he was groaning which was a good sign. Serena and Pikachu ran up to Ash and Rotom Dex floated towards the group.

"Frogadier, are you okay?" Ash asked with a pale face.

"Frog…" Frogadier groaned.

Frogadier hated to admit it, but that was the nastiest beating he's ever taken. At the same time, Frogadier wished he could've kept going, but he needed to understand he has limits which was something he learned when taking on a flock of Spearow. Ash couldn't bear to look at the state Frogadier was in. Ash hoped it wasn't serious.

"Alright Frogadier, I'll get you to the Pokémon Center," Ash told Frogadier as he immediately returned Frogadier.

"Be my friend, you promised that I can play with you," the little girl said.

Oh crap, they completely forgot about that. Now the trip to the Pokémon Center was going to be delayed as they had to play with this girl. There wasn't going to be any arguing because the little girl's eyes were glowing red. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Rotom Dex were all engulfed in a blue aura and then teleported away. Looks like they didn't have a choice.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location**_

The group was now teleported to what looked like a small town. What this one of the Saffron City suburbs? It couldn't be, the houses looked too plain, and possibly too small.

"Now where are we?" Ash asked.

"It appears we've been teleported," Rotom Dex answered as he used its GPS to locate where they were, "Um guys, I think we're still in the Saffron Gym, because that's what my map says."

"I don't know where we are, but this place is empty," Serena said as she was looking around.

Come to think of it, there wasn't a single person there. It's like they were in a ghost town, but the scenery looked nice. Maybe it was just recently abandoned.

" _I wonder if Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna went through an experience like this?"_ Serena thought to herself.

"I'll take a look around," Ash said as he ran off.

"We'll come with you," Serena called out as she ran after Ash.

The group prayed that their stay her would be short as they did need to get to the Pokémon Center quickly. Who knows how long Frogadier can handle what pain he is going through in his Pokeball? At least he was safe in there.

"Is anybody home?" Ash asked out loud as he entered a house, "Please, can someone help us."

The group looked around and could understand that it was a nice house, but it seemed to have little furniture. Then Ash and Serena looked at what was set on the table. There were teacups, a tea set, and plates with a piece of cake on them.

"Wow, that cake looks delicious," Rotom Dex said.

"You don't have an actual mouth Rotom Dex," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Hey, it never hurts to think," Rotom Dex ranted.

"Well, Sabrina wanted to play with us, so I guess we're going to have lunch first," Ash said, "But I wonder where she is."

Ash then left the living room with Pikachu following him. Serena then decided to take a piece of cake as it did look delicious with the strawberry on top.

"Guess it's rude not to wait for her, but I can't resist," Serena said looking at the cake, "I think this is angel cake."

Serena then took a bite at the piece of cake only to feel plastic. Serena's nerves activated in her mouth as she screamed and pulled the plastic cake out of her mouth. Serena then turned to Rotom Dex and glared at it.

"Rotom Dex, why didn't you analyze that the cake was fake!?" Serena yelled.

"I do data on collecting Pokémon, making sure you don't get lost, and throw in a potential Roto Lotto if needed," Rotom Dex answered as if it were acting professional, "There is nothing on the list saying I have to know what's food."

Ash and Pikachu walked into the bathroom to see a woman in the bathtub. It wasn't polite to take a bath without closing the door. Ash was startled as he backed out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ash stuttered as he backed away, "I didn't think anybody was home and I…"

However, Pikachu noticed that there was something about the woman that didn't seem right. He tugged Ash's pantleg so he could go in. However, Ash didn't need to go in as it appears Pikachu was pointing to a mirror. Ash took a closer look in the mirror to see that it was the woman in the bathtub only to learn it was actually a doll. The doll then turned around which creeped Ash out.

"That thing is a doll!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash, I finally can put my circuits on it!" Rotom Dex yelled as it and Serena joined Ash and Pikachu, "I can now confirm were inside a doll house."

"This is a doll house!" Ash cried.

"Everything here is made of plastic," Serena frantically said as she then toned it down and looked over back at the table, "Including the food."

So, this did it, they were inside a doll house. When Ash thought they had to be their friends and play with her, they didn't think it would be like this. Then the next thing that caught their attention was a shaking. It turns out the roof was being pulled off the house and the little girl that they saw was now gigantic and so was Sabrina. The little girl was giggling, and Sabrina was still giving that death glare towards the group. Wow, Sabrina was already scary when they first met her, now she's even more terrifying than ever.

"Now I can play with all of you," the little girl said.

"Wow, she's pretty tall for a little girl," Ash said.

"Actually, I think we were the ones who got smaller," Serena said.

"HONEY, SABRINA SHRUNK THE TRAINERS!" Rotom Dex screamed.

The little girl continued to giggle, and Sabrina still was giving that stare. Sabrina then brought her hand out and tried to crush the group with it.

"Run for it!" Ash yelled.

The group got away as Sabrina then tried to crush them in the form of a fist. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all got out of the house safely. This was bad, first she has her Kadabra hurt Frogadier, then Sabrina shrinks them into a doll house, now Sabrina is trying to kill them. They all hoped they could get out in one piece and get Frogadier medical attention soon.

"How can we get away from her?" Rotom Dex asked.

"The houses, the streets, they're all her toys!" Serena exclaimed as she continued running.

"That means…that means that were trapped inside her toybox!" Ash exclaimed as he continued running.

"Sabrina must have shrunk all of us with her telekinesis!" Rotom Dex cried.

"So, when she said she wanted to play with us, she really meant it," Ash said.

The little girl was giggling as she watched them run. Her eyes now showed baby doll looking blue eyes. Sabrina on the other hand was just watching them with her cold stare. Then to their luck, Ash, Serena, Rotom Dex, and Misty hit a dead end when they see a picture.

The picture consisted of a woman with brown hair and bangs wearing a yellow dress and blue necklace, a man with neatly combed black hair wearing a blue suit and red tie, and they were holding a little girl who looked almost exactly like the little girl Sabrina was holding. Was there some sort of connection? Wait, now was not the time to think about that.

As they turned around, they could see the little girl walking up to them dribbling the white ball she was holding. That giggling was still going on.

"She's coming this way!" Serena cried.

"Uh-oh, we're going to have a ball," Rotom Dex said.

The girl continued dribbling the ball and when the group saw that little girl, they could tell that those eyes were creeping them out. She then held the ball.

"I want to play catch," the little girl said.

She then tossed the ball across like it was some sort of bowling ball. This was just great, a giant ball was coming their way and Ash, Serena, Rotom Dex, and Pikachu were going to serve as the bowling pins. This was it they were going to get crushed.

"We're all going to get squashed!" Ash cried.

So, this was it, they were going to die in the hands of a cold-hearted gym leader and her little girl. Ash and Serena could feel their lives flashing before their eyes. The moment they were born, to their early childhood, to the day they met at summer camp and watching Froakie and Fennekin hatch, the times they spent together, the beginning of their journey, and the moment they became a couple. Their lives were about to end, but they could be glad that they we're together for this. Together to the end. The only thing they can do now is hope for a miracle.

Then suddenly someone appears in front of the group. Wait a minute, they saw this man before. This was the man they saw before the group entered the Saffron Gym who warned them about Sabrina.

"Huh," everyone said.

"Listen, everyone rely your minds on me," the man said as he then shouted, "Teleportation!"

The ball was coming closer, but then the man's eyes started to glow red. No one noticed it, but then the next thing that happened was that everyone teleported away, and the ball ended up bouncing off the picture and rolling back to the girl.

"That was fun, let's play again sometime," the little girl said.

The girl once again giggled as she probably didn't even notice that they all disappeared. Sabrina on the other hand looked down at the toybox still with that cold look on her face, however somewhere deep within those eyes, there was some curiosity.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City**_

The man finished the teleporting process and Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex ended up back in Saffron City and away from Sabrina's Gym. The group was actually surprised that they ended up back here. It was that man! Who was he? It looked like he had telekinetic powers too.

"We're back outside," Serena said as she looked around.

"Thank you," Ash said to the man.

The mysterious man looked at the group who was completely surprised that he just saved their lives. At first they thought he was just some person going on an afternoon jog, but this man might be more than an ordinary man.

"I will speak with all of you at the Pokémon Center," the man sighed as he looked at Ash's Pokeball, "I would talk to you now, but don't you need to get your Pokémon looked at."

Ash gasped as he heard what the man just said. How did he know about Frogadier? Well it didn't matter, because Ash's first order of business was to get Frogadier medical attention immediately. Kadabra really did a number on Frogadier.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Ash was grateful to get to the Pokémon Center in time. Once he gave Nurse Joy Frogadier, she immediately called for a stretcher declaring Frogadier to be in critical condition. The Chansey came out and placed Frogadier on the stretcher and hurried him to the ER. Ash had tears coming out of his eyes, and if it weren't for Sabrina's playdate, they could've been here a lot sooner. He was hoping Frogadier didn't suffer anything serious.

Ash was looking back at how Frogadier was just destroyed, and the one thing that began the downward spiral was not knowing about Abra's (now Kadabra) Synchronize ability. If he remembered that, than Ash would've told Frogadier to use a different attack to surprise Abra. Then things got worse starting with Abra evolving into Kadabra, Kadabra flipping Frogadier's Ice Beam around towards him, and then Kadabra just toyed with Frogadier.

Ash was just sitting there heavily breathing with tears in his eyes. Serena sat next to him to comfort Ash with a warm hug. Serena wasn't going to let Braixen out yet to see Frogadier, but she is worried that if something serious happened to him, Braixen would give Ash the biggest Flamethrower of his life. On the other hand, while Serena was worried for Frogadier, she also couldn't help but think of Kadabra and how powerful her psychic powers were. Though she was scared, she was also amazed that Abra would evolve into that.

" _If my Abra can evolve, who knows what he can do,"_ Serena thought to herself as she then looked at Ash, "Ash, can you say something?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu said in a worried tone.

Ash couldn't help but think about Frogadier and Sabrina. Frogadier was in horrible shape and maybe Kadabra may have inflicted life-threating injuries, and Sabrina, why was she so cold? She not only came close to killing Frogadier, but then she attempted to kill him and his girlfriend in the process.

"So, how's Frogadier doing?" a voice asked.

Ash wiped his tears and looked up to see it was that man again. If Ash could recall, he wanted to speak to them at the Pokémon Center. He was going to talk to Ash immediately once he saved them, but he knew Frogadier was in pain.

"I don't know. Nurse Joy will give us the details once she's done," Ash muttered.

The man just sighed when he heard that. It just broke his heart that Sabrina would do something like that to a Pokémon.

"You know Sabrina wasn't always like that," the man stated.

That comment got Ash and Serena curious. Pikachu and Rotom Dex even heard what the man said. What did he mean Sabrina wasn't always this cold girl? Was there something about her that they didn't know about?

"Sabrina was a fun-loving little girl who was happy most of the time. She had a mom and a dad that loved her dearly. That all changed once she discovered that she had psychic powers," the man explained.

"Her psychic powers?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, once she discovered them all she wanted to do was focus on controlling them. However, she was so lost in her telekinetic abilities that she lost all emotion. Eventually, her parents distanced herself from her," the man explained.

This was a sad story about Sabrina. She was a loving girl until she discovered her psychic powers. Ash went right back to crying and Serena cried with her, but now it was for a different reason. Despite what Sabrina put them through, they can't help but feel sorry for her.

"Wow, I don't know what to say," Serena muttered, "But it still doesn't excuse what she did to Frogadier."

"I know, but somewhere deep down, I believe that the little girl Sabrina was once was is still there," the man said as he handed Ash a photo, "This is what Sabrina was like before she learned of her psychic powers."

Ash took a look at the photo and noticed something. This was the same photo they saw in Sabrina's toybox. So those were Sabrina's parents and the little girl in the picture was Sabrina. It made sense now, that little girl must've been a metaphor of the little girl Sabrina was once was.

"So, where did you get this and how did you know about Sabrina's past?" Ash asked.

This question really got to the man. He was now starting to think that they may have solved him. The fact he used telekinesis himself to save Ash and Serena from Sabrina's telekinesis. He was starting to wonder if they knew he was Sabrina's father.

"I think I got it!" Rotom Dex exclaimed as it may have known about the man, "The fact he knew about Sabrina's past life, he was able to teleport us, and that photo he carries of Sabrina and her parents. That man is…a photographer!"

"No Rotom Dex, I think that man is Sabrina's father," Ash corrected.

"You're absolutely right young man," said Sabrina's father.

"I'm sorry that had to happen to you sir," Ash said in a reconciling voice.

"But if you have psychic powers yourself, why didn't you train her?" Serena asked.

"As I stated, she was too focused on training her powers by herself. I was going to help her get control, but she just shunned all of us away. I kept trying until it came to a point where her psychic powers just overpowered mine," Sabrina's father explained, "It came to the point where I probably couldn't help her."

Sabrina's father was starting to tear up a bit. Though he had telekinetic powers, Sabrina's proved to be far more powerful, and she was just a girl. Who knows what her powers could be like when she becomes a full fledge adult? Ash looked down and thought to himself that despite what just happened, he wished he could help her.

"Sir, I want to do whatever I can to help your daughter," Ash said with determination which caused the man to gasp.

"You want to help Sabrina?" Sabrina's father questioned.

"Yeah, it's just painful what you're going through, and I don't know what has become of her mother. You say deep down the little girl you knew was still there, is that correct?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah, I know deep down she's still there," Sabrina's father answered.

"Then I'll do whatever it takes to bring her back to you so you can be a family again," Ash told Sabrina's father.

"I admire your determination. If you think you have what it takes to save Sabrina, I'm sure you'll be able to it. Maybe not today, but someday," Sabrina's father said with great authority.

Sabrina's father was starting to have complete faith in Ash. He could sense something in his heart that could help reach out to Sabrina and save her. If Ash can find out what it is, he might be able to help her.

"As for your Marsh Badge, I would recommend you get a lot stronger because if you ever plan to go back in there, Sabrina will likely keep you as her prisoners for all eternity," Sabrina's father said with warning in his voice, "My best bet is that you should come armed with a ghost Pokémon. You can find one in Lavender Town."

"A ghost Pokémon," Ash said in thought.

"Yes, they can beat psychic Pokémon, but that doesn't mean you'll be guaranteed a victory," Sabrina's father stated as he got up and began to leave, "I hope our paths cross again soon. And young man, I believe you may have what it takes to save my daughter."

"You can count on me," Ash said giving a nod.

"I know you can Ash, after all you're Red's son," Sabrina's father told Ash as he walked out.

Ash gasped when he heard that. How did he know his name, and how did he know he was Red's son? Maybe it was his telekinetic abilities that got him to read his mind. Still Ash was going to keep his vow to Sabrina's father and save her.

Ash was going to need to think about what he was going to do, because after what happened today with Frogadier, and what happened with them almost getting killed, Ash may want to stay away from the Saffron Gym for some time until he can figure out what to do and get stronger. Right now, he was going to just stay in the Pokémon Center and wait to know the status of his Frogadier.

Then afterwards it would be time for Serena's next contest, and then they would begin their trek towards Lavender Town so he can get a ghost Pokémon. Serena on the other hand was now really thinking about trying to get Abra into the contest after seeing Sabrina's Abra (now Kadabra). Maybe experience would help Abra a lot.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town**_

Lavender Town was a small town in the north-eastern part of the Kanto Region. The most notable sight in this small town was Pokémon Tower, the graveyard for deceased Pokémon. A van was on its way over to Lavender Town, and once it arrived, it parked near the Pokémon Tower.

Coming out of the van was a familiar looking man with teal hair wearing a black hat. This was the rocket executive Proton and following him were a group of rocket grunts with Pokeballs ready. Proton looked up at Pokémon Tower, their prime target in which they were going to capture an army of ghost Pokémon.

"So, this is Pokémon Tower?" one of the grunts asked.

"You got it. It'll be nice to disturb those resting places while we gather all of those ghost Pokémon," Proton smirked as he looked at the tower and then back at the agents, "And as an added bonus, not far north of here is the power plant where Cassidy and Biff have been assigned to. So, while we're doing business here, I might stop over and check up on them."

"Nice thinking by you and the bosses executive Proton," one of the grunts replied.

"My pleasure," Proton responded.

Proton made a good point, as an added bonus staying here to capture ghost Pokémon, Proton might be able to put some time in to check in on Cassidy and Butch as they are in charge of the power plant operation.

"Alright, everyone put on your disguises and head on in. Stay around and check the place out. Don't capture any ghost Pokémon until I give the order. I have some other business I need to attend to," Proton announced.

"Yes sir!" the rockets responded giving a salute.

With that, the rockets all began to change their clothes into their disguises so they can enter Pokémon Tower without being discovered as members of Team Rocket. Proton on the other hand was walking out of Lavender Town as he needed to take care of something.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Outskirts**_

Proton was leaning against a tree awaiting for someone. Who was it that Proton was waiting for, and why did he wait outside of Lavender Town? Then a jeep pulled in which was driven by a rocket chief. Inside the jeep were three familiar faces that Proton deeply hated.

"Sir Proton, I present you the three stooges," the chief said gesturing to the three in the jeep.

Proton narrowed his eyes as he saw the three people in the jeep. It was Jessie, James, and Meowth. He wanted to meet them outside of Lavender Town, because knowing them, if they even stepped foot in Lavender Town, their attempts of catching ghost Pokémon would immediately self-destruct.

"Thank you," Proton responded giving a bow.

The chief then narrowed his eyes at the trio. Jessie, James, and Meowth looked very nervous. They haven't seen any action since being on the S.S. Anne where Proton locked them in the kitchen to die while the ship sank.

"Alright you bastards, get the fuck out!" the chief yelled as he started knocking the trio out of the jeep.

All three landed on their backs and the jeep sped off. Dust was being made in front of them as it was being caught in the trio's mouth and getting into their eyes. They coughed and rubbed their eyes until they got back to their senses. Proton narrowed his eyes at them with a neutral look on his mouth. The trio looked nervous as he already tried to kill them, was he going to try to kill them again?

"What did you call us for Proton?" James questioned.

Proton walked up to the trio who was still lying on the ground. Proton glared at James and the first piece of action he took was he stomped his foot on his face.

"AHHHHHH!" James screamed.

"Okay, I got your attention," Proton responded as he now had a smile on his face.

Proton really did enjoy beating the trio up. Now there was still one question on the trio's mind. What the hell were they supposed to do?

"Alright you three, listen up. I've assigned you a simple task that you should not be able to screw up, and if you do screw up, at least it won't affect our big project," Proton told the trio.

"What is it sir Proton?" Jessie asked trembling nervously.

"As our sources indicate, our mortal enemies Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena are in Saffron City. One thing we have learned from our spies is that Ash Ketchum is aiming to enter the Pokémon League, and he has four badges while he is getting the Saffron City gym badge," Proton explained.

"The twerps were in Saffron City!?" Meowth questioned.

"Yeah, thankfully they have no clue Team Rocket is running the Silph Company and we will keep it that way which is why you won't ever set foot in Saffron City!" Proton yelled, "And you won't set foot in Lavender Town either since we have a major project going on!"

"You mean with," James muttered.

"Yes, we will soon begin capturing ghost Pokémon," Proton confirmed, "Anyway, we've heard from our spies that Ash Ketchum does have the Vermillion City gym badge which means he won't be making any plans on visiting Vermillion City anytime soon."

"Okay, what does that mean?" Jessie asked.

"It means that once they're done in Saffron City, they will likely go down this road to Lavender Town and knowing them, they probably will try to interfere with our plans of catching ghost Pokémon," Proton explained.

The trio was looking confused. What was it that Proton wanted from the trio, and why was Ash and Serena being mentioned?

"Now for your mission. I made a call to someone about something after our assignments were handed out, and here's what I want you to do since we have a feeling that those two assholes will probably be coming this way," Proton told the trio.

Jessie, James, and Meowth listened carefully to what Proton was telling them. So, they had to deal with the twerps again with something. They can still remember when they worked together to get off the sunken S.S. Anne, and now for some reason, they feel a shred a guilt of dealing with them. However, they were working for Team Rocket and Proton was ready to proudly murder them if they didn't do this.

Honestly, they were on the bottom of Team Rocket's food chain.

* * *

 **So, Team Rocket has arrived in Lavender Town and they're ready to catch some ghost Pokémon. That's where Ash and Serena are headed next!**

 **Don't worry, Frogadier is going to live. You'll know what the status of him will be in the next chapter which will also be featuring Serena's next contest.**

 **I'm going to confirm this now, Ash and Serena are not going to be paying Team Rocket a visit to the Silph Company now, because it's too early for that right now. They will have their dance off with Team Rocket in the Silph Company when Ash and Serena re-visit Saffron City where Ash will have his rematch with Sabrina.**

 **Ash will need a ghost Pokémon, but it sucks that there aren't any good dark type Pokémon that Ash can get in Kanto. Man, imagined if he went to face Sabrina again with a dark type like Mightyena, Bisharp, Honchkrow, (cough) Greninja. I got some good plans for the rematch.**

 **As stated, I did put the poll up and it's still up. I'm even going to throw in Ash's first match in the Saffron Gym. Well until then, see you next time.**

 **Chapter 37: Abra Catastrophe**


	39. Abra Catastrophe

**Sigh, I really wasn't looking forward to writing this chapter, but what you'll see in this chapter had to be done and I hope you understand.**

 **This is the last chapter of the first Saffron Arc as our group will be visiting Saffron City later. We'll also learn the status of Frogadier in this chapter, and I will introduce another character into the story. It's someone you know, but she technically won't be seen as Serena's rival, but more of someone she can see as a mentor.**

 **She had a certain job in the anime, but as of now she doesn't have that job yet.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Tower**_

Pokémon Tower was the sight of where Pokémon that have passed away come and rest. People come in and pay their respect to those Pokémon who have moved on to the afterlife. However, there was one group of people who were in the Pokémon Tower, and they were not friendly. In fact, they were evil. They were Team Rocket.

Team Rocket heard that this tower was supposed to be chocked full of ghost Pokémon. Right now, the grunts were wondering through the tower to see if they can find any ghost Pokémon. So far the rocket grunts have managed to get a good handful, but they haven't gotten all of them just yet.

"How are we doing boys?" Proton asked as he checked on the grunts.

Proton has been in charge of the unit that was supposed to gather ghost Pokémon. They already been there for almost a full day, and the rockets were doing a fine job.

"Our progress is going well sir Proton!" one of the grunts reported, "We should clear this building of all the wild ghost Pokémon in about three to four days."

"Excellent work men," Proton said.

Proton was in a good mood. Team Rocket was making great progress in collecting ghost Pokémon, and he has heard that tonight, Cassidy and Butch would be taking over the power plant to keep electricity at their base and the Silph Company. Proton was also somewhat pleased with keeping the trio occupied with something which involves going after Ash and Serena or something. Either way, Proton was enjoying every moment of this.

"Alright boys, I'm going to walk around. Keep going with the collection," Proton told his subordinates.

"Yes sir!" the grunts responded giving a salute.

Proton in the meantime began to ascend upstairs. Proton took a look at all the Pokémon gravesites and couldn't help but give an evil smile. He was enjoying the fact that Team Rocket was disturbing the resting place of these dead Pokémon, and then he gave a slight chuckle knowing that some of these Pokémon may be here because of them. Proton can even remember about a year ago when two agents killed a Snorlax that refused to join them in their casino.

As Proton was walking up the stairs, he saw two Pokémon. One was a little brown mammal wearing a skull on his head holding a bone, and the other was a bigger brown mammal who's head was a skull and was also holding a bone. Proton took it in on closer inspection and discovered that it was a Marowak and her baby Cubone.

Cubone was walking and then tripped. Cubone started to cry as he sat down looking like he was having a tantrum. Marowak walked over to her son and started to comfort him embracing him in a hug. Marowak sounded like she was singing a lullaby to make him feel better. Cubone's eyes stopped watering and started to show signs of joy, and he smiled as well. Marowak got Cubone up and patted him on the head.

Proton saw the scene and noticed how cute that was. However, he wasn't feeling heartfelt, he was just smirking. Then Marowak and Cubone noticed him, and they wondered who this man was. Was he friendly or was he a foe? The next thing that happened caught them by surprise. Proton walked up towards the two Pokémon.

"I have to say that was pretty cute," Proton said as he appeared to be pulling something out, "But I know how to make this scene even more lovely."

Proton seemed to have a hint of menace in his voice. The mother Marowak was curious on what Proton was doing and in the blink of an eye, he pulled out a gun. They had no idea what that was, but they were about to find out…in the worst way possible.

Proton fired the pistol at Marowak's torso eight times and then put the gun close up to her head and shot it. Marowak's head was blown off by Proton.

That moment, Cubone became an orphan.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Saffron City**_

Inside Saffron City, a girl with chestnut hair was arriving on her bike. She has had such amazing adventures in the Kanto Region so far. It was Leaf Green who has been traveling through the Kanto Region to complete the Pokedex. After tagging with Ash and Serena through Mt. Moon, Leaf circled around the Kanto Region going through Cerulean City, then Rock Tunnel, then Lavender Town, followed by Fuchsia City where she visited the Safari Zone, then took the bike path to Celadon City, which then lead her to Saffron City.

"Saffron City, the biggest city in the Kanto Region," Leaf said to herself as the wind was blowing through her hair.

Leaf can recall all of her experiences on her travels from all the Pokémon she's met, to the places she has visited. There were two particular places that she has visited throughout Kanto where she spent the most time. One was the Pokémon Volunteer House in Lavender Town where a kind man named Mr. Fuji where abandoned or orphaned Pokémon are taken care of, and Leaf just wanted to spend a whole bunch of time playing with them and getting along. She spent almost a whole week over there, now that was dedication. Leaf was definitely willing to go back if she were to ever revisit Lavender Town.

The other place she spent most of her time in was the Safari Zone due to the vast amount of exotic Pokémon. Leaf was able to retrieve some of those Pokémon and gain a lot of information on them on the Pokedex. She spent almost a week there too, however she heard rumors that a Dratini was there, but she hasn't seen one.

Everything about her adventure has been amazing, except for that run in with Team Rocket back on Mt. Moon where she, Ash, and Serena were crushed by Proton's Rhydon.

Leaf knew she had to visit Saffron City. When she arrived, she started to walk her bike around so she could see the sights of the city. One would know better not to bike when there are a whole bunch of people around. Before she thought about seeing what Saffron had to offer, she was going to make a visit to the Pokémon Center.

"Okay, now to find the Pokémon Center," Leaf said to herself.

As Leaf was walking through the streets, she passed by the Silph Company. Leaf heard about this place as this was one the biggest manufacturers in the world when it comes to the essentials needed for Pokémon trainers and Pokémon. Leaf was wondering what the Silph Company was like. Before she could go to the front door, she would notice someone who was at the door.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but right now our new bosses has to take care of important business before he can re-open the building to those who wish to get a tour," the guard sadly said.

Leaf heard what the guard said. She heard rumors that the Silph Company was brought out by someone and they appear to be true. Leaf saw the girl who was rejected entry into the office building, and then her eyes widened when she saw who it was. The girl had auburn hair wearing a white polo, blue skirt, white socks, and black shoes.

Leaf knew that girl too well. It was her old friend Daisy Oak. Apparently she was in Saffron City too.

"But I was really hoping to see the Silph Company," Daisy said.

"I'm sorry, but maybe another time," the guard told Daisy.

Daisy hung her head down as she was disappointed that she wasn't going to be visiting the Silph Company. She was traveling through the Kanto Region in hopes of doing some early research on Pokémon, so like Leaf, she was somewhat tending to completing the Pokedex. Daisy just came from Vermillion City, even paying respect to those who were lost in the S.S. Anne disappearance. When Daisy began walking away, Leaf called her out.

"Daisy," Leaf called out.

Leaf got Daisy's attention. Daisy turned around to see Leaf with a huge grinning smile on her face. She was so happy to be seeing her best friend again.

"Leaf!" Daisy cried out as she ran over to Leaf.

Leaf parked her bike and joined in hugging each other. They haven't seen each other in so long. They have kept in touch with each other on the Pokegear, but other than that, they haven't really had a chance to be together in person.

"I'm so happy to see you again, I could just hug you so tight," Leaf cried as she hugged Daisy tighter and tighter with her eyes closed.

Sure, Daisy was happy to see Leaf again, but now she was having a hard time breathing. The strength in Leaf's hug was causing Daisy to gasp for air as she was making gagging sounds. Leaf opened her eyes and realized that Daisy was gagging from her bone crushing hug that she finally let go. Leaf let Daisy get the time to breathe before she finally started talking again.

"Sorry about that hug," Leaf sheepishly said.

"It's okay, I know you were just happy to see me again," Daisy said as she got her breath back.

After the introductions in their reunion, Leaf turned around to see the Silph Company. She remembers that Daisy was not able to get in.

"So, I see you couldn't get into the Silph Company," Leaf said looking at the building.

"Yeah," Daisy muttered, "I was hoping to just check the place out since this is one of the most important companies in the world regarding Pokémon."

"I know what you mean Daisy," Leaf said, "I heard that there was new ownership in the Silph Company, and they weren't going to do tours at the moment. I'm sure we'll have another chance to visit sometime."

"Yeah, I guess so," Daisy muttered as her tone became a bit more positive, "I mean were in a big city and there is so much we can do here."

"That's the spirit!" Leaf exclaimed in encouragement, "But before I check anyplace out, I want to take a visit to the Pokémon Center. My Pokémon do need to be checked on."

"Heh, guess I wasn't thinking," Daisy said looking at her belt as she now realized she hasn't gone to the Pokémon Center yet, "Even though my Pokémon haven't seen so much action, it would be nice for them to get a break."

With that, Leaf and Daisy began their walk to the Pokémon Center. On the way they would talk about what they've been up to and the things they have come and saw. Of course, Leaf and Daisy would talk about their time with Ash and Serena since they were with them during a small course of their journey. Come to think of it, they haven't seen the two in a while. Little did they know, Ash and Serena were in Saffron City right now, so there was going to be an unexpected reunion going on.

As the girls were walking down the street, Giovanni was watching the two. He never met those girls before, but he does know about them. He knew about Leaf when they had their fossil operation going in Mt. Moon, and the boss rocket knows Daisy because of the information regarding Professor Oak and Blue Oak since they were well known in Kanto and she was the daughter of Blue.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

It was the day after Ash's gym battle against Sabrina. Ash was in the lobby getting some water to quench his thirst as he didn't eat or drink anything after hearing the news. Ash was completely horrified when he heard the news about Frogadier. The news was both good and bad, but what Nurse Joy told him just completely got Ash thinking.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-Last Night**_

 _Ash was just sitting on the couch waiting for the news on Frogadier. Serena was sitting by his side to comfort him. Moments after Sabrina's father finished talking to them and left, Nurse Joy walked into the lobby to give the details to Ash._

" _Ash Ketchum," Nurse Joy addressed._

" _How's Frogadier!?" Ash frantically asked._

 _Ash may have gotten a bit jumpy. He took deep breaths so he could relax. Nurse Joy could tell that Ash was completely tense after what just happened in the Saffron Gym._

" _Frogadier should be okay, however he's going to need to rest here for the next few days," Nurse Joy answered._

" _So it was that bad," Ash muttered._

" _Well let me explain. You see when I saw your Frogadier, I thought to myself was this Pokémon thrown into a trash compactor or something, and then you told me it came after Frogadier got beaten by the gym leader's Kadabra," Nurse Joy said letting out a sigh._

 _Nurse Joy knew about the situation with Sabrina. She always wondered why she could be so cold to the trainers and their Pokémon. Of course, she would get an explanation from Sabrina's father, but fear that not only could they the gym away from her, but maybe kill her as well. Now was not the time to think about that, she needed to explaining to Ash about Frogadier._

" _Well you made the right call to stop the match, otherwise it would be a lot worse," Nurse Joy explained to Ash, "Anyway, when we took Frogadier in, I gave it all the treatments he needed. However, when we did the X-rays, we noticed that he had a crack on his disc in his lower vertebrae."_

 _Ash's face darkened when he heard that. So Frogadier's back was hurt from his battle with Sabrina. Ash was worried about what the case with Frogadier was. Would he ever battle again, of if he did would he ever be the same? Ash didn't want this happening to Frogadier. He wanted to make sure that his starter got justice against Siegfried._

" _So, we had to do surgery where I had to slice open Frogadier's back and spray a Full Restore on his cracked disc and I was able to heal it. It so great to know how far medicine has come these days," Nurse Joy told Ash._

 _Ash couldn't believe it, they had to use the knife on Frogadier to perform surgery. Thankfully it was just something simple where they could just spray a Full Restore. Ash wasn't going to feel better until he heard how long Frogadier would fully heal._

" _How long will it be until Frogadier is at 100%?" Ash asked._

" _Well if it weren't for this surgery, Frogadier would've been unable to battle for approximately four weeks. But thanks to the procedure, he just needs to lay in bed for a few days. The pain is mostly gone, but he's just going to rest so he can recover from the surgery," Nurse Joy explained._

" _So Frogadier is going to be alright?" Serena asked feeling hopeful._

" _He will be fine. I'll just let you know that once he's been discharged, he can battle but he will have some nagging back pain for a little while. So, my best bet is keep is use in battle limited so he can get back at 100%," Nurse Joy suggested._

 _It was great to hear Frogadier would be fine, but he just would deal with a little nagging back pain once he got out. Nurse Joy was right, Pokémon medicine has come a long way._

" _Thank you Nurse Joy, I'm glad to know Frogadier will be fine. I'll make sure to take it easy with him for the time being," Ash told Nurse Joy as he then looked at the emergency room door, "Can I see Frogadier?"_

" _Of course, you can," Nurse Joy answered with a smile._

 _Ash was now going to get a look at Frogadier. Nurse Joy may have told him that he was recovering, but Ash wanted to see for himself how Frogadier was doing. With Serena and Pikachu following him, Rotom Dex floated towards Nurse Joy and said something._

" _You did a great job Nurse Joy, and you're right you all have come far with treating Pokémon," Rotom Dex said praising Nurse Joy._

" _Thanks," Nurse Joy responded giving a bow._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback**_

So Frogadier was going to be alright as he had pain in his back. He was just going to rest in the Pokémon Center for the next few days so he can be mobile again. Nurse Joy told Ash that Frogadier would be able to battle, but for the time being to keep it limited as the pain wouldn't be bad, but just nagging.

This news is what got Ash in a state of shock. That dream may have been telling him something. Now Ash knew where Frogadier got his back pain from, and it was from a humiliating defeat in the hands of Sabrina. If that was the case, then maybe the other stuff would be happening too such as an encounter Team Rocket in whatever that place was, along with that blinding light.

Braixen on the other hand was staying in Frogadier's room to keep him company. When Braixen heard what happened in the Saffron Gym, she wanted to go after Ash with an all-powerful Flamethrower like she did with Damien for what he let happen to Frogadier back when he was a Froakie. However, he is the Pokémon of Serena's boyfriend and she didn't want to do anything to displease Serena, so she backed off.

For now, the best thing he could do was make sure Frogadier got all the rest he needed, and once he got discharged, they would hit the road. Ash was not thinking about going back to Sabrina's gym anytime soon. Sabrina's father mentioned that if he were to ever return to the Saffron Gym, Sabrina would possibly make them her playmates for eternity. Ash re-entered the room to see Frogadier on the bed.

Serena was sitting with Pikachu on her lap and Rotom Dex looking over Frogadier. Braixen was staying close to Frogadier as she was his best friend. Frogadier always felt warm when Braixen was around, despite what Frogadier is going through. He was disappointed when she didn't get to watch his gym battle but imagine what would happen if Braixen was around. Braixen would want to attack Sabrina for having her Kadabra hurt Frogadier only for her to kill them all with her psychic powers. They almost died in the hands of that cold gym leader. Right now, it was best not to think about it and worry about Frogadier.

"So how are you doing Frogadier?" Ash asked.

Frogadier couldn't bear to look at Ash. He just looked down in shame as he was humiliated by that Kadabra. Worst of all, this is going to be a setback in his training as now he may be forced to limited battle action.

"Listen Frogadier, I'm sorry. Maybe I should've called the match sooner and you wouldn't be in this state," Ash told Frogadier with regret in his voice.

Ash may have made a point. Once Kadabra turned Frogadier's Ice Beam around to freeze him, then it was time to call it quits. Then Kadabra would've never slammed Frogadier around like some rag toy. Of course, there was no escape from what Sabrina had planned though.

"Frogadier," Frogadier uttered.

Judging by Frogadier's tone, it didn't seem Frogadier was upset about the condition he was in, but more upset about losing the gym battle for Ash. The truth was Frogadier was willing to die just to beat that Kadabra so Ash could get a Marsh Badge. That was pretty extreme thinking for Frogadier. It was great that those two had a great bond, but Frogadier had to know there were limits and Ash knew that he couldn't break those limits right now.

"It sounds like Frogadier is blaming himself," Serena told Ash.

"Frogadier, you did nothing wrong. The whole match went out of whack because of a brain cramp I had making me forget about Abra's Synchronize. I also should've quit when you were completely frozen and in bad shape," Ash explained, "If anyone takes responsibility for the state you're in, it's me because of my poor judgement. Not to mention it almost got us killed."

Ash muttered that last part. Frogadier could understand how Ash was feeling, but that wasn't the case for him. Frogadier knew that Ash was the best trainer he could ever ask for, and that he would be the one who would make him stronger, and that his relationship with Serena allowed his life-long friend Braixen to stay by his side. Ash was even helping him cope with the humans around, and he's gotten better. And if it weren't for those life-threatening situations like with the Spearow and Team Rocket, Frogadier would've never been able to increase his bravery.

"Remember Frogadier, we are a team. If you feel like I'm doing something wrong or if something is bothering you, let me know," Ash told Frogadier.

"Frogadier," Frogadier confirmed as he nodded his head but still looked down.

Ash couldn't help but feel some slight pity for Frogadier. Ash knew that Kadabra was owning Frogadier, but he still wanted to blame himself. At the same time, that injury may have mark a premonition of something coming. Well Frogadier wasn't acting strange, yet.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex walked out of Frogadier's room so he could get some rest. They agreed that Braixen could stay in there and keep him company. Frogadier loves when Braixen is around.

"So, Serena, I am going to take the warning from Sabrina's father and wait on the Saffron Gym," Ash told Serena, "Even though it was one critical mistake, I don't want to take any chances."

"Honestly Ash, I think that would be a great idea and I completely support it," Serena told Ash as she kissed him on the cheek.

"But Ash, you need to beat this gym in to enter the Pokémon League," Rotom Dex told Ash.

"I know Rotom Dex, but I'm not ready for Sabrina yet. I'll probably tackle another gym and then I'll think about when I'll return," Ash explained while muttering, "Besides this will give Frogadier much more time to return to 100%."

It was indeed the best decision for Ash not just for him, but for his girlfriend and mostly Frogadier. Now there was only one more piece of business before leaving Saffron City, and that was Serena's upcoming contest.

"So, Serena, do you want to get some preparations in before your contest," Ash asked Serena, "I can help you get ready."

Serena looked down at her belt and noticed Abra's Pokeball. She was eager to have Abra take part in a Pokémon Contest since he was the Pokémon with her the longest to not take part in a contest. Serena on the other hand was encouraged at what Abra would be like when he evolves. Even though it was scary watching, it also was amazing. Abra wasn't the only Pokémon that she was concerned about, she also had Slowpoke who probably doesn't even know he's even with Serena, not to mention he hasn't responded to anything Serena tells him to do. He just stands there. Serena would worry about Slowpoke later, right now her focus was on Abra.

"Of course, you can Ash," Serena answered as she flashed a smile.

"Are you really to use Abra?" Ash questioned.

"I'd figure it's time Ash," Serena muttered as she looked at Abra's Pokeball.

Then the double doors in the Pokémon Center opened with Daisy and Leaf coming in. Ash's and Serena's widened when they saw their old friends from Pallet Town, and Daisy and Leaf stopped in their tracks and had the same look. The young couple haven't seen Leaf since they traveled through Mt. Moon, and they haven't seen Daisy since their encounter with Damien where Ash got Charmander and Serena got Squirtle.

"Ash, Serena," Daisy uttered.

"Leaf, Daisy," Serena uttered.

The four just stood there to take the time and register what was going on in front of them. It was really them; they were actually here.

"I missed you two so much I could just hug you!" Leaf exclaimed as she hugged Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena were both getting crushed in one of Leaf's hugs which knocked their hats off. Leaf was a pretty strong girl as her hug was so strong that nearly got Ash and Serena to suffocate. Daisy couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes that she just did the same thing to her.

"Okay Leaf, I think they got the picture," Daisy told Leaf.

Leaf noticed that Ash and Serena were both grimacing. Boy was girl super friendly and super strong. Leaf sheepishly let go of Ash and Serena and let the two catch their breath before they bent down to pick up their respective hats and place them back on their heads.

"Sorry about that," Leaf said giving a nervous chuckle.

"Hey, it's okay, you're just so happy to see us," Serena said as she was adjusting her hat.

"Yeah, but man you gotten strong," Ash said in amazement.

"Heh, guess I don't know my own strength," Leaf said with a chuckle.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Park**_

After Leaf and Daisy got their Pokémon checked out, they went to the park with Ash and Serena so they could help Serena prepare for her upcoming contest. While waiting in the Pokémon Center and during the walk to the park Ash and Serena talked about what they've been through since they've last seen each other with Ash mentioning his badges and Serena mentioning her other contests along with all of the Pokémon they caught.

Leaf was also happy to hear that they met with her mom in Celadon City, and that both girls wished they could be there for Ash's birthday celebration with the rest of the adults, but Ash and Serena were okay with that, and they mentioned that Leaf's mom said hello to her.

Then came the one thing Ash was not happy about talking. The most recent run-in with Gary Oak and how he had a battle with him only to lose. Ash was just angry with the fact that Gary always wanted to shoot him down and keeps finding a way to make himself feel like he's on top. When Daisy heard about this, she just facepalmed herself and shook her head. Her brother hasn't shown signs of maturing.

"Ash, I'm sorry about my brother," Daisy told Ash as she was walking alongside with him, Serena, and Leaf, "It just so happens his ego just keeps kicking in."

"I just wish he could lose a battle so he can be brought into reality," Serena sighed.

"He did, and I saw it," Daisy snorted as she could recalled that day, "He lost to a trainer named AJ who only used one Pokémon on him while he got to use two."

"Unfortunately, even in defeat, he said he wouldn't let a loss like that drag him down and that nothing can bring down the mighty Gary Oak. Then que the cheerleaders," Daisy snorted.

Everyone around gave out a nice chuckle when they heard Daisy say that last part. But still, it didn't give him the right to continue making himself feel like an Arceus and treat everyone especially Ash like crap. Daisy then let that thought run through her head and then she took a deep breath.

"But deep down, I can tell Gary is a decent person," Daisy told the group.

The truth was, Ash, Leaf, and Serena whom lived in Pallet Town for almost four years could agree with Daisy. Maybe somewhere deep down in his pride ego is a good caring Gary Oak. Despite tormenting Ash, they could tell that Gary isn't that bad. Maybe it was from the pain of losing his mother.

Daisy and Gary lost their mother when they were five years old. Gary really loved his mom, and so did Daisy, but when he heard his mother died, Gary was completely heartbroken.

"I guess it might have to do with losing your mom," Leaf muttered turning to Daisy.

"That could be the case. Our mom was a caring loving woman while we had a father and a grandfather who were high authorities to Pokémon. Our dad being Kanto's Champion and our grandpa being a world-famous Pokémon professor," Daisy explained with a hint of sadness, "When my mom was diagnosed with a terminal illness, we knew this was going to be the end, but no one took it worse than Gary. Gary was a cool boy who loved Pokémon, but after she died, the only people Gary could look up to were dad and grandpa."

"So, I'm guessing knowing that those two are famous in the Kanto region makes it harder for Gary to make his family proud?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, mom was the one person who could assure Gary that he didn't need to have a high reputation to the Oak family. It seems that knowing that the only family members he knew were famous was the reason he acted the way he did. Trying to feel like he live off their success and believe it would rub off on him," Daisy explained as they finally got to a park bench and sat down, "And the fact that those two are always busy doesn't do any better. Which probably explains why he is so arrogant."

Tears were starting to fall from Daisy's eyes. She knew the pain that Gary was going through and that he was hiding it with his arrogant attitude and showing off such as the convertible and the poses of cheerleaders. The only person that Gary had was Daisy. She started to feel like she needed to take the role of a mother and step in for Gary. While she at times does bring Gary to his senses, he just keeps on going, and his Pokémon journey began, Daisy feared that Gary was now completely immune to her. Sometimes Daisy just wished she could find a way to gain more of a motherly authority to try and help her brother that maybe she could truly reach to him.

"That doesn't give him the right to insult me when I'm behind or I lose a battle to him," Ash uttered but trying not to act rude.

"Yeah Ash, probably knowing to the fact that your dad was once the Kanto Champion and then leaving and handing it off to Blue probably made Gary feel like you don't have any links of fame now and he gained more so he can now torment you all he wants," Daisy uttered.

Ash's face darkened when Daisy said that. Ash almost felt like his teeth were going to crack as he grinned so hard, and Leaf and Serena could notice Ash's behavior. Serena knew this the most since Ash didn't like hearing that name.

"Don't mention my father," Ash uttered which caught Daisy's attention.

Ash didn't like to hear about his dad ever since he left him and mom. Daisy was probably caught in her own emotions that she didn't realize she went into territory that she wasn't supposed to go into. Ash realized he might have been hard on Daisy with the state she was in and he now showed an apologetic look.

"Sorry Daisy, I didn't mean to do that with how you're feeling," Ash said trying to comfort Daisy.

"It's okay Ash, I should've not brought him up," Daisy said, "I know how you feel about your father."

Everybody did notice something from the tone of Ash's voice. His voice sounded so cold when he uttered that to Daisy. Ash didn't mean it though but hearing about his father really gets under his skin. A good example was back at TAI Friday's when Ash saw that mural of him and Blue battling and just turned away. It seems Ash's relationship with his father was worse than some imagined. Ash never spoke about it to anyone, especially his mom and Serena or his Pokémon, but maybe it was time to speak a little bit about the issue. Leaf was the first one to speak.

"Ash, do you hate your dad?" Leaf asked.

Ash's face showed an even darker look. Everybody had high respect for Red including his mother, even after he left. Ash never showed it to Olivia since he just met her, but the other girls with him Serena, Leaf, and Daisy, they knew how he felt about Red.

"I do," Ash muttered.

"Why?" Leaf asked.

This was something Ash never talked about. Sure, the other gym leaders might have brought his name up and always made him look high so mighty, but Ash never looked to him that way. He actually did love his dad when he was a kid, but it was when he left that all changed. Everything they did together including playing, eating, and learning about Pokémon started to give Ash nothing but pain. His distant behavior towards his father only grew in time.

"Because he was always around to love me and we have a blast together, only when I turn six to just disappear! I haven't heard from him, I haven't seen him, I don't even know what the hell he's been doing! But you know what, I don't care! He ended up making me happy only to throw it all away like me and mom were nothing! IT'S THE ULTIMATE FORM OF BETRAYAL!" Ash screamed.

Ash took deep breaths from his tirade. There were some people who were around who saw Ash's outburst, but one specific person noticed it, and knew that boy along with the rest of the group weren't feeling happy.

Serena, Daisy, Leaf, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were all pretty shocked by Ash's outburst. This is what he thought of his dad who is one of the strongest Pokémon trainers in the world. A double-crossing punk who leaves his son and wife behind. Despite being Ash's boyfriend, Serena didn't know this as much as Leaf and Daisy because they were around his whole life. Serena has only known Ash for four years.

"Wow Ash, I didn't know you took it so hard," Serena said as she hugged Ash for comfort.

Ash took some shallow breaths to try and calm himself down. Anything that was said about Red just made Ash upset. This was probably the first time Ash was showing it to his friends and girlfriend.

"It just hurts," Ash shuddered, "I look up to him and he turns his back on us like that. It's also disgusting that people still think he's some great outstanding person when they don't realize he sucks as a father."

The girls could understand how Ash felt. When Red left, it just tore a hole in Ash's heart and when Serena came into his life, it didn't remove the pain, but it did ease it. Daisy could understand it the most since both of them lost a parent, especially since she was just talking about her mother.

"I don't care what anyone says, Red is a great person and he might have a reason to leave you and your mom," Leaf stated.

"Leaf's right, maybe one day you'll meet again, and he'll give an explanation," Serena told Ash as she patted him on the shoulder.

"I guess so," Ash muttered.

Ash did hope one day to confront his father so he can know how hurt he was. Daisy on the other hand could only think about her lost mother and how it took a toll on Gary, and fears that she might not be able to help him.

If there was anything that these two could use, it would be a Pokémon that those two could parent. Daisy could obtain a Pokémon where she could learn about being a mother and maybe reach out to her twin brother, and Ash could get a Pokémon where he can be a responsible father and show his father how much more of a fatherly figure he was than him.

But there was no telling if something like that would happen.

"I can see a group of people with frowns on their faces," a voice called out.

Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Daisy saw who was looking at them. It was a girl with long magenta hair wearing a white shirt, black pants, black shoes, a necklace with different colored triangles, and a white bowler hat. The girl also wore glasses.

The girl got the group's attention and wondered why did she approach them. Did she realize that Ash just had an outburst? Maybe she knew the situation and wanted to help them. A stranger trying to help them with their life problems.

"Um, excuse me?" Serena questioned.

"You won't ever get anywhere when you're feeling down like that, so come on lose those frowns and put a smile on those faces," the girl told them.

Ash and Daisy immediately lost their sour attitudes when they heard that girl. Upon hearing that girl, it just almost felt like the bitter emotions they were feeling involving Gary and Ash's father have run dry.

"Trying to help us out?" Leaf asked in curiosity.

"Well I can't stand to see a whole bunch of sad sacks right here," the girl replied as she had her hands placed on her hips, "So what's got you down?"

"It's just some…life problems for my friends," Serena politely responded.

The girl did her best to keep her positive attitude, however not knowing the whole story might have given her the wrong idea on how to approach them.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the girl solemnly said, "I guess I should've understood the situation a little more."

"It's okay, really. You were just trying to brighten us up," Serena told the girl flashing a small smile.

"Thanks," the girl replied.

This girl was pretty nice. Serena studied the girl and could tell that there was something about this girl she liked. It almost felt like someone she could look up to.

"Well, thanks for trying to help us out," Serena said giving a bow.

"Not a problem," said the girl as she remembered something, "Oh that reminds me, I got to get ready for the upcoming Pokémon Contest."

Serena's eyes widened when she heard that. So, this girl was partaking in the upcoming contest. Serena couldn't believe it; she was actually meeting someone she was going to compete against.

"Me too, I was just about to begin my training," Serena squealed.

"That's great!" the girl exclaimed as she then thought of something, "Hey, why don't we train together."

This was a little too much for Serena. Training with someone that they just met. The girl was extremely radiant and just having her around already brought a very positive vibe. There's something special about this girl.

"That's a great idea!" Serena exclaimed.

"Well what are you waiting for, let's go," the girl said as she gestured to a battlefield.

The girl in the white hat ran off with Serena following her. Ash, Leaf, and Daisy could tell that this girl brings out a radiant atmosphere, especially after the drama that came up. It didn't seem as if she were phased by Ash's outburst. Without saying a word, the three followed Serena and the girl.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

As soon as they found a battlefield, the group realized something. They haven't introduced themselves to the girl yet. All of them were wondering who she was. She was a Pokémon coordinator, but did she have a name.

"Hey, you never told us your name," Serena stated.

"Oh yeah, that wasn't polite of me to not introduce myself yet before we decided to train together," the girl replied as she was about to introduce herself while adjusting her glasses, "My name is Aria Evans, and I come from Kiloude City in the Kalos Region."

Serena was in shock when she heard that. Another person from her home region of Kalos. First there was Calem, now there was this girl Aria.

"You're from Kalos too," Serena uttered.

"Yeah," Aria confirmed until she had a curious look, "Wait, are you from the Kalos Region too?"

"I used to live in Vanillie Town back in Kalos, but then I moved to Pallet Town," Serena explained, "By the way, my name is Serena Gabena."

Serena then turned around to see her boyfriend standing there with his arms crossed smiling. He sure was in a better mood now.

"And that's my boyfriend Ash Ketchum," Serena said gesturing to Ash.

"You got that right," Ash said giving a thumbs up and looking at Pikachu, "And this is a Pokémon that both me and Serena have been using, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu replied giving a V sign.

"My name is Leaf Green, a long-time friend of both Ash and Serena," Leaf said introducing herself.

"And I'm Daisy Oak, granddaughter of Samuel Oak and daughter of Kanto Champion Blue Oak," Daisy said introducing herself.

"And I'm Rotom Dex!" Rotom Dex exclaimed floating in front of Aria, "I'm the super fabulous Pokedex used for Serena Gabena's travels along with Ash Ketchum. If not used here, then I be used just for Ash Ketchum when he looks ugly and lives in Alola."

Aria looked at the group as they all unique in their own way. It really impressed her to see Serena with such a great group of friends.

"You guys are such a great group, and nothing makes people happier than having friends," Aria stated.

"Thanks Aria," Serena happily said.

Aria then realized something; she was going to do some training along with Serena. Aria had an idea.

"Hey, why don't we have a mock contest battle," the girl suggested.

"A mock contest battle. But why?" Serena asked.

"Hey, we're entering the contest and what better way to get ourselves ready than to have a fun battle with each other," the girl explained.

"Okay," Serena replied as she looked at her Pokeball, "Hey, if it's okay could I use the Pokémon I was going to use for my appeal. I don't want you to know what I could be doing if we should battle each other."

"That's actually what I was thinking," the girl said as she got out a Pokeball, "I was going to use my appeal Pokémon for this battle.

"Sounds great," Serena said, "And Rotom Dex can serve as our judge."

"With pleasure!" Rotom Dex responded giving a salute.

Ash, Leaf, and Daisy got to the side as they were going to watch the battle between Serena and Aria. They have yet to get a name on this girl. Rotom Dex floated over to act as the judge. Rotom Dex now had Serena's picture along with a 100 underneath and Aria's picture who also had a 100 underneath.

"This will be a mock contest battle between Serena Gabena and Aria Evans! Each coordinator will have five minutes to dazzle this small group with whatever Pokémon they bring out! Clock runs now!" Rotom Dex announced as the clock began winding down.

"Come on out Abra!" Serena yelled out sending out Abra.

Abra emerged from his Pokeball. Ash had his arms crossed thinking of how Serena was going to handle Abra. She was really determined to use him in the next contest. Leaf was amazed Serena got an Abra, and Daisy already knew about Abra. Daisy was wondering was Serena really considering using Abra in a contest?

" _Are you really going to use that Abra?"_ Daisy thought to herself.

"Alright Vivillon, let's put on a show!" Aria exclaimed releasing her Pokémon.

Coming out of the Pokeball appeared to be some sort of moth or butterfly with a grey body. His wings were pink with a tint of blue near his head. Ash, Leaf, and Daisy clearly have never seen this Pokémon before. Serena doesn't fondly remember this Pokémon, but she would see one on occasion when living in Vanillie Town.

"What is that?" Leaf asked pulling out her Pokedex.

 _No Data_

"No data?" Daisy questioned.

"That Pokémon is not from Kanto so your Pokedexs weren't going to analyze it," Ash told Leaf and Daisy.

"Fear not, I got you covered!" Rotom Dex announced with its hands on its hips (or middle part of the screen) like it was some sort of superhero.

Rotom Dex gave them the analysis on this Pokémon.

 _#666-Vivillon: Scale Pokémon_

 _Vivillon with many different patterns are found all over the world. These patterns are affected by the climate of their habitat._

Serena gave out a sigh. She was determined to use Abra sometime soon, and now would be a good time. This truly would be Abra's first battle and maybe some experience could help him out.

"Vivillon use Quiver Dance!" Aria called out.

Vivillon started to dance around and go at a fast pace. The Scale Pokémon was flapping his wings around while moving like he's dancing.

"Okay Abra, Teleport in front of Vivillon," Serena told Abra.

Abra heard Serena out and used Teleport to transport himself in front of Vivillon. Serena felt kind of lost there, and then Aria would have Vivillon bring out his next move.

"Okay Vivillon use Bug Buzz," Aria told Vivillon.

Vivillon immediately swarmed in front of Abra with a Bug Buzz, and with such grace threw Abra into the air and he began to fall. Serena would lose a whole bunch of points to that blunder.

"Hurry Abra use Teleport again!" Serena cried.

"Vivillon, Signal Beam," Aria responded while giving a wink.

Vivillon opened his wings and unleashed a rainbow beam right at Abra. Abra wasn't able to use Teleport in time as Vivillon's Signal Beam hit Abra dead on. Abra struggled to get out, and to make matters worse, Signal Beam was a bug-type attack and Abra was a psychic-type Pokémon. There was no way Abra could handle that as Rotom Dex took more points from Serena.

Then an explosion was made with rainbow sparkles coming out with it. Serena could tell that it looked incredibly beautiful, and that this girl was truly experienced. Once everyone got a sight of Abra, they could see him lying on the ground not moving. Rotom Dex put a red X on Serena's picture while she only had 34 points while Aria had a perfect 100.

"Abra cannot continue, the winner of this mock contest battle is Aria Evans who didn't even lose a single point!" Rotom Dex announced as the screen showed a picture of Aria with the word WINNER underneath.

Serena couldn't believe that this girl just stomped her flat. Granted she used a Pokémon who had extremely little experience, but that was beside the point. Aria trained that Vivillon very well while Serena couldn't bring much out of Abra. Maybe this battle could do the trick.

Serena walked up to Abra and all she could do was give a sigh. Serena bent down and gave Abra an appraising smile while giving him a hug.

"You were good Abra," Serena told Abra as she was hugging him.

"I guess you and Abra have a lot of work to do," Aria said as Vivillon landed on Aria's arm.

Serena looked at Abra and wondered to herself was using him in a Pokémon contest now was such a good idea? The contest was tomorrow, and she didn't have much time to train any of her other Pokémon.

"Well Aria, the truth is Abra seems to only know Teleport which makes it hard for me to train him. I really want to give all my Pokémon a chance to shine in a Pokémon contest, and that goes for Abra too," Serena explained as he got back up.

Aria heard Serena out. She was serious on having Abra take part in the upcoming contest but didn't know how she could wow the audience with a Pokémon who only knew one move. Ash was a bit nervous, but he knew that Serena wanted to give all of her Pokémon a chance to have their moment and wasn't going to argue with that. Daisy on the other hand wasn't feeling pleased with Serena's thoughts, and Leaf was kind of in between.

"Did you really want to use Abra in your contest?" Aria asked.

"Yes," Serena confirmed.

"Well here's my advice, do whatever you can that can make you happy. If you feel happy about giving Abra a shot at a contest, even if it isn't ready, it's not the end of world," Aria explained.

"So, you're saying I should use Abra?" Serena questioned.

"It's really up to you, as I said do whatever you feel makes you happy along with your Pokémon," Aria stated.

Serena was thinking if she should go against her consciousness of using Abra. She really did want to use Abra in a contest, but then thought Abra wouldn't be able to score her a win. Then again, she wanted to treat her Pokémon as equals.

"Serena, I would advise you using a different Pokémon for your contest. Abra isn't going to get you any points with the way he is in battle. You can't pull something off with only one move, especially since it isn't a huge crowd pleaser," Daisy stated.

Leaf then stepped in.

"Daisy let me speak for Serena," Leaf intervened, "Serena, I actually would advise you do use Abra and here's why. If Abra takes part in a contest whether he does good or bad, he'll gain some experience and Pokémon will gain a lot more experience when they finally take part in an official competition."

Ash heard Leaf out and figured she might be right. They didn't listen to her when it came to the salesman, so maybe he might suggest Serena to listen to her now.

"Leaf's got a point Serena. You've seen what happened with your Pokémon in your previous contests along with my Pokémon in gym battles. They've gotten a whole lot better when they take part in competitions like that and that helped them to learn even more, so maybe it's time you did use Abra," Ash explained.

Serena heard her friends out and all of them made some good points, but in her perspective, it was Ash's words that touched her the most. Maybe because he was her boyfriend. Pikachu and Rotom Dex were even nodding her heads.

"Thanks for everything. I will use Abra whether I do good or bad, it will be best for Abra so he can grow," Serena declared as she then looked at Abra, "Are you okay with that Abra?"

"Abra," Abra confirmed meaning yes.

"Now that's what I like to see from you, someone who is willing to make themselves along with others happy," Aria happily said.

Serena was completely onboard now to use Abra in her next contest. All she was going to do was make the best use of Abra's Teleport and see what happens.

Daisy just gave a sigh at what has just happened today. First she was denied access to the Silph Company, then she hears about Ash's recent run in with Gary, then she slips something up to have Ash rant about his dad, now she hears Serena will use an inexperienced Abra to probably embarrass herself. She was happy to see everyone again though, so maybe she could use this time to help the others improve after this contest.

* * *

 _ **Kanto Power Plant**_

In the northeast part of the Kanto Region just north of Rock Tunnel, which is north of Lavender Town, there was a power plant. This power plant's main purpose is to run electricity through all of the power grids in Kanto. Sometimes there's a rumor that this power plant could be visited by the legendary Pokémon Zapdos.

It was nighttime and most of the workers went home while the overnight people began to take charge. The place was filled mostly with security guards to monitor any suspicious characters, and a couple of electricians and engineers just in case of an emergency with any part of Kanto.

Inside the main generator room, there were a few workers inside monitoring the main generator. To help keep the generator running, a group of Pokémon that look like silver spheres with an eyeball and magnets on their sides, Magnemite, along with a group of Pokémon that look like three Magnemite stuck together, Magneton, would send their electricity into the generator to make sure that it's running the electricity to their proper destinations.

One Pokémon however took charge over the others. It looked almost like a UFO with one eye with a red pupil with a yellow antenna, two silver spheres with eyes attacked with magnets in front of them and screws on top of their heads, and a magnet behind. This Pokémon was a Magnezone.

Magnezone was the head honcho of the group since this Pokémon was in its final evolved form. This Pokémon's electricity was more powerful than the Magnemite and Magneton which makes him the heart and soul of this group.

"How's Magnezone's team doing?" one of the workers asked.

"They're doing pretty darn good. It's all thanks to them that they not only keep this here generator going, but equally distribute the right amount of electricity to the power grids of Kanto," another worker answered looking at the Pokémon, "These Pokémon truly know how to keep this power plant running."

Then all of a sudden, a loud crash came into the building. The overnight workers were startled and so were the Pokémon. Who could be busting in here during the night?

"Did you hear that?" one of the workers asked.

"Yeah, we should investigate," the other worker replied.

"Good idea," the worker said as he turned to Magnezone's team, "Alright guys, keep that electricity flowing. Magnezone, you're in charge!"

The two workers each got a flashlight and proceeded out of the room and into the hallway. As they continued through the halls, they ended up seeing two figures holding guns. It was Cassidy and Butch and they had more grunts behind them also with guns.

"Your shift is over," Cassidy smirked.

The two workers dropped their flashlights and were shaken up. How did they get in here? Of course, the security prevents people coming in from the front or the back or the sides, but not from above.

"You're Team Rocket," another worker said in fear.

"That's right," Butch smirked in a dark tone as the rockets raised their guns, "Now take us to the main generator."

Cassidy and Butch held their guns out, and then the blonde rocket turned over to the other rockets.

"Men, we're heading for the generator. Find all the workers and guards and take them hostage," Cassidy ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" all the rockets said giving a salute.

With that the rockets began scrambling all over the power plant while Cassidy and Butch held the two workers by gunpoint to take them to Magnezone's team. In just a matter of a few minutes, the workers were back with Magnezone's team.

Magnezone along with the Magneton and the Magnemite were looking at Cassidy and Butch as they were holding the two workers hostage at gunpoint. The Pokémon were ready to spark up their electricity until Cassidy spoke up.

"Alright, listen up. We have taken everyone in this power plant hostage. This power plant is now controlled by Team Rocket," Cassidy told the Pokémon as she held the gun at one of the workers, "You will do as we say, or your little friend and everyone else in this whole building can kiss their asses goodbye!

The group of Pokémon held in their attacks and started to feel defeat. If they made one wrong move, everyone in the power plant would be killed by these awful people. Magnezone looked at all of the Pokémon and hung its head down to let them know there was nothing they could do.

"Alright, it seems you've come to an understanding," Cassidy smirked darkly.

"Biff send in the gang of Grimer Petrel has handed us to make sure no one gets in here, from the outskirts and even in the water. Not to mention the leader of their gang is pretty tough," Cassidy ordered.

"Right away," Butch responded, "And my name is Butch!"

It looks like the Pokémon were now working for Team Rocket in order to keep them alive. Now they're going to send the Grimer out to stop anyone, even in the water. That would cause major pollution. Right now, Team Rocket had it their way.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Saffron City-Contest Hall**_

The contest hall was filling up like crazy as the Saffron City Pokémon Contest was about to take place. Serena registered early in the morning and as expected she would Abra in the appeal round, and Pinsir for if she made it to the contest battles. Ash, Leaf, and Daisy were all in their seats with Pikachu in Ash's lap and Rotom Dex hovering by his side.

Serena was backstage and she wasn't going to back out. She held Abra's Pokeball in her hand as this would be his contest debut. Serena also knew she would have some steep competition, such as Aria, as most coordinators in Kanto would attend a Pokémon Contest in Saffron City. This was the biggest contest hall in the Kanto Region since Saffron City was the largest city in Kanto. There was only one Pokémon Serena didn't have with her and that was Braixen. Serena agreed to let Braixen stay at the Pokémon Center to keep Frogadier company.

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Saffron City Pokémon Contest! I am your MC Lillian and today we got thirty Pokémon coordinators ready to dazzle you with a great show!" Lillian announced as she then pulled out a ribbon that had a gold color on the lining, "The winner of this contest will be taking home this ribbon and move one step closer to the Kanto Grand Festival!"

The crowd erupted in applause as everybody was getting ready for the upcoming contest. The group was feeling a little nervous for Serena. They wondered how she would fare with Abra.

Serena was already in her contest outfit, and then she sees Aria. Serena couldn't help but take a great glance at Aria's contest look. She wore a white blouse with a blue striped tie, white gloves, a yellow and red pattern skirt, light blue leggings with dark blue stripes, and white shoes. She also had a blue bow on her head, and she lost the glasses. If anything, Serena thought Aria looked like a pop star.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Everyone was at the Saffron City Pokémon Contest Hall. Braixen looked up at the TV and saw that the contest was on for her. Braixen was a tad disappointed that she wasn't going there with Serena, but she wanted to keep Frogadier company while he was resting, and Serena was alright with that.

Frogadier was still sleeping, but he was beginning to open his eyes. Braixen went over to see Frogadier waking up from his nightly sleep and realized that no one was in the room.

"Braixen?" Frogadier questioned.

"Everyone went to the contest. Serena offered me to stay so I could keep you company," Braixen said with a bright smile.

Though Frogadier was happy that Braixen was around, he still wasn't happy about what just happened the other day. Frogadier looked down in despair.

"I'm just upset right now with Ash," Frogadier muttered.

"For the fact that he let you kept getting creamed like that before you came here," Braixen answered.

"No, for forfeiting," Frogadier muttered.

"For forfeiting?" Braixen questioned, "Frogadier, Ash called the match for your own well-being. If he left you in there much longer you'd be dead!"

Frogadier was angry not just with Ash, but himself. While Ash did call the match to prevent further damage to him, he was still upset about not beating Sabrina's Kadabra.

"I rather die trying to win for Ash in an attempt to get stronger than get chickened out," Frogadier spat.

"And if you did win while getting slaughtered like that, I'm pretty sure Ash could get arrested for Pokémon endangerment and you would be taken from him, and you would never see him again!" Braixen argued.

Braixen did tell the truth. Ash was the one person that made him happy, the one human that made him feel safe. He has no family, so Ash became his family and Serena would be there with him thanks to her having Braixen.

"I'm just sick of not coming through for Ash. The flock of Spearow, Damien, that Rhydon that Team Rocket executive had at Mt. Moon. Gym battles are suppose, to be the opportunities for me to improve myself," Frogadier cried as tears came from his eyes, "I love Ash so much, and I want to be able to protect him from anything."

"I can say the same for Serena. She just had that special touch that made my worries go away just like Ash has for you. The two of us truly don't want to take them for granted," Braixen said as she sniffed up some tears.

Frogadier and Braixen then embraced in a hug, but Braixen took it lightly due to Frogadier's back. Frogadier always knew that Braixen's presence felt so warm, she even decided to leave Serena behind for the day just to be here for him. While Frogadier had some great relationships with all of the other Pokémon, it didn't come close to the relationship he had with Braixen. They've been together since the very beginning, and this journey had brought them closer.

Then all of a sudden, it felt like the room dropped a degree or two. No one was adjusting the thermostat, it just felt like something else. This was only going to the two Pokémon in the room, but why did they feel that. One thing was for certain…it didn't feel soothing.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time for our fourth entry, let's give it up for Serena!" Lillian announced on the TV as it caught Braixen's attention along with Frogadier's.

"Frogadier, Serena's up," Braixen happily said pointing to the TV.

"Ash's girl is up already," Frogadier said crossing his arms and looking at the TV, "Is she really going to use Abra?"

"Yeah, she already confirmed it to all of us. I know Abra hasn't been able to show a variety of things, but Serena wants this," Braixen stated.

"I see," Frogadier replied as he then quickly turned back to Braixen, "Hey if Abra ever evolves, can I use him as a training partner so I can prepare for Sabrina if I ever see her again?"

"Serena's got her work cut out with Abra, but when he evolves, of course you can. If you can get some training in with a Kadabra, then you can be prepared for Sabrina if you should face her again," Braixen answered.

"What about Slowpoke?" Frogadier asked.

Braixen had a sweat drop coming from her forehead. That Pokémon hasn't responded to anything, and she fears that Slowpoke could be much harder to prepare than Abra. At least Abra can hear Serena out and knows where he is.

"Yeah, that could take a million years," Braixen said with a chuckle.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Contest Hall**_

Ash, Serena, and Daisy were sitting and watching Serena as she appeared on stage. Serena had her eyes closed holding Abra's Pokeball. The honey-blonde coordinator was ready.

"Abra, spotlight!" Serena yelled out as she sent out Abra.

Abra emerged from his Pokeball floating and doing a floating backflip. The crowd gave a nice applause with what Abra did. Now the question was what would Serena get Abra to do?

"Does Serena have something planned?" Leaf asked.

"I doubt it," Daisy muttered.

"Okay Abra, float around in the air and use Teleport," Serena told Abra.

Once he heard Serena, Abra began to float all around the stage and use Teleport to transport himself to a different location. It looked pretty neat to see an Abra float around like that while using Teleport. It was almost like he was going through an invisible wormhole.

"Keep going," Serena told Abra.

Abra kept the routine going, but in a matter of time the audience was starting to feel pretty bored as the act was getting pretty stale. While the judges find it alright for an Abra who's only move was Teleport, they were not impressed since the appeal didn't show much variety. It was just the same thing over and over.

"Abra has been giving us…an interesting display of Teleport," Lillian awkwardly said with a sweat drop as she even knew this might be looking stale.

Serena could see the audience's expression. They were not completely buying it, but they could give her a few points for trying.

"Alright Abra, were done," Serena told Abra as he stopped and gave a bow.

The crowd gave just a light applause. They weren't booing her or making nasty remarks. Some people did mutter that why would she bring a Pokémon in if that was all they were going to do. Serena didn't get much positive remarks from the judges unless they sounded awkward.

Serena just sighed as she knew that her performance happened to be a total bust. Even her first ever appeal with Fennekin was better than that, but Abra had a very restricted amount of moves as of now. There was no way she could pull something off with just Teleport. But she tried.

Ash, Leaf, and Daisy saw Serena's appeal from Abra, and they even knew that it wasn't a good appeal. Ash couldn't help but feel bad for Serena.

"Serena," Ash trailed.

"Pikachu," Pikachu muttered.

Aria on the other hand felt pretty bad for Serena as she was watching. Aria was thinking did she possibly push Serena into using Abra in the contest?

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Serena returned to the waiting area and she just sat down with Abra. The next coordinator was called up as he began to make his way to the stage. Serena looked down and then she was then approached by Aria who sat by her.

"I take the fact that it didn't go well?" Aria asked.

"No, it was alright, but not enough to make the cut," Serena muttered as she looked at Abra and put a smile on her face, "It's okay Abra, I think you did great."

"Abra," Abra responded.

"I think it might be my fault, I'm sorry," Aria muttered, "I think my words may have pushed you to use a Pokémon that wasn't ready."

"No, it's not Aria, no one did anything wrong that caused me and my Pokémon to not do so well," Serena said reassuring Aria, "In fact, some of my friends gave a good suggestion that if Abra got some contest experience in an actual contest, then it could help Abra to grow."

Aria happened to be flattered by those words from Serena. Serena then gave Abra a hug to show how much she appreciates him.

"In fact, I don't even regret using Abra in this contest," Serena told Aria, "This experience could help Abra get better and feel better about himself."

"If that what makes you and your Pokémon happy, then I'll be happy for you too," Aria happily said holding her hands together.

"Thanks," Serena brightly said.

Serena probably knew she wasn't going to make it, but she did want the best for Aria. If anything, Aria might be someone she could learn from. She already has top coordinator potential.

"I'm going to stick around and watch you Aria. If that mock contest battle showed anything, it's that you could give me some good pointers on being a great coordinator," Serena told Aria, "I know I just met you, but you look and feel like someone I can look up to if I ever want to be a top coordinator."

"That's great to hear," Aria said until she gave a wink, "You know I'm only taking part in Pokémon contests around the world just as a way to improve my skills in my other profession."

"What do you mean other profession?" Serena asked.

"Oh, it's nothing you might know," Aria told Serena.

Serena then had a curious look at Aria. What was Aria career in Pokémon, and why was she taking part in contests? Serena wondered if it would be something she could be interested in.

* * *

 _ **24 entries later**_

The other coordinators came and gone. Almost every performance was outstanding, and it was now made clear that Serena wasn't going to make the cut. There was just one more coordinator who needed to take the stage, Aria.

"All of these coordinators have given you quite a show!" Lillian announced, "Now please give a round of applause for our final entry, Aria!"

Aria appeared on the stage. The crowd gave her a huge round of applause as she took the stage. Judging by the roar of the audience, she appeared to be a crowd favorite among everyone in Kanto. Talk about someone from Kalos.

"Let's go Vivillon!" Aria exclaimed as she tossed her Pokeball in the air.

Vivillon appeared out of the Pokeball and flew up in the air with sparkles.

"Use Quiver Dance!" Aria called out.

The Scale Pokémon began to dance around in the air getting himself to flap his wings really fast and move faster. The movements that were coming from Vivillon were just so graceful.

"Now use Powder!" Aria exclaimed.

Vivillon then unleashed his Powder onto the stage and a silver powdery element was covering the whole area. Then Aria got Vivillon to go for the big finish.

"And finish this off with Bug Buzz and Safeguard!" Aria called out to Vivillon.

Vivillon started to move quickly and the effects of Quiver Dance made Bug Buzz much faster. Vivillon then covered himself in a safeguard and dove into the powder and then flew back up spinning. Vivillon stopped in midair and spread her wings out in a fast pace and it was also majestic. The powder sparkled all across the stage and the crowd exploded with a round of applause.

"Amazing, Vivillon engulfs himself into his own powder only to protect himself with Safeguard which allows Vivillon to keep moving where he eventually flies up into the air and whips out that powder. Aria has not only shown how her Pokémon worked well with a variety of moves to perfectly execute an amazing routine, but also shows how tough Vivillon truly is!" Lillian announced.

Ash, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Leaf, and Daisy all gave a loud applause. Even though Serena was their friend, they couldn't help but hold in the excitement in cheering Aria on.

"Don't take it the wrong way, but Aria is pretty good," Daisy said.

"It's okay Daisy, I understand," Ash told Daisy.

"Wow, Vivillon's appeal was so off the charts it could make her feel like a queen!" Rotom Dex cheered.

Serena just sat there and watch Aria and Vivillon pull off a perfect performance. The judges were even giving great praise to Aria and Vivillon. Lillian was right on one thing, Aria helped Vivillon show off a variety of moves, something she can't get out of Abra.

" _Aria is just amazing,"_ Serena thought to herself.

* * *

 _ **A few minutes later**_

The judges looked over all of the coordinators and their Pokémon's performances. It was pretty clear Aria was going to make it, in fact she might get the top spot.

"And that concludes our opening round! Now let's see which coordinators will move on to the next round!" Lillian announced as a screen appeared.

Serena stood up and looked at the screen just in case a freak miracle happened. Eight coordinator's pictures appeared on the screen with Aria gaining the number one spot. Everybody probably saw that coming. Once the other seven coordinators appeared on screen, Serena could see that her picture was not on there.

Serena looked down and took a deep breath as she saw this coming. Serena Gabena missed the cut, and probably by a large margin.

"I knew I wasn't going to make it," Serena said to herself as she looked at Abra's Pokeball, "But I don't regret using you Abra."

Back in the audience, the group let out a deep sigh as they saw this coming. They should've known Serena wasn't going to make it to the next round.

"She didn't make it," Rotom Dex muttered sadly.

"I feel bad for her," Ash muttered.

Daisy wanted to bring up that she should've never used Abra until he was ready, but maybe it was best she didn't bring that up.

* * *

 _ **A couple of minutes later**_

Serena was back in the dressing room as she returned into her normal attire. Truth to be told, she didn't want to leave. After meeting Aria who appears to be a great friend so far, Serena thought it would be courteous to stay and watch her for the rest of the contest.

After Serena put her hat back on and got up ready to leave, she was approached by the red-haired girl. Serena put up a sad smile towards Aria, but she also happy that she made it.

"Are you leaving already?" Aria asked.

"Not really. I was going to see if my friends have a spot for me in the audience. I was going to watch more of you and see if I can learn anything from you," Serena explained.

"That's great to hear, it makes me so happy to hear that," Aria told Serena.

"Yeah, after the time we spent the other day, it's fair that I see what else you and your Pokémon can do in contests," Serena explained.

Aria then put her finger over Serena's mouth for some reason.

"Remember Serena, I'm only entering contests to help with my other profession," Aria reminded.

"So, what is it that you do?" Serena asked once more.

"Well, it's something that's similar to contests is all I can say," Aria answered giving a wink.

It was a mystery to Serena. What was Aria's real profession and why was she entering contests as a way to improve. Serena knew this girl was from Kalos and maybe it was something that only occurred there, and contests were the only thing outside of the region that could help her and get her to travel. Serena couldn't help but wonder if she never moved, would she also be in that profession Aria was in?

"Well my battle is going to be second just in case," Aria told Serena.

"Yeah, I did see the brackets," Serena replied, "I got a feeling you're going to do great not only in this contest, but in whatever you're doing."

"Thanks," Aria responded.

With that Serena left the room and Aria watched her leave. As Aria watched her leave, she couldn't help but smile and go into deep thought.

" _I never told you this Serena, but I've seen your other contests since I've been watching them, and I know you have to be an excellent coordinator. I just didn't get to see that today, but hopefully I can to witness that in the future and we can have a real battle,"_ Aria thought to herself, _"If you ever were to be in the Kalos Region, I got a good feeling you would've been a perfect rival for me in Pokémon Performing."_

Aria never told her that she has seen her in previous contests, and she knew that she was something special. Aria then pulled something out of her bag. It was a white marble with a yellow swerve design with a brown swerve on the inside.

" _Maybe I could make Abra happy with this,"_ Aria said to herself.

* * *

 _ **After the first contest battle**_

Aria was standing on the left side of the stage while a boy with brown hair was standing on the right side of the stage.

Ash noticed Serena who was walking through the crowd and he used his hand to signal her to come on over. There was an extra seat for her, so she didn't need to get into anyone's way. As soon as Serena sat down, everyone looked at her.

"Sorry you didn't make it," Ash said as he gave Serena a pat on the back.

"It's okay Ash," Serena replied with a smile.

"There's always the next contest," Leaf reassured Serena.

"I know, and I'll do much better in the next contest," Serena declared, "But right now, I'm going to just sit and watch."

"You still want to be here?" Daisy asked.

"Well yeah, I want to see how Aria is going to do," Serena told Daisy.

Serena did want to get some pointers from Aria in her contest battle. If her Vivillon was any indication of a fantastic Pokémon, who knows what her other Pokémon are capable of.

"It's time for our second match of round two! We have Aria going up against Ashton! Each trainer will have five minutes to display a great performance from their Pokémon! Let's get started!" Lillian announced as the clock began to wind down.

"Come on out Porygon!" Ashton yelled out sending out his Pokémon.

"Let's do this Aromatisse!" Aria yelled out sending out her Pokémon.

Ashton's Pokémon consisted of creature made entirely out of red and blue blocks like some sort of blocky roadrunner, while Aria's Pokémon was a purple furry creature with a pink fur coating on her body like it was some dress with swerved ears with yellow inside, a light blue face and red eyes. This Pokémon was an Aromatisse.

"Now analyzing!" Rotom Dex announced as he analyzed the two Pokémon.

 _#137-Porygon: Virtual Pokémon_

 _The only Pokémon that people anticipate can fly into space. None has managed the feat yet, however._

 _#683-Aromatisse: Fragrance Pokémon_

 _Its scent is so overpowering that, unless a Trainer happens to really enjoy the smell, he or she will have a hard time walking alongside it._

"I should state a fact to you all, Porygon is from the Kanto Region and can be seen in the Kanto Pokedex, Aromatisse is not," Rotom Dex explained to the group.

Well this was going to be interesting to see how a Kalos Pokémon does in battle. True they have seen Frogadier and Braixen battle, but not another Kalos native Pokémon with the exception of when Ash and Serena saw Calem's Quiladin.

"Alright Porygon, use Magnet Rise!" Ashton yelled out.

Porygon started to generate a magnetic force levitating itself off the ground. Aromatisse was not fazed by this one bit.

"Aromatisse use Aromatic Mist!" Aria called out.

Aromatisse started to unleash a soothing purple fragrance substance out onto the battlefield which made her feel much stronger.

"Now use Psybeam!" Ashton commanded.

"Jump and twirl and use Fairy Wind!" Aria called out to Aromatisse.

The Fragrance Pokémon jumped up into the air to dodge Porygon's Psybeam while twirling like a ballerina. Aromatisse then unleashed a Fairy Wind right at Porygon which it couldn't dodge and cost Ashton points.

"Porygon, show that Pokémon your Tri-Attack!" Ashton yelled out.

Porygon unleashed a triangle beam which consisted of fire, ice, and electricity. Aromatisse was seeing the attack come closer and so did Aria.

"I don't think so," Aria said as she gave a wink, "Aromatisse use Psychic to guide that attack back!"

Aromatisse's eyes glowed blue and turned that Tri-Attack around which shocked both Porygon and Ashton. Porygon was hit by his own attack and the Virtual Pokémon began screaming in agony and Ashton saw more points being taken away.

" _Wow, Aria's Aromatisse is very strong. The only other Pokémon I can think who has strong psychic powers like that is Sabrina's Kadabra,"_ Serena thought to herself as she was watching Aria's battle.

"And we finish this with a Moonblast!" Aria announced spreading her arms out.

Aromatisse then created a pink sphere which was generated by Moonlight and shot it right at Porygon. Porygon was unable to move due to the damage it just took from its own attack when Aromatisse guided it right back. With that, Porygon's eyes widened in terror as Moonblast came closer.

The attack finally struck Porygon and a massive shining explosion took the stage which also had some pink mist around it with the help of Aromatisse's Aromatic Mist. Then when Porygon was visible again, it was knocked out and the judges didn't even bother to take a closer look. The red Xs came in.

"The judges have declared Porygon unable to continue! Which means the winner of this contest match is Aria and Aromatisse!" Lillian announced as the screen showed Aria's and Aromatisse's pictures with the word WINNER underneath.

The crowd erupted in cheers after Aria's great display. She and Aromatisse walked to the edge of the stage and gave a bow. Serena was completely amazed by the display Aria and Aromatisse gave. She really figured out how to not only battle but show it off in such a whimsical way. Heck, if Serena did happen to make the cut and face her, she would go out quickly than she did after Abra's appeal.

"She was amazing," Leaf said in shock.

"Wow, if this girl is aiming for the Grand Festival, then Serena's got some competition ahead of her," Rotom Dex muttered.

"What did you think Serena?" Ash asked.

Serena just looked down to see Aria's Aromatisse. That barely was a contest battle at all. Aromatisse was truly showing her beauty and dominating the battle the whole way.

"She's just amazing," Serena said, "There was no way I could've beaten her."

Well in Serena's mind, it was clear she was not going to beat Aria in this contest if they were to go up against each other. Serena had a good feeling that a battle with her is going to be in the making.

* * *

 _ **After the contest**_

The crowd was now standing as it was time for the ribbon awarding ceremony. Aria and Aromatisse breezed through this contest and ended up winning. The other seven coordinators were on stage as Aria was standing with Vivillon and Aromatisse.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to award the Saffron City Contest Ribbon to Aria. She and her Pokémon have put up an amazing display today, and really blew her competition out of the water," Lillian announced.

Aria was then given the Saffron City Contest Ribbon, and everyone gave a huge round of applause. Aria couldn't help but smile when she even saw Ashton and the other two coordinators she beat clap for her really loud. Those three couldn't help but appreciate Aria and her bright attitude which seemed to be spreading all around. Aria was truly a special person.

"Thank you very much, this is my fifth ribbon," Aria told Lillian.

"Well then, congratulations to you Aria!" Lillian announced.

Serena's eyes widened when she heard that. Aria didn't just win, she got access to the Kanto Grand Festival. Serena knew that she would be seeing her again, but the Grand Festival wasn't for quite a while.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

Evening came at the Pokémon Center. Ash and Serena would be leaving tomorrow, but they instead would be going the day after since Frogadier wouldn't be ready to be out until tomorrow. Now that Serena's contest has concluded, there was no reason for them to stay in Saffron City. However, since they would be here an extra day, the two decided that they could spend the whole day doing activities with Leaf and Daisy.

"So where are you guys going next?" Leaf asked.

"Well to be honest, I'm not going to challenge Sabrina anytime soon. I'm going to take this time to get my Pokémon stronger. Nurse Joy told me the closest gym from here is in Fuchsia City," Ash answered.

"And lucky for me, there should be a Pokémon Contest taking place when I get there," Serena replied.

"But the trek from Saffron City to Fuchsia City by foot is almost a month with only small towns along the way," Daisy stated.

"We know, but by the time we get there, there should be another Pokémon Contest taking place," said Serena as she pumped her fists, "And this time I will win my third ribbon."

"That's the spirt Serena, despite your bad day, you're not letting this drag you down," Leaf happily said.

"Yeah, it might with the fact of meeting Aria," Serena told the girls, "Speaking of Aria, I wonder where she is."

Then right on que, Aria was approaching the group as she was back in her original attire and wearing the glassed. She was holding an envelope in one of her hands.

"Hey there everyone," Aria brightly said as she noticed the group.

"Hey Aria, congratulations," Serena said complementing Aria's performance today, "Is that the information on the Grand Festival?"

"Actually…no, it's for umm, something else," Aria answered.

So, what Aria had wasn't information for the Grand Festival, but what could it be for? Maybe it had something to do with her career.

"I see you're in a good mood. There was no reason to have that frown," Aria told Serena.

"Thank you," Serena replied.

"Oh, that reminds me, I got something for you," Aria said as she reached into her purse to grab something, "You were such a great friend, and I was amazed with how you decided to give Abra a chance in this contest that I thought you should have this. I have no use for it, but I'm sure you will."

Aria presented what appeared to be a marble that almost looked like the one she got for Gyarados, and the one Ash got on his birthday for Pidgeotto. This one was white with a yellow swerve and a brown swerve inside. Gyarados has one for herself so Abra should get one too.

"Wow, thanks," Serena said feeling a bit stunned after receiving the marble.

"I prefer this a gift for Abra. It probably doesn't contain any value right now, but I'm sure it will in the future," Aria told Serena.

Serena could remember Leaf's mother Rose saying that to Ash when he got his marble that she suggest he should give to Pidgeotto. So, did these marbles Ash and Serena got mean something?

"Thanks again Aria," Serena told Aria.

"You're welcome," Aria replied with a smile as she adjusted her bag, "Well, it's time for me to go."

"Go, where are you going?" Serena asked.

"I'm going to Pewter City," Aria answered.

"Pewter City, what for?" Serena questioned, "The Grand Festival takes place at Indigo Plateau."

"I just need to take of something before I begin training for the Grand Festival," Aria answered as she then walked towards the exit, "Oh and Serena, I hope we battle again soon."

With that, Aria gave a wink and then walked out of the Pokémon Center. Serena had no clue what Aria was going to be doing in Pewter City, but she had a good feeling it was something good. As soon as Aria was out of sight, she felt a new sense of determination, and Ash, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Leaf, and Daisy could tell she had it in her.

"So, you really are looking forward to seeing Aria again," Ash said with a smile.

"You bet I am, but now knowing how amazing she is, I got to reach her level. No more of these setbacks. I want all of my Pokémon to compete in these contests, but from now on, I want to make sure they can perform past their limits," Serena declared, "So maybe it's time I give all of my Pokémon some good training, including Abra."

"What about Slowpoke?" Rotom Dex questioned.

Serena couldn't help but hang her down and give out a huge sigh. Slowpoke was going to take a while for Serena to get under control. While she wants all of her Pokémon to have a chance, Slowpoke might be the most difficult due to the fact that he is totally blank.

"I don't know," Serena muttered.

"Well once we get out of Saffron City, we can start our training," Ash told Serena, "And next time, Abra will be ready for you."

"That's great, and I can help you prepare for your next gym battle and whenever you plan to take on Sabrina again," Serena told Ash.

"That sounds like a great plan," said Ash giving a thumbs up.

"That so cute that you two are going to prepare together," Leaf squealed.

"If it's okay, can we stick around for a little while so we can help you?" Daisy asked, "I'm sure you could give us some tips on battling."

"That's actually a great idea," Ash responded, "By the time we reach Fuchsia City, the gym leader and all of those coordinators will want to back away from me and Serena."

Ash and Serena were pretty happy that Leaf and Daisy were going to hang with them for a little while. It was great yesterday that Leaf and Daisy met again, and meeting Ash and Serena made things better. It even felt good to get their frustrations about Gary out, and Ash's frustration on his father.

"I know the quickest way to get to Fuchsia City," Leaf said as she looked at her Pokegear, "We go east towards Lavender Town and then follow the trail south from there to Fuchsia City. Like Daisy said, it will take about a month to get there by foot."

"I got the map ready for them," Rotom Dex announced as its screen showed a map highlighting the quickest route from Saffron City to Fuchsia City.

"Great, we'll leave once Frogadier is discharged," Ash announced.

Well, Ash's and Serena's visit to Saffron City wasn't a great one with Ash losing to Gary, Frogadier getting pummeled by Sabrina's Kadabra, and Serena flopping with Abra, but it did have good moments. Ash and Serena had a date, they got to meet Leaf and Daisy again who has agreed to join them for the time being, and Serena made a new friend in Aria. The memories were somewhat mixed, but they hope Fuchsia City did better.

"Well Ash, I was just wondering since we're going to be staying for another day, I think us girls got something planned," Leaf told Ash in a mischievous tone.

Daisy and Serena were getting the gist of what Leaf was talking about, and Ash's face began to get pale. Ash knew what was coming, and he didn't want to live that nightmare, especially with three girls with him. Pikachu and Rotom Dex could tell how Ash was feeling, and they knew it wasn't good either.

"Please don't say it," Ash muttered in fear as Leaf got close to Ash.

"Shopping," Leaf whispered in front of Ash.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Ash screamed to the top of his lungs.

* * *

 _ **Saffron City-Silph Company**_

The Silph Company heard that loud scream from Ash, but they chose to ignore it. Things lately have been stressful for Hector at the Silph Company. Ever since Namba become the head scientist of the Silph Company, the scientists have been working day and night to perfect the Master Ball.

Hector has been given little time to relax and that has taken a toll on seeing Lapras. The little Transport Pokémon was starting to feel kind of worried. Hector would always come in with a smile to greet Lapras and know how he's doing, but now things looked different. The man she once saw was starting to become somewhat bitter, and this was due to the lack of rest.

Hector walked in and gave Lapras the right amount of food he's been giving her. Hector had a tired look on his face as the work was starting to take a toll on him.

"Here's your food, goodnight," Hector muttered.

"Laa," Lapras replied.

"I have to go Lapras, we have to put all of our time on the Master Ball because our new bosses said so," Hector told Lapras in a stern tone.

"Laaa," Lapras cried.

"Well I don't have fucking time for you Lapras! Sometimes there are more important things to do than babysit you if I wish to keep my job!" Hector screamed as she left slamming the door shut.

Lapras couldn't help but have tears come out of her eyes. The scientist who helped save her life and cared for her, was now becoming bitter and mean towards her. This really hurt Lapras's heart. Lapras probably didn't know it, but things could get worse for her.

Lapras has escaped one hell only to possibly fall into another.

* * *

 **The truth is, I purposely had Serena tank her appeal. The reason was if Abra were to get contest experience, then this would help Abra push himself to get better and it looks like the only way would be for him to evolve. Don't worry, Serena's Fuchsia City Contest is going to go a lot better than this one.**

 **Aria is actually a little younger in this fanfiction. She is twelve and doesn't contain her Kalos Queen title yet, and she enters Pokémon Contests to further her skills as a Pokémon Performer. Kind of the same thing Serena did in the anime. That was generous of Aria to give Serena what happened to be an Alakazamite. THIRD MEGA STONE, BAM!**

 **You'll know what Aria is doing in Pewter City sometime in the future, and Serena will be involved in it too.**

 **Another thing about Pokémon Contests in this fanfiction, cities do tend to have more than one contest in that city a year. So, with that in mind there will be another Pokémon Contest in Saffron City. Serena will compete in that contest when our couple revisits Saffron City.**

 **Don't worry about Frogadier's back, it's only going to bother him a little bit for the time being, so he'll be fine. However, it does play a role in foreshadowing.**

 **Ash and Serena of course will go to Fuchsia City next as that is where Ash's next gym battle will be along with Serena's next contest. I won't tell you when Ash faces Sabrina next, all I will say is that Sabrina won't be the gym leader he gets his fifth badge from.**

 **I put a new poll up and it's more of a guessing poll in the form of a fill in the blank. It should read "The Marsh Badge will be Ash's _** **th** **badge." It won't affect the story since I know when Ash faces Sabrina again.**

 **By the way, I completed this chapter on my vacation here in Toronto. I'll be going home tomorrow though.**

 **I'm really looking forward to the upcoming chapters I have coming up. First up though, we're going to have another interlude. This interlude will follow Munchlax as we get to know him a little more and take the time to prepare for the big arc involving him.**

 **Interlude III: Munchlax's Adventure**


	40. Interlude III-Munchlax's Adventure

**Here is the third interlude. I am going to start this chapter with a warning so pay attention.**

 **There is going to be an extremely violent arc coming up soon, it will follow the fourth interlude. I just want to warn you that there will be things in that arc that will be extremely intense, and I will advise that ALL readers read at their own risk. You've probably have seen parts in the story why this is an M rated fanfiction, and this arc that will be coming up is a good reason why.**

 **So, with that being said, I am probably going to be writing things in that arc that are going to be extremely graphic and not for those readers whom appeared to be very squeamish. If I do find good ways to tone it down, I might do that, but please note that this arc does play in integral part in the story and it has to be done.**

 **To be honest, once I get to that arc, I'll probably consider not posting all the chapters in that arc until it's complete and I'll update one chapter at a time so that way you can skip it if you want, and I can give you a recap on key events that happened. I'm sorry, but I'm not turning back since it plays a huge part in the story, but I will keep giving you warnings, and I want you to be ready when it comes.**

 **JUST REMEMBER, it begins after the fourth interlude!**

 **Now with that out of the way, I give you the third interlude which stars Munchlax as we take the time to see what he's up too. Then we're going to join Ash and Serena again as I got a surprise for you involving the next chapter.**

 **I don't own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Unknown Part in Kanto**_

The sun was rising. The Pokémon were waking up from their nightly slumbers all across the area. However, there was one place where most wild Pokémon would live in harmony. A grotto in a giant tree. This grotto was home to many Pokémon who seek shelter after losing their trainers or being abandoned, and it was one Pokémon who cared for all of them.

It was a Snorlax who was the offspring of Red Ketchum's Snorlax. That Snorlax was his father, and he even was able to introduce his father to his mother which allowed them to have him. After Red and his parents let him go into the wild, he met another Snorlax and they had an egg together. However, his mate was killed by Team Rocket and he had to care for the egg himself. This Snorlax was strong, and after that horrific experience, he found this grotto and welcomed any weary Pokémon. No one knew about this place, so they would be safe from bad people like Team Rocket.

Sleeping next to that Snorlax was a smaller version of Snorlax who happened to be his son, Munchlax, Snorlax's pre-evolved form. Munchlax was beginning to open his eyes and gave out a big yawn stretching his arms out. Munchlax must've had the idea that it was morning already. Munchlax turned over to see his dad was still sleeping.

"Dad," Munchlax said.

Snorlax however didn't hear his son as he continued to sleep like a baby. Snorlax's were known to be heavy sleepers and the only way a trainer could awaken a Snorlax is with a Pokeflute. Even though he was a heavy sleeper, Snorlax made sure to have Pokémon keep an eye out for anything suspicious so they can awake him.

"Dad!" Munchlax explained.

Snorlax grumbled as he began to squint and open his eyes. Snorlax turned his head to see that it was his own son calling him out.

"Morning son," Snorlax mumbled.

"Dad, I want to go exploring," Munchlax told his dad.

"Not now son, I'm resting," Snorlax mumbled.

"Come on dad, you say for now that I can't go anywhere by myself," Munchlax pouted.

"Give me about another hour or two," Snorlax mumbled as he fell back asleep.

Munchlax was feeling pretty disappointed in the fact his father was sleeping. Munchlax really wanted to go out there and see what it was like. He wouldn't wonder off too far.

"Munchlax my child," a voice responded.

Munchlax turned around to see an elderly looking Kadabra. While Snorlax was considered their leader, when he was asleep, this Kadabra would watch over and help sense if something was coming.

"Kadabra, my dad is sleeping, and I wanted to go exploring," Munchlax muttered, "Do you think you could take me."

"I'm afraid not Munchlax. You see we need a good set of eyes just in case anyone should stumble into this grotto," Kadabra explained.

Munchlax then hung his head down as not even Kadabra could take him with. Kadabra looked at Munchlax and understood that down look he had. He then smiled at Munchlax.

"Tell you what Munchlax, you can go if you bring a friend with you. Being with your dad is fun, but being with friends is much more exciting," Kadabra explained in a wise tone.

Munchlax knew how wise Kadabra was. If his dad was passed out napping, he could just turn to Kadabra for some advice. Kadabra was one of the Pokémon that Snorlax found around eight months ago. His trainer died in the wilderness as his trainer was old, and Snorlax was able to spot the Kadabra and take him in as a second set of eyes so he could take some stress off of him.

"That sounds like a plan, thanks Kadabra," Munchlax said.

"Anytime my child," Kadabra replied.

Munchlax walked off to find someone in the grotto who could join him on an adventure. As Kadabra was watching Munchlax, he had this strange feeling that he would meet someone one day that he could look like a father, and maybe even more to his own father. Only time would tell if that happened.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Inside the grotto, there was a workshop made by one of the Pokémon. This Pokémon was able to craft all sort of goods and even had some fruit to give out. The Pokémon was a Seel only with a blue hat backwards and a belt.

Seel was taking the time to work on a contraption with big tree branches and a half-opened grapefruit with a melon inside. He appeared to be making a catapult just in case there needed to be defenses inside or outside.

"Okay, now to try this baby out," Seel said as he adjusted the rope and pulled it.

The catapult launched a melon onto a painted target Seel had in his workplace. It was a perfect strike and Seel pumped his fins. Seel truly was one of the handy Pokémon in the grotto who really help construct devices to help make life easier for the Pokémon living here.

"Alright, the catapult works like a charm," Seel said to himself proudly, "Now if I can construct more, maybe we can teach the Pokémon here how to use one."

While it was true that Pokémon knew attacks, most of the Pokémon didn't use attacks and Seel was one of them. The few Pokémon Seel knew that could use attacks were Snorlax and Kadabra, everyone else just stay around to live in peace. Seel knew that the best way for a Pokémon to learn attacks is from a human Pokémon trainer who can bring out the potential in them, as long as they were good.

Seel began to jot some notes down and peeking inside was none other than Munchlax. Munchlax was introduced to Seel by his father, and his father introduced him to the other Pokémon as well. However, Seel was the one he tended to have the best connections with since living here.

"Ah Seel, you sure know how to make living here much easier," Seel said to himself as he finished jotting his notes down.

Munchlax walked inside to check on Seel. He didn't want to startle him if he was doing something important, but the fact he was writing notes was all he was doing might have made sense that it was safe to approach him.

"Hey Seel," Munchlax brightly greeted.

Seel shook in shock by the surprise greeting and then turned around to only see Snorlax's son. Maybe Munchlax was wrong about approaching him at that time.

"Oh, hey Munchlax. What's new?" Seel asked.

"Well Seel, since I consider you my best friend, I was insisting if you want to go exploring with me," Munchlax told Seel.

Seel was a little bewildered by what Munchlax said. Go exploring with him. No one ever asked Seel to just come out with him as most of the Pokémon knew he was busy with his work. Seel on the other hand had a neutral expression as he wasn't sure how to handle this.

"Exploring with you?" Seel questioned.

"Yeah, I want to get out there and check things out. I would ask dad, but he's sleeping," Munchlax told Snorlax.

"I don't know," Seel said in an unsure tone.

Munchlax really wanted to get outside, but feared Seel could be busy and wouldn't go. Munchlax wasn't quite sure who else he wanted to bring with. Then something came up in Munchlax's head. Seel was one of the more-handy Pokémon in the grotto, and maybe getting out of this grotto could help him.

"Think of it this way Seel, if we travel together, you can find many different resources on much more things you could make for us," Munchlax stated.

Seel knew Munchlax made a good point. Most of the things he has made have come from tree branches and fruit, and he's done a great job. Maybe there would be much better resources out there, and plus Munchlax would be satisfied.

"Ah what the hell, you only live once," Seel said as he stuck his fin out in which Munchlax gave a high five.

* * *

 _ **Outside the grotto**_

It has been over ten minutes since Munchlax and Seel left the grotto. Munchlax was running around seeing all kinds of things such as the beautiful trees, a tranquil lake, and a whole bunch of Pokémon inhabiting the area. There were Oddishs sucking in the pollen that was around, there were Magikarp that were swimming in the lake, a couple of Spearow peacefully sitting on top of trees in their nests.

Yes, it looked like all the Pokémon were truly happy. Seeing all of this made Munchlax's thirst for adventure higher. If he was amazed by what was just nearby the tree, who knows what else the world could have.

"It's amazing to see all of these Pokémon," Munchlax said as he then looked over to Seel, "I thought all of the Pokémon live with dad."

"No, Pokémon can live out here around the tree too. Where we live is mostly a refugee for those Pokémon who were deserted by their trainers and can't make it on their own," Seel explained.

"Does that mean we can't ever leave the tree?" Munchlax asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure your father would love for you to see the world. I only stay because I have nowhere to go and that I can provide my services for all the Pokémon that live with us," Seel explained.

"What if there's danger? Do the Pokémon just stay here?" Munchlax questioned.

"Actually no, if there's danger and depending on how bad it is, your father would try to get everyone to gather all the Pokémon nearby and into the tree where we live," Seel explained.

Munchlax was gaining some information from Seel, and he made a good point. His father did tell him that his mother was killed by a bad group of people called Team Rocket. Snorlax never wanted any Pokémon to live through the trauma he went through so he would do whatever he could to protect the Pokémon.

Then Munchlax noticed a group of Pokémon that were being attacked by a flock of Spearow. There was an Elekid, a Magby, and a small pink Pokémon with blonde hair, big eyes, and big lips, a Smoochum. The three Pokémon were holding onto berries that they had, and the Spearow were trying to peck at them.

"Seel, those Pokémon are in trouble!" Munchlax cried.

"Sigh, those Spearow. Didn't they listen not to go after the kid Pokémon," Seel said as he shook his head.

Seel went into his belt and brought out a rope. Despite making things out of the resources around them, he did still have some materials back when he was with his old trainer when shipping supplies. Seel tossed the rope onto a tree branch and grabbed on and began swinging like he was on a grappling hook. Seel then swung harder and harder until he flung himself towards the Spearow.

The Spearow all saw Seel coming and they began to fly away. Munchlax was amazed at what Seel was capable of with his tools. The three Pokémon looked at Seel as he was getting up.

"Thank you for saving us," Magby exclaimed.

"You're welcome," Seel said giving a bow, "So what was the deal with you and those Spearow?"

"We'll all we were doing mister was getting some berries that me and my friends could eat," Elekid explained.

"That's right, and then those Spearow saw us and tried to peck at our berries," Smoochum told Seel.

"Where did you get those berries?" Seel asked.

"We found them near a nest," Smoochum answered.

When Smoochum gave the answer, Seel took the time to put everything together. Seel may have gotten a theory that those berries may have belonged to the Spearow and thought that they were stealing from them.

"I think where it went wrong kids. I think the berries you found came near the Spearow's nest and they thought you were stealing them," Seel explained.

"We didn't know it was theirs," Elekid said in shock realizing what they just did.

"It's okay. But next time you kids should be more aware of where you find these things, you understand," Seel told the kid Pokémon.

"Yes mister," all three responded in union as they bowed.

"Good, I'll let you eat those berries. Just next time watch where you get your food," Seel reassured the Pokémon.

With that, Seel departed from the kids as they happily ate their berries while learning a lesson. Munchlax has got to be impressed with Seel. Maybe he was learning from his father.

"Those kids tend to get into trouble sometimes," Seel said as he shook his head.

"This wasn't the first time?" Munchlax questioned.

"Yeah, last time they wanted to play jump rope and thought they had a soft tree branch, but it was an Ekans and her mother Arbok was pretty pissed at them," Seel explained.

"Heh, kids," Munchlax snorted.

"Hey, you're still one Munchlax," Seel told Munchlax.

"Oh, sorry," Munchlax replied.

With that, Munchlax and Seel continued to walk through the forest. As he turned his head around and watched those three kid Pokémon, he couldn't help but appreciate what Seel did. Munchlax would really hope to be like that one day helping Pokémon out to keep things in order, unless he is captured by a trainer.

* * *

 _ **One hour later**_

Munchlax has been walking over an hour now and was feeling pretty hungry. Seel was observing the area as it appeared he didn't even feel familiar with it. Something was telling Seel that this might not be a safe place to be and Munchlax should turn around.

"Seel, I'm hungry," Munchlax muttered.

"Here, I got us a few mangos," Seel said as he got two mangos out of his belt.

Munchlax kindly accepted the gesture and took one of the mangos from Seel. Munchlax opened his mouth and put the mango in as a whole. Then he chewed it for about a minute until he swallowed it. While the mango was delicious, it didn't completely satisfy Munchlax's need.

"Thanks, Seel, but I don't think this will do," Munchlax told Seel.

Munchlax looked around to see if there was another abundance of food around. As Munchlax looked at the trees, he could see a whole bunch of apples. Some were bright red while others were a bright green. Apples were indeed a healthy nutritious fruit.

"What about those apples?" Munchlax asked pointing to the apples.

"I don't know Munchlax, those apples might now be in safe territory," Seel responded nervously looking at the apples.

Seel remembered about those kids who took berries from a Spearow nest, so there was no telling if any Pokémon was guarding these apples. Munchlax looked around to make sure no one was around. There wasn't any particular Pokémon in the premise so that was good.

"I don't see anyone around Seel," Munchlax told Seel, "I'm going to help myself."

"Okay, just be careful," Seel told Munchlax.

Seel decided to hide behind a bush while Munchlax approached one of the trees. Munchlax couldn't help but be amazed by the beauty of nature's fruit. The Big Eater Pokémon began to jump up and climb the tree himself. However, once he made his first attempt at climbing, the tree was shaking, and the apples came down. This could be due to Munchlax's weight since they were an average 231 pounds.

Munchlax could see all the piles of apples that were on the ground. Munchlax smiled at he had himself a good load of apples. He turned around to see Seel with an unreadable expression.

"Piece of cake," Munchlax said as he tossed Seel an apple.

The Sea Lion Pokémon gracefully accepted the apple while Munchlax had himself a nice meal in front of him. Munchlax grabbed apples one by one and started eating them. Seel had somewhat of a worried look on his face wondering if he touched the property of another Pokémon.

Then suddenly, a jeep appears to be driving towards the group. The man driving the jeep noticed the Pokémon eating the apples. He wasn't pleased seeing Munchlax out here. He narrowed his eyes and stopped the jeep right next to Munchlax. This caught Munchlax's attention, and Seel looked over to see who it was. The man stepped out of the jeep and looked down at Munchlax with his hands on his hips.

"What do you think you're doing here?" the man questioned.

Munchlax looked at the man that was looking over him. This appeared to be an older man who looked to have some authority. He wore a light brown mountaineer hat, a beige button up shirt, black pants, and shiny black shoes. This man looked almost like he could be a park ranger.

"Munchlax," Munchlax mumbled as he still had food in his mouth.

"Did you happen to think that you could come in here and eat whatever you want," the man responded in a tough tone.

"You don't know who I am don't you?" the man questioned, "The name's Shepard. Me and all the other rangers here run the show in this territory, making sure we get rid of any troublemakers."

Munchlax heard what this man said. He was just a ranger who keeps the area safe from bad people.

"You know, keep it safe for explorers so they don't get attacked by thugs or thug Pokémon," Shepard stated as he glared at Munchlax, "Tell me, are you a thug Pokémon as well?"

Wait, Shepard thought Munchlax was a troublemaker? He didn't do anything wrong, all he just wanted to do was get himself a little snack. Munchlax shook his head no, as he just wanted something to eat.

"I don't believe that for a second," Shepard glazed.

Seel was pretty frightened for Munchlax. He remembers ranger Shepard, he isn't just overprotective, but has proven to be pretty cruel, even when it comes to the smallest things. Seel was practicing some basket weaving and how to raise them only to be seen by Shepard and had a shotgun pointed at him which scared him off. Thankfully he didn't see Shepard after he ran so he didn't know that they were in a grotto in the big tree.

Then Shepard didn't pull out a gun, but he pulled out a taser and shocked Munchlax with it. The Big Eater Pokémon collapsed to the ground and Shepard prepared to pick him up. Shepard struggled to lift him off the ground on the count of how heavy he was.

"Man, what does this thing weight, a million pounds," Shepard cried as he still tried to pick up Munchlax.

Shepard was struggling to lift the Pokémon as he was straining his back. Shepard then let go of Munchlax and panted. Boy this thing was heavy. Shepard then picked up his walkie talkie and made a call.

"This is Ranger Shepard reporting of a suspicious Pokémon just two miles of the ranger station. I need some assistance loading this Pokémon into the jeep on the count of how heavy it is. Over!" Shepard called out on his radio.

"This is Ranger Claude I'll be reporting there in approximately 3 minutes. Over!" the other voice who revealed their named to be Claude responded.

Seel's eyes widened as he saw that this cruel ranger was going to be taking Munchlax in. He didn't do anything wrong. While waiting for his partner, Shepard reached into his pocket and pulled out a carton of cigarettes and a lighter. He lit the lighter and began smoking his cigarette, letting out a puff of smoke.

Then right on que, another jeep pulls up right next to Shepard's. The man stepped out of the jeep and he appeared to be wearing the same kind of outfit as Shepard only he insisted on wearing a light blue button up shirt.

"Claude," Shepard said as he pointed to the fainted Munchlax.

"What was this Pokémon doing?" Claude questioned.

"Trespassing," Shepard responded.

"And what kind of activities was this Pokémon doing when you found him?" Claude asked with a hint of authority.

"Just load him in the jeep," Shepard ordered.

"We're going to just take a Pokémon without any consent on what it was actually doing and take it back to the station?" Claude asked,.

Shepard heard out Claude, and all he did was give him a serious glare. Claude was thinking that Shepard may be going a bit overboard with this Munchlax.

"Listen here Claude, I'm head ranger which makes me your boss. You are to follow my orders," Shepard ordered, "Now help me load this fat ass Pokémon into my jeep!"

"Yes sir," Claude responded as he just sighed.

Claude helped Shepard pick up Munchlax to put him in the trunk of his jeep. Claude was struggling as he realized that this Pokémon was heavy. No wondered Shepard needed his help.

" _No wonder this Pokémon is so heavy. This is a Munchlax, the pre-evolved form of a Snorlax who are hell of a lot heavier!"_ Claude screamed in his mind.

The two were able to pick up Munchlax and slowly carried him to the jeep. The trunk was already opened, and Shepard and Claude carefully put the Big Eater Pokémon inside. Seel's eyes widened with horror as he saw Snorlax's son who was also his friend get captured by these rangers.

"Now let's go," Shepard ordered as he got into the jeep.

Claude returned to his jeep feeling down about the Munchlax. Claude knew that his boss took protecting the area pretty extreme and never took the time to actually know if those Pokémon were causing trouble or not. Seel on the other hand was not going to let anything happen to Munchlax. When Shepard had his back turned, he slipped past him and headed for Claude's jeep where he opened up the trunk and hopped in. Seel was assuming that both of them were heading back to the ranger station which is why Seel jumped in.

With that, the two jeep engines ignited and they both drove off.

* * *

 _ **Ranger Station**_

A couple of minutes later, Shepard and Claude both returned to the ranger station. It looked like a log cabin that you would find when attending a ski resort in the mountains. Shepard and Claude carried the Pokémon back inside, but little did they know, Seel popped out of Claude's trunk and looked at the cabin.

When Munchlax was inside the cabin, he could tell that this was a ranger station. There were logged walls, desks, radios, a fireplace, and a few more rooms. There were also some maps and posters along with a calendar. Some of those poster consist of wanted posters such as members of Team Rocket and notable Pokémon poachers such as Rico, Hunter J, and of course…Siegfried.

There was a man sitting at a desk who appeared to be wearing the same clothes as Shepard, but he wasn't wearing his hat. He had a brown hair short flattop. He appeared to be another ranger who works with them.

"Shepard, Claude, what are you doing with that Pokémon?" the ranger asked.

"This troublemaker Pokémon was caught trespassing and I'm going to get some words from it," Shepard answered.

"Exactly what did it do?" the ranger asked.

"None of your business Pedansky!" Shepard yelled revealing the other ranger as Pedansky.

"Maybe the Pokémon was lost, and you shouldn't be so hard on it until you get the whole story," Pedansky stated.

Claude rolled his eyes at what Pedansky said. His superior surely doesn't know the whole ordeal with Munchlax and what he was doing.

"I'm head ranger, we do what I say," Shepard growled, "Anymore crap like that and you're out of here!"

"Yes sir," Pedansky hastily responded giving a salute.

Shepard and Claude took Munchlax into an isolated room with a table and some lights. The two rangers let out their breaths after carrying such a heavy Pokémon.

"Ranger Shepard, why do you always have to be so cruel?" Claude asked.

"To keep this area safe for all travelers. I get paid good money to make sure that there are no crumbums people or Pokémon in this airspace, and if things are good, I can get a good increase in my paycheck," Shepard answered.

"It's about your own bank account isn't it?" Claude asked.

"At least I do my job where I'm a real hard ass, not a soft pansy looking the other way like you and Pedansky along with the other rangers," Shepard growled, "Now no more questions or you're out of here, you understand."

"Sir, yes sir," Claude responded giving a salute.

Munchlax was beginning to open his eyes and realized where he was. He was inside some sort of room and he saw that ranger once more glaring at him. All he wanted was a snack, and now he gets attacked like this.

"Good, you're awake," Shepard growled.

"Munchlax," Munchlax muttered.

"Now I want answers from you. What were you doing in my territory?" Shepard questioned as he pulled out a shotgun and pointed it at Munchlax.

Munchlax was feeling pretty nervous with that shotgun. It was almost like he was threating him and when he just wanted a snack. Munchlax did his best to explain what he was doing as he was just exploring and got hungry. Shepard didn't understand what he was saying since he was a Pokémon and just narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Shepard said.

"Shepard, it's a Pokémon, we don't speak Pokémon," Claude stated, "And I don't think that shotgun is going to help the matters."

"Quiet!" Shepard yelled as he turned back to Munchlax, "Now I've never seen you in these parts which means you're some foreign Pokémon which makes things off. Believe me, I know where this is going."

Munchlax wasn't sure what this ranger was talking about. He could tell that this man was not friendly.

"You've ever heard of Team Rocket?" Shepard questioned still pointing the shotgun at Munchlax.

Munchlax nodded his head as he has heard of them. His father told him the story of how that horrible group of people killed his mother before he was born. In fact, that's one of the main reason his dad refugees all the Pokémon in the grotto is from people like Team Rocket.

"You have, I knew it. You're part of them!" Shepard yelled as he pulled the trigger.

It looked like Munchlax's short life flashed before his eyes as it appeared he was going to be shot. However, at the last second, Claude tackled Shepard to the ground causing him to lose aim and shot at the wall instead and losing the shotgun.

"What's the meaning of this Claude!" Shepard screamed, "I'm in charge, you don't interfere with me!"

"You were trying to shoot an innocent Pokémon!" Claude yelled.

"That Pokémon was part of Team Rocket you jackass!" Shepard yelled.

"You asked if he heard of them which he agreed, there wasn't any proof that he was part of them!" Claude yelled.

"If these strange Pokémon know about that terrorist organization, then there's no telling they're coming out here to wreak havoc," Shepard growled.

Munchlax couldn't believe it. Shepard actually thought that he was part of Team Rocket, the criminal organization that killed his mother. Munchlax would never be part of a group like that.

"What happened?" Pedansky frantically asked.

"Claude interfered with me killing this terrorist Pokémon," Shepard answered.

"Exactly how is this Pokémon a terrorist?" Pedansky asked.

"I questioned if it heard of Team Rocket, and it nodded yes meaning he was a terrorist Pokémon working for that terrorist organization," Shepard explained.

"We don't have evidence," Claude told Shepard.

Shepard gave Claude a death stare. How dare he question the way he works. Pedansky knew that Claude was in trouble and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Claude, you have served me for the last 15 years and at times you want us all to go soft on these punks," Shepard told Claude.

"Sir," Claude responded.

"Can it! I'm getting sick of this, so this is your final warning. If you ever interfere with my business again, you're fired," Shepard said, "And I will send the word out and get you blacklisted."

Claude looked down on the ground and shook. He has served the rangers for 15 years and at times helped other rangers show the way. Shepard has not been encourage with the way Claude tends to soften things up and not get completely harsh. Claude makes sure to follow orders most of the times to stay on Shepard's good side but letting him kill a Pokémon when there was no evidence pointing to it being part of Team Rocket was just disgusting.

Unfortunately, Claude may be forced to lose his kindness just so he can keep his job. He has a wife and kids to look after, and if he loses his job and can't get another one, who knows where his family could be. The same could be said for the other rangers. Claude only wanted to protect people and Pokémon, but he didn't want to be so harsh on them, but he fears he may have no other choice.

"I just want to make sure those troublemakers are corrupted of any courage causing trouble here, understand," Shepard told Claude.

"Yes sir," Claude responded in a quiet manner.

"Louder," Shepard responded.

"Yes sir!" Claude responded giving a salute but with worry.

"Good," Shepard replied.

Shepard looked at Munchlax who was still frightened when he was about to shoot him. Shepard now just had a questioning look on what he was going to do with Munchlax. Shepard puts his hands on his hips and sighed.

"Tell you what Claude, I'll lock this Pokémon up for the time being. At least it won't be causing trouble anywhere," Shepard said, "But any funny business, and he's dead!"

"That…sounds…reasonable," Claude replied with an authority tone.

* * *

 _ **Back outside**_

Meanwhile, Seel was looking at the cabin and he got frightened that Munchlax was shotgun to sleep and then he heard the shouting going on inside. Seel was scared to know that Munchlax could be dead. If Snorlax found out that his son was dead, he had a good feeling that he could give him something worse than a shotgun to the face.

"I hope Munchlax isn't dead because if he is, I'm going to be hearing a lot from Snorlax about it," Seel said to himself.

Seel needed to hope that Munchlax was still alive. The question that was running through Seel's head was how was he going to get in. If those rangers found out he was here or inside, they wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. What was Seel going to do?

Then a moment later, the doorknob was turning and Seel was able to notice it. Seel hid to the side and knowing where the hinges were, Seel stood on the side with the hinges. The door opened and coming out was Claude and Pedansky who had a carton of cigarettes and a lighter on him. Seel peeked behind as he saw the rangers going in the other direction which meant, this was possibly Seel's chance of getting in. Pedansky then closed the door with him and Claude going off to the side.

"You know, most of the I can't stand Shepard," Claude said as he was handed a cigarette, "No thanks, I don't smoke."

"Sorry," Pedansky said as he took the cigarette for himself, "I know what you mean. I understand that we have to keep this place safe, but not at the cost of being completely harsh on everyone."

"Seriously, he wanted to kill a Munchlax because he thought it was part of Team Rocket when there was no evidence," Claude seriously stated.

"If we killed that Munchlax, even if it were to be part of Team Rocket, we be in serious trouble with law enforcement," Pedansky said as he smoked and let out a puff of smoke, "Shepard needs to know that leads to a bad reputation for us rangers."

Seel gave a sigh of relief when he heard that. At least Munchlax was alive, but what was his condition? He would have to find out once he got in. Even though Seel wanted to get in and save Munchlax, he couldn't help but hear out Claude and Pedansky on what they're saying about Shepard.

"Agreed, and if Munchlax were part of any gang or someone who was bad, it wouldn't been in the care of the Pokémon G-Men," Claude told Pedansky.

"Yeah, and we all know one of their top members is Lance, part of the Kanto Elite Four," Pedansky stated, "If Lance were to have known what Shepard was doing, he would have it out for him."

"I know what you mean Pedansky, I'm just sick of Shepard's ways," Claude said with despair in his voice, "The only reason I follow his orders is because he's our boss and I want to keep my job."

Claude then looked down beginning to shake in despair. It just hurts that he may have to throw all of his kindness away just to keep his job.

"I just worry that I'm going to have to throw away all of my understanding just to keep doing what I do. I do this for my wife and kids, and I want them to know how much I care about the safety of others," Claude explained closing his eyes.

"Yeah, and Shepard doesn't have a wife and kids of his own. He only thinks about himself and what he thinks is considered dangerous instead of knowing what's right," Pedansky said in a smug tone.

Seel can understand that these rangers aren't as bad, it was just that one who captured Munchlax. Seel couldn't help but feel bad that these men could be on the verge of slipping down the path of being cruel.

He didn't want to dwell too much on that right now. His main intention right now was to rescue Munchlax. Seel jumped up and turned the doorknob. Despite Seel having flippers, he was pretty intelligent in opening doors. Once the door opened, Seel quickly closed it, but quietly so Shepard or any of the other rangers would hear. Just because Shepard was the only bad ranger doesn't mean other rangers can report him, so he has to be careful.

Seel was now inside the ranger station. He was looking around to see where his good friend Seel was being kept.

"Alright Munchlax, where are you," Seel said to himself quietly.

Though humans couldn't understand Pokémon speech didn't mean Seel can keep his mouth shut as they can hear. Seel proceeded to look through the station. He definitely couldn't have been kept in a drawer because of how big he was, unless he was put in a Pokeball. No, he couldn't have, he was going to shoot him just a second ago.

Then Seel heard some noises coming from another room. It sounded like someone else was in there. It actually sounded like Shepard's voice. Seel noticed the voice was coming from the door on the left which was cracked opened. He peeked through the crack of the door to see what was going on.

Inside Shepard was sitting at his desk reading a magazine which feature a hot woman in a bikini kneeling and tossing a Pokeball in the air. Shepard was getting all drolly mouth reading the magazine.

"Oh yeah baby, I would love to have you challenge me like that," Shepard giggled as he looked at the magazine.

Seel had no idea what was going on with Shepard. The Sea Lion Pokémon probably had no idea that this guy wasn't just cruel, but possibly a pervert as well. He probably was reading a porno. He ignored his behavior right now and continued to look around until Seel found what he was looking for.

Munchlax was sitting in a cage silent. He didn't move as he didn't want to cause any commotion with the head ranger. Munchlax also ignored what was going through Shepard's mind reading that magazine.

"Munchlax," Seel muttered.

Seel then quietly slipped through the door letting it open a little more, but he made sure it wasn't opening too loudly so Shepard didn't notice. Then again, Shepard's mind was too much on that magazine and the girl in it. Shepard flipped the page and got horny again as there was another hot girl in the magazine. Looks like that magazine was a perfect distraction for him.

Seel quietly moved through the room until he got up to the table. This was a danger zone for Seel since he was out in the open with Munchlax. Seel quickly went into his belt to get something.

"Seel," Munchlax whispered.

"Not now Munchlax, right now we got to get you out of here," Seel whispered as he got out a pin.

Seel inserted the pin into the lock and jiggled it around until the cage finally opened. Seel quietly opened the cage allowing Munchlax to be freed.

"Come on," Seel gestured to Munchlax.

"Oh baby! You really are a beauty!" Shepard exclaimed as he got horny looking at another hot girl.

Munchlax quickly got out of the cage and Seel followed him. Munchlax jumped off the table which caused a small vibration. Unfortunately, it was enough to draw Shepard's attention.

"What the," Shepard muttered as he looked around only to see Munchlax out of his cage and Seel helping him, "YOU!"

"Seel!" Seel cried telling Munchlax to run for it.

Munchlax quickly waddled out of Shepard's office. Seel realized Shepard could actually catch him as Munchlax wasn't completely fast. Seel decided to stand guard and confront Shepard himself as the ranger glared at him.

"So, you're the crumbum who's breaking the rocket Pokémon out," Shepard said in disgust looking down at Seel.

Munchlax was getting out as quickly as he could, but then something caught his eye. He stopped for a moment to look at the wanted posters. He knew he was supposed to escape, but Munchlax wanted to look at those posters. He noticed that those wanted posters included men wearing black and had red Rs on their uniforms who happened to be anyone with Team Rocket as the poster labeled.

" _So those are the people dad were talking about,"_ Munchlax thought to himself.

He also studied the other posters including the poster of the evil Pokémon poacher Rico who had green hair, the woman with silver hair going by the name Hunter J who captures Pokémon for profit, and the man who was bald wearing sunglasses Siegfried who goes around killing Pokémon for the heck of it.

" _I'm guessing those people are bad too."_ Munchlax thought to himself.

Munchlax was understanding that the wanted posters meant those were bad people, and as his father and Shepard pointed out, Team Rocket were no good humans. Also taking judgement, the three other people were considered no good humans as well.

" _Wait a minute, I shouldn't be looking up at those posters. I got to get out of here,"_ Munchlax thought to himself as he made a run for it.

Munchlax was able to get out of the ranger station and he made sure the other rangers did not spot him. As Claude and Pedansky were standing outside, they received a message from their radios.

"Attention all rangers," a voice responded on their radios.

Back in Shepard's office, Shepard was looking at Seel while on his radio calling out to the other rangers.

"We have ourselves a fugitive Munchlax, and I have cornered the Pokémon that served as the accessory to its escape! All rangers search the area for that Munchlax and bring it back to the station, over!" Shepard called out on his radio while he looked back at Seel, "My men will bring your little fat ass friend back here, and you two are going to be in so much trouble."

Seel was looking at Shepard as he was trying to figure out what he could do to get past him. He analyzed possible solutions and realized that maybe the best opening was above him. Seel used his tail to bounce himself up and over Shepard and when he landed, he slid down the floor since it was buffed and wasn't beaten up. Seel didn't have any splinters as they took care of the floor in the ranger station.

Shepard turned around and saw Seel making a run for it. He got out of the ranger station just in time and noticed that no one else was out there. They must've been out searching for Munchlax. Seel realized he needed to hide and that he needed to not be spotted by Shepard or any of the rangers.

"Munchlax, where are you?" Seel questioned to himself wondering where his friend was.

"Seel," a voice called out.

Then Seel noticed a bush shaking. That was where the voice was coming from, but who was in that bush that knew Seel? There was only one way to find out and that was to embark into the bush.

As Seel got in, he noticed that it was Munchlax who was hiding in the bushes. Seel couldn't help but feel amazed that Munchlax probably knew what he was doing. Munchlax wasn't completely fast so hiding was the best option.

"Munchlax, I'm so glad you're alright," Seel said in relief.

"This stinks, all I wanted was some fruit and then this guy shows up acting like he owns the place, and now probably wants me dead because I might be with Team Rocket," Munchlax muttered.

"Hey Munchlax, I think it would be best to head back to the grotto. Now that we got these rangers out looking for us, I wouldn't want to risk us being spotted," Seel suggested.

"Does this mean, no more exploring today?" Munchlax asked.

"Munchlax, buddy, it would be wise that we don't have these rangers having a chance spotting us. We should try and get back to the grotto and stay there until this dies down," Seel confirmed.

Munchlax looked at Seel. He was a pretty smart dude. He figured out how to save those three Pokémon from the Spearow and taught them a lesson to prevent themselves from getting into further trouble. Now here Seel was risking himself just to get him out and back home. Munchlax should probably agree to Seel's wishes, and besides, his dad would protect him.

"Alright, let's head home," Munchlax confirmed.

"Good, but be careful," Seel told Munchlax.

The two Pokémon peeked out of the bushes where only their eyes were visible. They saw Shepard holding out his shotgun ready to shoot them. One thing was certain, they did not want to be taken by him.

"Where the hell are you bastard Pokémon!" Shepard yelled, "If you think you can cause trouble here, think again!"

Seel and Munchlax could tell that Shepard was pissed. It was best not to go in the direction where he was. Seel looked around and saw that they could go out from behind. Munchlax and Seel quietly snuck out of the bush and made a run for it to get away from Shepard and that ranger station.

Ranger Shepard never saw them.

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

It was an hour since Munchlax and Seel fled from the ranger station. They have noticed numerous rangers in the area have been on their jeeps activating a search party. Great, Shepard got the whole crew looking for them.

So far, Munchlax and Seel were not spotted by any of the rangers. They were hidden behind a tree as they noticed a jeep passing by them. Their journey home was going to be a challenge.

"How much longer?" Munchlax questioned.

"We're about half a mile from home if my calculations are correct," Seel answered as he rubbed his chin.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Munchlax muttered to himself.

"Hey there!" voices called out in union.

Munchlax and Seel stood in shock thinking the rangers have found them, but it wasn't the rangers, it was an Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum. Seel remembered helping out an Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum earlier. Wait, it couldn't be!

"You're the heroic Pokémon who helped us with those Spearow," Elekid said pointing to Seel.

It was them it was the trio of kid Pokémon who were attacked by a group of Spearow because they ended up taking their berries by mistake.

"Shouldn't you kids be home?" Seel asked.

"Nah, we like to go out and play," Magby answered.

"That's right, the outdoors are fun' Smoochum declared, "Unless it's raining outside."

"Well it isn't fun out here right now, a bunch of rangers are out to get us and possibly kill us because I ate fruit from a tree," Munchlax told the three Pokémon.

"How ironic, you told us to watch where we get our food, but you didn't watch where you got yours and now you're in trouble," Elekid giggled.

"It wasn't a Pokémon, it was a man who just was cruel and considered us troublemakers without doing his homework on me," Munchlax said defending himself.

"That's right, I found the cause of your trouble, this guy on the other hand is a mean guy," Seel explained, "The other rangers aren't that bad, but they have to listen to him because he's their boss."

The three kid Pokémon heard Seel out. Now they were the ones in trouble. Before it was those three who were in trouble, and now it was Seel and Munchlax. All three Pokémon smiled at the duo.

"Hey, you helped us so we can help you," Smoochum happily told the two Pokémon.

"How are you going to help us?" Seel asked.

"There's a shortcut we can show you," Smoochum stated.

"Can we conceal ourselves from the rangers and we aren't left in the open?" Seel questioned.

"Don't worry, it's safe," Magby said reassuring the group.

Seel wasn't trustworthy of these three Pokémon. They aren't bad Pokémon for sure, but they haven't been properly educated about the dangers of the world. Seel looked around and realized that there may not be many options available. With the rangers on the lookout for both Munchlax and Seel, he wasn't going to take any chances.

"Okay, but we got to move fast," Seel said as he then gestured to Munchlax, "Just to warn you this guy isn't speedy."

"True, I'm a more-heavy Pokémon which slows me down some," Munchlax told the three Pokémon.

"Well I'm glad you're accepting our help, and don't worry you two, you'll be home safely," Elekid told Munchlax and Seel, "Follow us."

Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum all gestured Munchlax and Seel to follow them. With that, the two Pokémon followed the three kid Pokémon. If they were right about this shortcut, they should be home shortly. However, one of the rangers actually spotted Munchlax and Seel through his binoculars. It was none other than Claude.

"That must be Munchlax," Claude said to himself.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Munchlax and Seel came across what appeared to be a miniature ridge. It was determined that the height about the same as a person. Seel realized that there weren't many plants or tree that was covering them. Great, they were out in the open where the rangers could find them. This wasn't such a great idea.

The three Pokémon then pointed them to a giant log. That log was connected to the top of the ridge all the way to the bottom. It made sense it could be used as a ramp.

"You can use this to get up there," Smoochum said gesturing to the log.

"What if someone sees us?" Munchlax asked.

"Then you got to go fast," Magby replied.

The two Pokémon looked at the log. It wasn't a hard climb it was more of were they going to be spotted in time.

"You first Munchlax," Seel told Munchlax.

"No, you first, you're faster," Munchlax insisted.

"No Seel, that's in water and this is land. I want you to go first as my top priority is for Snorlax's son comes back in one piece," Seel explained.

"Okay," Munchlax said nodding his head.

"Now you get out of here, I don't want you kids getting into any trouble," Seel told the kid Pokémon.

"Understood," all three responded in union.

"And thanks again," Seel told Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum.

They weren't going to waste any more time as Munchlax and Seel bid farewell to the three Pokémon. Munchlax got onto the log and began to walk up the log. Seel began to follow Munchlax up the log. Munchlax has been moving a bit faster than usual, maybe due to the situation he and Seel were in. Munchlax finally made it to the top with Seel following him.

However, someone was coming forward towards the log. It looked like one of those rangers, and then it was revealed to be Claude. The kind ranger has found them and has to report them to his boss.

"There you are!" Claude yelled out.

"Hurry Munchlax," Seel cried out.

Munchlax and Seel began to run through the trees with Claude right on their tail. Claude approached the log that the two Pokémon just climbed upon.

"Get back here!" Claude called out as he too was using the log as a ramp to run up.

Seel's eyes widened as he could see that Claude was getting up the ramp with ease. This was just the last thing he and Munchlax needed. The two Pokémon knew that Claude was going to catch them, but then again he was by himself so how would he get Munchlax if he can't carry him? Still, it didn't change the fact that Claude was on their heels.

As the two Pokémon were running, Munchlax and Seel noticed something or someone. It was a white horse with a flame mane, a Ponyta. This was one of the Pokémon Munchlax's dad introduced him to.

"Ponyta!" Munchlax cried.

Ponyta turned her head to see Munchlax and Seel coming their way.

"Ah, Snorlax's son. How've you been," Ponyta asked with a friendly smile.

"Not now, can you take us back home and quick!" Munchlax cried.

"No way, you're too heavy for me to carry both of you!" Ponyta shouted as she then turned to see someone else coming, "But my mom is here. She can take you both."

Ponyta let out a loud roar which called in another Pokémon that looked like Ponyta only bigger. It looked brawny and the flame mane looked more majestic, and there was a horn on her head. This was a Rapidash, Ponyta's evolved form.

"What is it sweetie?" Rapidash asked.

"Can you take Munchlax and Seel back to the grotto?" Ponyta asked.

"Why can't they walk themselves?" Rapidash questioned.

Munchlax pointed to the ranger that was running after him. They didn't have time to mess around as Claude was getting closer and closer, not to mention that he caught Ponyta and Rapidash in the act.

"Hurry you two and get on!" Rapidash retorted to both Pokémon.

"Got it," Seel said as he got out a rope and threw it a tree branch as a grappling hook.

Since they didn't have time to struggle up and climb, Seel decided to grapple hook both himself and Munchlax up and onto Rapidash. After getting high enough, Seel quickly lowered themselves onto Rapidash's back.

"Let's go!" Seel yelled out.

"Come on Ponyta, follow me!" Rapidash told Ponyta.

Claude was getting closer and then made a dive at Rapidash, but it was too late. She galloped off with Munchlax and Seel onboard. Her daughter Ponyta followed her at high speed too.

"I can't let them get away," Claude said as he gritted his teeth and made a run for it.

As Claude was running, he noticed the footprints that were left by Rapidash and Ponyta. Claude might have an idea on where Rapidash could be taking them.

" _Maybe I can use Rapidash's footprints and they could lead me to the Pokémon,"_ Shepard thought to himself.

Rapidash continued to gallop as fast as she could until they finally saw that familiar looking tree. That was the entrance to the grotto.

"Hurry everyone, let's get inside," Rapidash told all the Pokémon.

Seel and Munchlax got off and the two headed inside with Rapidash letting Ponyta in next. Rapidash was the last one to get inside.

* * *

 _ **Inside the grotto**_

Munchlax and Seel returned to the grotto with Ponyta and her mother Rapidash. They were relieved to get away from those rangers.

"Who's there?" a voice called out.

Everyone knew that voice, but it was Munchlax who knew it the most. He walked up to the big fat Pokémon that let out that voice. It was his dad, Snorlax.

"It's me dad," Munchlax said.

"Munchlax, where have you been?" Snorlax asked.

"I went exploring like I wanted to," Munchlax answered, "Kadabra said I should be going alone so I brought Seel with me."

"It's true," Seel replied.

Snorlax couldn't help but smile to the fact that his son got to explore. However, his face didn't show any kind of happiness, but it had a tint of fear.

"Munchlax, did something happen?" Snorlax questioned.

Munchlax looked down as his dad asked that question. Seel knew that Munchlax was going to have to come out with the fact that rangers were out to get him.

"Dad, we were running away from rangers," Munchlax answered.

"Rangers?" Snorlax questioned, "We're they bad?"

"It was just one ranger Snorlax, and unfortunately that ranger was their boss, so they had to follow orders," Seel explained.

"What did these or this ranger do?" Snorlax asked.

Snorlax was hoping to hear the two Pokémon out. Ponyta and Rapidash were unfortunately roped into their situation. They needed to hear them out too. Little did they know, back outside there were footsteps coming by.

Claude tracked the footprints by the big tree and then he noticed something. It looked like a bush by the tree which covered a secret entrance to somewhere. This was the entrance to their grotto. Claude bent down and began to climb down into the hole and that's where he saw the Pokémon.

Claude could notice Munchlax coming face to face with a Snorlax. He also saw Seel along with the Rapidash and Ponyta. Was going to get closer, but he couldn't help to see what Munchlax was going to say.

"Well I came across this tree and I decided to have a snack. Then the bad ranger came in assuming I was causing trouble, so he got a friend to take me to their place. Once that ranger had me, he questioned if I heard of Team Rocket," Munchlax explained.

"I've told you about those disgusting people called Team Rocket," Snorlax growled.

"Yeah, and I nodded my head yes meaning I heard of them. Because I've heard about them from you. Then…he just assumed I was one of Team Rocket's Pokémon and he proceeded to…try…and…kill me," Munchlax explained with hurt and tears coming from his eyes.

Snorlax gasped when he heard that. He was starting to feel tears in his eyes as he was about to cry. Someone tried to kill him because they thought he was a Pokémon that worked for the same organization that killed his mate. Snorlax could never forgive that man for what he tried to do. He wanted Munchlax to know there were good humans out there like his father's trainer Red, but it gets hard when your most recent run in with humans are with cold hearts.

Ponyta cuddled near her mother and Rapidash embraced her cuddling. Seel didn't see it, but now he knew what was going on. It was wrong for these rangers to go after Munchlax like that because one guy thought he was with Team Rocket.

"But one of the good rangers knocked him down and made him take less harsh actions on me. That ranger actually didn't know the whole story and didn't make me out as some punk," Munchlax told his dad, "Seel then came and saved me and we were able to escape. I just wanted to get home, away from that man."

Munchlax was crying. All he wanted was to have an adventure, and it results in someone trying to kill him. More Pokémon emerged into the area to see the state that Munchlax was in as they heard the whole story. Snorlax wanted his son to be strong and at least trust humans, but how can he if the first human he ever met tried to kill him. This was a difficult ordeal for Snorlax not as just a guardian, but as a father. There was only one thing he could do.

Snorlax walked up to his crying son and picked him up. He gave him a big hug and didn't mind the tears that were coming down his cheeks. Snorlax loved his son as he was the greatest joy of his life.

"It's okay son," Snorlax told Munchlax, "I don't want you to have fears of this world. I will make sure you're ready for the outside world."

The words from Munchlax's dad shows how much he cares for him along with the rest of the Pokémon. There is Kadabra who has been seen as an advisory for Snorlax who also looks out after him, then there's Seel who Munchlax believes is his closest friend who comes up with witty ways to take care of a situation, then there was Ponyta who can at times be like a little sister. There was also all of those Pokémon who lived in the grotto, and maybe Pokémon outside the grotto are just as good like Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum.

Munchlax realized that he wasn't alone. He had his friends, all of those Pokémon, and most importantly, his dad. They needed to open their hearts for Munchlax to know that there are good humans out there, and Claude already proven to be a good example. If Munchlax does happen to be taken by a human, he hopes it's a human as good as the ranger Claude, or even better, someone like Red Ketchum. Munchlax hoped that one day, he could be ready for the world.

Meanwhile, Claude was in the grotto and he saw the whole scene taking place between Munchlax and Snorlax. Claude took a look around to see all of the Pokémon that were gathering around watching Snorlax hug Munchlax. If his calculations were correct, this Snorlax would likely be Munchlax's parent. His heart warmed when he saw Snorlax hugging Munchlax like that. Claude could tell that Munchlax was scared for his life.

Here he was trying to get him because Shepard told him to. Claude could now conclude that this Munchlax was not anything but bad. He loved Pokémon and wanted to protect him which is why he became a ranger here in the southeast part of Kanto. It was rich with wild Pokémon, and now he learned these Pokémon truly cared for each other like family.

"Claude," a voice called out, "This is Ranger Shepard."

Claude got out his radio and pulled it out to know that his boss Shepard was calling.

"Ranger Claude reporting," Claude responded as he got out of the grotto so no one could hear.

"Did you find the bastard Pokémon," Shepard questioned on the other end.

Claude just remembered the scene that took place in the grotto. Claude knew that this secret grotto was their home, and he didn't want those Pokémon to be disturbed. Claude wanted to keep these Pokémon safe, and figure it was best to leave Munchlax alone.

"Negative, we searched the whole area and we found nothing," Claude responded as he just lied to his boss.

"Sigh, fine. That Pokémon could be long gone. Just get back to the station," Shepard said on the other end.

"Roger," Claude responded as he ended the transmission.

Claude walked away from the big tree and proceeded back to his jeep. The ranger thought it would be best that Munchlax didn't get disturbed. He wasn't happy about keeping something from his boss, but if he said something, Shepard would be coming here and proceeding to take all of these Pokémon in.

Claude thought it was best to leave them alone.

* * *

 **That concludes the third Interlude. Just remember that the arc I got planned comes up after the fourth interlude. I'll keep giving warnings if you want.**

 **This interlude did reveal where Munchlax and the rest of the Pokémon were thriving. Southeast Kanto which is on the way to Fuchsia City which means Ash and Serena will be coming here.**

 **Now for those rangers. Shepard is a cold-hearted ranger who just consider anything he sees as no good and doesn't take the time to look within.**

 **Claude is somewhat of an assistant to Shepard, but he cares about Pokémon and takes the time to know if a Pokémon is good or bad. If the end indicated, Claude was walking away from the grotto not telling Shepard about it.**

 **Pedansky is kind of like Claude, but Claude has more experience as a ranger.**

 **We will be seeing them again soon.**

 **Next time we will rejoin Ash and Serena along with Leaf and Daisy. Before Lavender Town, they will encounter a little something. It's a surprise so I will not reveal the title of the next chapter. I will confirm however that the chapter will consist of an evolution.**

 **See you next time!**

 **Chapter 38: ?**


	41. Battlehaus

**Yep! That's right, this chapter revolves around Battlehaus from Pokémon Rusty courtesy of Dorkly! I'd figured this chapter was going to be a training chapter for Ash and Serena, so why not train in the place where Rusty tried to win a blartle!**

 **Now my take on Battlehaus will be much different from Pokémon Rusty as I will incorporate different types of battles that seem reasonable. Some could be crazy; others will just be special types of battle. I'll just insure now that there won't be a kind of battle where Pokémon watch their trainers beat each other up. I'm not including that. The types of battles you'll see will be reasonable and can help a Pokémon in certain scenarios.**

 **Just to let you know that this was a difficult chapter to write so I hope you're pleased with the results. I also should inform you that there will be quite a while before Ash and Serena reach Fuchsia City as I got some things planned before they get there.**

 **Fun fact, I wrote this chapter and the Interlude at the same time which is why this chapter has come out much quicker.**

 **Enjoy reading the chapter, and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Flashback-22 Years Ago**_

 _ **Fuchsia City Zoo**_

 _Delia was now eleven and Annie was now seven. It was true that Delia could've already been a Pokémon trainer by now, but she wanted to stay with Annie because she wasn't old enough yet to be a Pokémon trainer and didn't want to leave her alone. Sure, she would have mom and dad, but to Annie, Delia was like her best friend._

 _The Presleys have taken a vacation in Fuchsia City and they were visiting the Fuchsia City Zoo which feature very exotic Pokémon. Behind the Fuchsia City Zoo was the Safari Zone where those exotic Pokémon could be found. Only trainers who paid for a session could go in and catch some Pokémon so the family couldn't go in there. Right now, it was best that the family would just visit the zoo._

 _Annie was walking over towards one of the cages. There she would see a brown stag beetle like Pokémon with spiky horns. Annie was curious to know what Pokémon that was._

" _Hey, what's that Pokémon?" Annie asked._

 _The Pokémon noticed the girl with the red hair. Annie was trying to put her arms in to try and touch the Pokémon despite it being out of reach. She was looking at him and wondered what her deal is. Many people have come to see him, and some try to catch him and don't succeed, but this girl was something._

" _Hey mister Pokémon, I want to play with you," Annie told the Pokémon._

 _The Pokémon walked towards the girl and clamped his pincers together. Annie was frightened by the way the Pokémon was grinding his pincers together like that. She stepped back out of reflexes._

" _Please don't hurt me," Annie stuttered._

 _Delia noticed Annie was scared of the Pokémon in front of her. She wasn't going to let anything happen to her sister. With that, Delia stomped on over to the cage that contained the Pokémon._

" _Hey, you, you're scaring my sister," Delia told the Pokémon._

 _Delia managed to get Annie away from the cage. She pulled her in for a comforting hug and patted her on the back as Annie sniffled a little bit. Delia turned to the cage to see the Pokémon once again who had a confused look on his face. Did he really scare that little girl?_

" _Don't mess with my sister…what are you?" Delia questioned._

" _I believe that Pokémon you're seeing is a Pinsir," a voice answered._

 _Delia and Annie looked behind to see a boy. This boy had spiky black hair going forward and chocolate eyes. He wore a red baseball cap backwards, a black shirt with a red jacket with white sleeves, black bracelets on his wrists, blue jeans, and white sneakers._

" _Pinsir?" Annie muttered as she turned around to see the boy._

" _Yeah, that Pokémon is a Pinsir," the boy said as he approached the cage, "Pinsir is in a cage so it can't hurt you because they use their pincers to grab their prey. Did you know that Pinsirs can't move if it's cold, so they tend to live in warm places?"_

 _The two girls were amazed with the knowledge that this boy had on the Pokémon not only on what it was, but the Pokémon's nature._

" _We didn't know that," Delia replied._

" _Heh, well that's a good thing about being a Pokémon trainer. You get to learn all sorts of things about Pokémon," said the boy._

 _Delia couldn't help but have stars in her eyes. She wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, but she was staying at home waiting for Annie to turn ten. At the same time, Delia could snap her fingers and say darn for missing out on meeting such a cute boy because judging by his appearance, it looks like he was the same age as her._

" _That's pretty amazing," said Delia with a tint of a romantic tone._

" _By the way, my name is Red," the boy said introducing himself as Red._

" _I'm Delia," Delia said introducing herself as she turned over to see her sister, "That's my little sister Annie."_

" _Pleasure to meet you Annie," Red said waving to the little sister and then turning his head towards the Safari Zone, "Well I better head out. I want to get a chance to go into the Safari Zone to see if there are any Pokémon who want to be with me."_

 _Delia smile then turned into a sad smile. Only official Pokémon trainers were allowed into the Safari Zone. It kind of bummed her out as she wanted to be with him more for some reason._

" _Well good luck," Delia said._

" _Thanks," Red said giving a thumbs up._

 _With that, Red ran off towards the direction of the Safari Zone. Delia didn't know why, but she had some warm feelings for that boy. Annie on the other hand was smirking at her older sister knowing what was going through her head._

" _You like him, don't you," Annie said with a smirk._

" _I just met him, I can't like someone I just met," Delia argued._

" _Delia's got a boyfriend, Delia's got a boyfriend," Annie mocked._

" _Annie," Delia grunted._

 _Boy did her younger sister annoy her with her meeting with Red. Delia did have hopes that she would see him again soon. If only she knew where he lived._

* * *

 _ **On the road to Lavender Town**_

It has been almost two days since Serena's contest, and now Ash and Serena were beginning their trek towards Fuchsia City. They met Leaf and Daisy and the two girls agreed to join them and help them train for their upcoming gym battle and contest. They had all of their Pokémon out as it was lunchtime.

Ash had out Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Scyther, and Primeape. Serena had out Braixen, Beedrill, Abra, Squirtle, Slowpoke, and Pinsir. Leaf had out Ivysaur, Venomoth which must've evolved from Venonat, Weepinbell which must've evolved from Bellsprout, and Clefable from Mt. Moon, along with having a Starmie and a Ponyta. As for Daisy, she had Charmeleon, Golbat which must've evolved from Zubat, along with a Farfetch'd, Tangela, Sandslash, and Kingler. And of course, there was Pikachu as well.

Rotom Dex made sure to get the analysis in for the Pokémon it hasn't seen yet.

 _#049-Venomoth: Poison Moth Pokémon_

 _The powdery scales on its wings are hard to remove from skin. They also contain poison that leaks out on contact._

 _#121-Starmie: Mysterious Pokémon_

 _The center section is named the core. People think it is communicating when it glows in seven colors._

 _#077-Ponyta: Fire Horse Pokémon_

 _Capable of jumping incredibly high. Its hooves and sturdy legs absorb the impact of a hard landing._

 _#028-Sandslash: Mouse Pokémon_

 _It is skilled at slashing enemies with its claws. If broken, they start to grow back in a day._

All of the Pokémon were eating their meals as they should, and knowing Pikachu, he can't eat anything without having his beloved ketchup. Leaf and Daisy couldn't help but roll their eyes and wonder why Pikachu has that obsession with ketchup. Ash and Serena were pretty much used to it.

Despite everyone eating like normal, there were two Pokémon who seemed to be eating pretty slowing, or barely anything. They were Frogadier and Braixen. All those two just did was look at their bowls containing their food as this behavior was noticed since Frogadier was discharged. Ash could understand Frogadier possibly with the experience of Sabrina's Kadabra, but Serena couldn't understand Braixen and why she suddenly acted like that.

It all started yesterday.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-Yesterday**_

 _ **Saffron City-Pokémon Center**_

 _Ash was at the Pokémon Center to pick up Frogadier with Serena by his side since Braixen has been staying there keeping her company. Ash was glad to be leaving Saffron City as aside from his date with Serena and meeting with Leaf and Daisy, it was a total nightmare. He lost to Gary and he humiliated him, his Frogadier got beaten badly by Sabrina's Kadabra and has given Frogadier back issues, Sabrina almost killed him and his girlfriend, he had to watch Serena fail in the Saffron City Pokémon Contest, and worse of all, he went shopping with the girls._

 _Frogadier wasn't in a bed anymore, he was walking on his own two feet with Braixen guiding him out. Ash went up to Frogadier and gave him a hug but made sure not to hug him too hard. Nurse Joy told Ash that even though his back is only going to be nagging right now that he should play it safe for the time being and keep Frogadier's battling limited for a while. With that, Ash has definitely confirmed that he will have Frogadier sit out the next gym battle._

" _So how are you doing Frogadier?" Ash asked._

 _However, something wasn't right with Frogadier. Frogadier was not giving an answer as all he did was…stare off. Ash noticed his behavior and wondered why Frogadier was acting like that._

" _Frogadier, are you okay?" Ash questioned._

 _Ash told Frogadier that if anything was bothering him, he could tell him, but here Frogadier wasn't doing that. If anything, Frogadier has been feeling…troubled. Did his battle really affect him that much?_

" _Serena, something doesn't seem right with Frogadier," Ash told Serena._

 _Serena noticed Frogadier's behavior as if he just felt uncomfortable._

" _Maybe he's still lingering about the battle," Serena said as she went over to Braixen and knelt to her level, "Braixen, thanks for keeping Frogadier company. He's lucky to have a friend like you._

 _However, she then noticed something with Braixen. She was feeling kind of off as well as if she was staring off._

" _Braixen, is something wrong?" Serena asked._

 _Braixen didn't say anything. In fact, she didn't even noticed Serena was there. She was almost acting like Slowpoke for a moment. These two Pokémon have come far in starting to gain trust in humans with their help, and now it feels like they've regressed back to what they were before meeting them, only this time, they didn't feel comfortable around them either._

 _Braixen and Frogadier did have a talk about wanting to be strong enough to come through for their trainers, and how Frogadier wished he could've found a way to beat Sabrina's Kadabra. Was that conversation that deep? Did they feel that Ash and Serena are not the people they thought they were?_

" _Ash, I think something is wrong with our Pokémon," Serena said._

 _Ash's face along with Serena's face began to darken as they saw how Frogadier and Braixen were. The dreams those two had were really playing out and wondered if they meant anything. Either way, Ash and Serena hoped they could help them, and this can be taken of._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Ash and Serena kept their eyes on Frogadier and Braixen. The two took small nibbles at their food, but they haven't been acting right lately. Something must be troubling them, and as their trainers and best friends, Ash and Serena hoped to get to the bottom of that. Nurse Joy noticed that behavior and told them that she has no idea where it was coming from. Right now, they just needed to relax and enjoy their travels along with training.

The group knew that their journey would take them to Lavender Town. Leaf told them about Lavender Town since she was already there and told them about the Pokémon Tower which contained a whole bunch of ghost Pokémon which creeped her out a bit. On Ash's terms, that was something that pleases him as he needed to get himself a ghost Pokémon to take on Sabrina. Hearing those thing got Serena frightened and caused her to mention references in horror movies which the group didn't want to hear anything about.

However, the one thing she was happy to talk about was Mr. Fuji and the Pokémon Volunteer House. Leaf told the group that the Pokémon Volunteer House is actually Mr. Fuji's home that he has converted into a shelter for abandoned and orphaned Pokémon, and that Leaf spent a whole bunch of time playing with the Pokémon. She was so ecstatic to be going back there.

"You really are excited to be going to Lavender Town aren't you Leaf?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, I had such a great time with the Pokémon at Mr. Fuji's house, and I can't believe I'm actually going to be heading back," Leaf happily said, "It was such an amazing experience being with those Pokémon and I get to do it again."

"Well you know where else we're going," Ash told Leaf.

"I know, the Pokémon Tower," Leaf replied while shuddering, "I don't think I'm going back in there, it's a bit creepy."

"I heard rumors music plays there that will drive kids to suicide," Rotom Dex stated.

"Rotom Dex, don't say things like that!" Serena scolded.

"It's just rumors I've heard, no one said that it was true," Rotom Dex pouted as it crossed its arms.

"Well we have to go there anyway if I want to get a ghost Pokémon, but at the same time, I want a ghost Pokémon that wants to travel with me," Ash stated.

"There you go Ash, a new Pokémon and a new friend is perfect for you," Serena said smiling.

"You know it," Ash said, "And Serena, don't bring up anymore horror movie references when we get to Pokémon Tower."

"I'll try not to," Serena sighed.

The group agreed that it was uncomfortable to hear those things from Serena, but she was their friend so they could let it slide as long as it wasn't brought up anymore.

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

After the group finished with lunch, they began to continue their way towards Lavender Town. At the rate they were going, the group would be there by tomorrow. Leaf was walking her bike along the path since she needed to keep pace with the rest of the group since they didn't have bikes.

While Ash did need to get himself a ghost Pokémon, that didn't excuse him from the fact that he needed to train for his next gym battle. The same went for Serena as she needed to get ready for her next contest. After the beating in the Saffron Gym and the poor performance in the Saffron Contest, Ash and Serena were completely determined to up their game by the time they reached Fuchsia City and thankfully it would be a very long time before they got there. Probably around a month or so. So those two would have plenty of time to prepare, as long as they were properly stocked.

"You know, Ash and Serena really could get some training in," Rotom Dex said.

"We know," both Ash and Serena said in union.

"I was just saying maybe we could do some training right now. I mean even if we stop for a moment to train, we should still be in Lavender Town according to schedule," Rotom Dex explained as it showed on its map where they were pinpointed and where Lavender Town was.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to get our Pokémon some training," Serena said as she looked at her Pokeballs, "After my last contest, Abra has actually been looking forward to getting some extra training in."

"Yeah, think of it Serena. By the time you get to Fuchsia City, Abra could already be a Kadabra by then" Leaf stated while holding her finger up while still hanging on to her bike.

"Yeah," Ash said as he looked at his Pokeballs, "And I don't know how tough the Fuchsia City gym leader is, so it wouldn't hurt for me to give my Pokémon some extra training."

Ash could agree that he could give his Pokémon some training. After what Frogadier went through at the Saffron Gym, he wasn't going to take his chances. Two Pokémon in particular Ash wanted to really help out were Primeape and Charmeleon. Ash just recently caught Primeape and hasn't gotten much of a chance to train him, while Charmeleon however has become selective with his opponents that Ash would try to find a way to help him improve.

"You know what would be a good way to help your Pokémon grow," Daisy said as she got out a Pokeball, "Is if he had some battles."

"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt if me and Daisy trained our Pokémon some. We could all have battles with each other," Leaf excitedly said.

"That sounds like a great idea," Serena said clasping her hands.

"I'm in, you up for it Pikachu," Ash responded as he looked at Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded giving a V sign.

"Well, looks like I got a whole bunch of judging to do today," Rotom Dex said as it had its hands on its hips.

"I hear you're all looking for a battle," a voice called out.

Ash, Serena, Leaf, Daisy, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all turned around to see who said that and they saw the person who called them out. It was a man with light brown hair neatly combed, and he wore sunglasses. His attire included a white tank top, blue jeans, and red sneakers. Just who was this guy and what was his business with Pokémon battles.

"Um yes," Ash responded blankly.

"Well then, I think I can help you with your battle needs," the man said crossing his arms.

The man had a weird accent in his voice. The only question was, what did he want to do to help the group with their battle needs?

"Um, what do you mean help us with our battle needs?" Leaf questioned.

"Yeah, we were going to have some battles with each other," Daisy stated.

"Well battles here won't do you any good, I got a place where you improve in all sorts of battle styles," the man said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Wait, there's a place where you can help us?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, it's a business I run myself, and it's not too far from here!" the man announced, "Follow me."

With that encounter, the group decided that they would just follow this man. Who was he, where was he taking them, and what did he have to do with Pokémon battles? As they continued to follow him, they hoped to get answers from him.

"By the way, my name is Battlebart, but you can call me Bart for short," the man whose name is Bart said introducing himself, "Tell me your names kids and what you're planning to do."

"My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm aiming to be a Pokémon Master," Ash said introducing himself.

"My name is Serena Gabena and I'm aiming to be a top coordinator," Serena said introducing herself.

"My name is Leaf Green, and I hope to complete the Pokedex," Leaf said introducing herself.

"And I'm Daisy Oak and I'm working on becoming a Pokémon researcher," Daisy said introducing herself.

"Daisy Oak, are you by any chance related to Kanto Champion Blue Oak and famous Pokémon professor Samuel Oak?" Bart asked.

"Yes," Daisy confirmed, "How did you know?"

"It was your last name that made me think that," Bart answered as he then turned to Ash, "Speaking of last name, are you by any chance related to the former amazing spectacular Kanto Champion Red Ketchum?"

Ash decided that it was best to just ignore that. He already had an outburst on how he hated his dad for leaving him and his mom, and the fact that people keep making him seem like an amazing person. Ash now just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I'm his son," Ash muttered.

"Well that's great to hear. You dad I hear was an amazing battler, and now I get his offspring to visit my house. BATTLEHAUS!" Bart exclaimed as he showed the group what was in front of him.

It was a giant dome with a neon sign reading Battlehaus. There were all sort of extra necessities such as a roller coaster, a ferris wheel, a carousel, and giant balloons. It appears this place may not just be for battles, but it was also an amusement park of some sort.

"I've never heard of this place," Leaf said in shock as she saw the building in front of her.

"I didn't even register it on the map," Rotom Dex said in shock.

"I only like to share this place with the people who love to battle," Bart said with his accent yet again.

As the group was standing in front of Battlehaus, there were a group of three watching those kids and Bart. It was Jessie, James, and Meowth watching through a set of binoculars. The three were sent to Battlehaus due to a theory by Proton that Ash and Serena were going to come by.

"So, what's the plan again Jessie?" Meowth asked.

"You heard Proton, he made a call to this place to let them know those twerps were coming Team Rocket's way, so he let them into this place, and we have to just keep an eye on them just to know when they're getting closer to Lavender Town," Jessie explained.

As they watched the group go in, James could catch a familiar face with Ash and Serena. James noticed that one of the girls with Ash and Serena was Leaf, but he didn't know who the other one was. (Daisy)

"Hey, I remember that girl in the white hat. That was the twerpette who got in our way on Mt. Moon," James said as he was watching Leaf.

"Hey, you're right Jim, it is her," Meowth said as he then noticed Daisy, "But who's the other twerpette?"

"I have no idea," James answered.

After they see the group go inside, James turned to Jessie with a questioning look.

"So, Jessie, what did Proton say has to happen in here again?" James asked.

Jessie just sighed as James forgot what they were supposed to do. Probably he didn't, but it wouldn't hurt for him to know what they needed to do. They didn't need to be dealing with anymore shit than they already have.

"It's simple, we just let the twerps have some fun here and when the time is right…" Jessie said as she paused.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus**_

Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Daisy were walking through the halls of Battlehaus. The inside looked like the inner part of a luxurious cruise ship, but nothing close to the S.S. Anne. While they have heard stories about their parents travels, they never heard anything about Battlehaus. This probably might be a new place, after all it did look new.

"Here at Battlehaus, we have all the cutting-edge type of battles," Bart said as he was walking them through the hallway, "Except for horde battles because they're fucking cheap Trubbish shit!"

The group was kind of alarmed by Bart's language. He should realize he just brought the son of a former champion and the daughter of the current champion into his place.

"You seem to be mad," Rotom Dex stated.

"Yeah, mad for bortles!" Bart exclaimed with his accent.

"So, like what kind of battles do you have in here?" Ash questioned.

"Why don't we start with something simple that most trainers may know about, Double Battles," Bart told the group with his accent.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Double Battle Room**_

The group entered what appeared to be a room with grey walls and a neutral looking battlefield. Sure, this place was all neat and fancy, but the battlefield looked boring. That's okay, they were going to take part in double battles.

"Now which one of you ponymon trainers like to square off against each other in a double battle?" Bart asked.

The group looked around to see if any of them were willing to have a double battle. Ash and Serena turned towards Leaf and Daisy and figured maybe they should battle each other. After all Ash and Serena have already had experience with double battles.

"Why don't you two go first," Serena suggested to Leaf and Daisy.

Leaf and Daisy exchanged glances. The two of them battling each other. Well these two have yet to experience double battles, and that can also give each other a fair chance. Leaf and Daisy did have a couple of Pokémon battles along the way just to get their Pokémon to grow, but never were true battlers. Hell, they were going to be having battles in here today, and help Ash and Serena get stronger.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. I like to see how my Pokémon fare," Daisy said.

"Me too, a double battle is actually new to me so this would be fun," Leaf brightly said.

"Alright, I like to see how you two are doing," Ash said praising Leaf and Daisy.

This could be a good way for Ash and Serena to see how well Leaf and Daisy have been raising their Pokémon. So far the only person they've seen in battle is Leaf, but she had a reasonable battle record. Leaf and Daisy walked to the opposite sides of the room and they stared at each other ready to see how they fared against each other.

"Alright ladies, choose your Pokémon!" Bart called out.

"I'll go with Starmie and Clefable!" Leaf yelled out sending out her Starmie and her Clefable.

"I choose Golbat and Sandslash!" Daisy yelled out sending out her Golbat and Sandslash.

Even though Ash and Serena have seen their Pokémon, they mostly remember Leaf's Clefable and Daisy's Golbat. Clefable was the Clefairy that helped the group out on Mt. Moon when they encountered Team Rocket and Leaf caught it, and Golbat helped Ash and Serena find Damien to recover Ash's stolen Pokémon and eventually bring Damien to justice.

Starmie and Sandslash were still new to them. Starmie was almost like Staryu but with what almost looks like a second Staryu attacked to the back, but the whole Pokémon was purple, and it still had that red gem. Sandslash looked almost like a light brown porcupine with a dark brown spiky back, a light brown front with a white belly, and white razor-sharp claws.

"Starmie use Water Gun, Clefable use Disarming Voice!" Leaf commanded.

"Golbat use Air Cutter, Sandslash use Sandstorm!" Daisy commanded.

Sandslash was the first one to get his attack out as he whipped up a Sandstorm that covered the whole battlefield. Starmie fired off its Water Gun while Clefable used Disarming Voice. The Water Gun ended up missing because Starmie couldn't get a good visible target due to the sandstorm, but Clefable's attack would hit both Sandslash and Golbat, but not long before Golbat's Air Cutter knocked both of them back.

"Use Dig Sandslash!" Daisy yelled out.

Sandslash dug a hole and went underground making Golbat the only visible Pokémon. Leaf was just standing there thinking about what she could get her Pokémon to do. Then she thought of something.

"Starmie use Swift!" Leaf retorted.

"Air Cutter again Golbat!" Daisy yelled out.

Starmie unleashed a flurry of stars towards Golbat which was able to hit her, but not long before Golbat unleashed another Air Cutter which hit both Starmie and Clefable. Both Pokémon grimaced and Clefable was the one who had the best look at Golbat. No one knew where Sandslash was.

"Clefable, use Moonblast!" Leaf commanded.

Clefable was gathering energy for a Moonblast attack, but the attack never came as the Fairy Pokémon was sent flying into the air by Sandslash who emerged from underground right underneath Clefable.

"Now Sandslash, get Starmie with Crush Claw, and Golbat use Venoshock on Clefable!" Daisy commanded.

Sandslash darted from Clefable to strike Starmie with a devastating Crush Claw right into its jewel while Golbat unleashes a poisonous toxin onto Clefable with Venoshock. Both Pokémon having taken major damage and were both knocked out.

"The girl known as Daisy just won a bortle!" Bart announced.

Both Daisy and Leaf had no double battle experience, but in the end it was Daisy who came out on top. Daisy thanked her Pokémon for a great battle while Leaf did the same.

"Good job Daisy," Leaf complemented her friend.

"Thanks, you too Leaf," Daisy replied as she also complemented her friend.

Ash and Serena knew that Leaf was a good battler, but they never got to see how Daisy fared in battle, and it looked like she was better. Since Daisy was researching Pokémon and was more observant, she could know what attacks her Pokémon could use.

"Well you girls gave us a nice simple double battle, but now we're going to have a whole bunch of new style ponymon battles!" Bart announced.

"Like, what kind of other battles do you have here?" Ash asked.

Bart then smirked as he was ready to show them the good stuff.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Spinning Battle Room**_

"Spinning Battle! The room spins around with your Pokémon in them, and you battle with them!" Bart explained with his accent, "You can try to use flying Pokémon, but they can't stay in the air forever!"

The room was now spinning and this time it was going to be Ash and Leaf battling each other. He would've wanted to battle with Daisy, but Ash remembered that Serena already battled Leaf a while back, so it was his turn.

"Is this safe?" Leaf asked as the room along with the floor was spinning fast.

"Yeah it's safe, now choose your Pokémon!" Bart yelled out.

Ash and Leaf could see how fast the floor was spinning. It could almost feel like that there Pokémon were going to be put on a roller coaster. Then again, Ash could be thinking to himself that sometimes a Pokémon battle could take place with different conditions that could suddenly come, so he was determined to try this out.

"Leaf, even though were battling, take your time with this! We don't want our Pokémon to get extremely hurt!" Ash yelled out.

"I got you Ash!" Leaf yelled out as she gave a thumbs up.

With that, both Ash and Leaf each pulled out a Pokeball. Ash was not going to have Frogadier in this type of contraption after what happened in the Saffron Gym. Ash actually thought that this would be a chance to try out his new Pokémon.

"I choose you Primeape!" Ash yelled out sending out Primeape.

"Go Venomoth!" Leaf yelled out sending out Venomoth.

Ash sends out his Primeape while Leaf sends out a purple moth like Pokémon which happens to be her Venomoth. Just as expected, when Primeape came out he started to get caught in the spinning room. Though Venomoth was hovering in the air, he still wasn't handling it due to the moving walls. Venomoth closed his eyes tight to adjust them and then opened them back up to get used to the spinning room.

Ash on the other hand was at a huge disadvantage since Primeape was on the spinning floor. Not only could he not constantly remain airborne and be forced to fight on the ground, but he also had a type disadvantage with Venomoth being a bug and flying type, not to mention Venomoths are capable of knowing psychic attacks.

"Man, those Pokémon have it rough," Daisy uttered.

"Yeah, and Primeape seems to be getting the worst of it," Serena uttered.

Ash was looking at Primeape was having a hard time adjusting to the spinning room while Venomoth was hovering in place.

"Let's try our best Ash, Venomoth use Bug Buzz!" Leaf called out.

"Dodge it Primeape!" Ash called out.

Venomoth unleashed his Bug Buzz attack right at Primeape, but Primeape didn't get away. He was actually caught in the spinning room that the attack missed. Ash noticed what happened, the fact that Primeape was on the ground while the room was spinning made it harder for Pokémon to hit them while in the air. Primeape could get nauseous, but there was one advantage Ash got.

"It's going to be hard for Venomoth to hit Primeape when he's on the ground," Daisy said.

"Yeah, but how is Primeape going to fight back?" Serena questioned.

Well this was truly one interesting way of giving Primeape his first battle with Ash as his trainer. In a room that tends to spin around.

"Try using Confusion!" Leaf yelled out.

Then to Primeape's suspense, he was caught by a psychic attack and was lifted up into the air by Venomoth. Primeape was struggling to get out of Venomoth's grip as he was already feeling it on the floor.

"Come on Primeape, try and get out of it!" Ash called out.

Primeape struggled against Venomoth's Confusion attack. This was almost like when Frogadier struggled with Kadabra's Confusion, but Primeape was a fighting-type so it would be worse for him. Primeape was starting to get very angry. He remembered being like that back when he first met Ash. This Venomoth was getting on his nerves.

Ash was trying to think about what he could do and then something hit him. When Primeape was chasing him for a beating back when he tried to catch him, Primeape was charging at an alarming speed. Ash also looked around noticing the spinning room could be turned into his advantage. But first thing was first, how does Primeape escape Confusion?

Ash was trying to think until all of a sudden, Primeape busted out of Confusion and landed back on the ground breathing through his nose angrily. Leaf and Venomoth were both surprised.

"What!" Leaf exclaimed in shock.

"Primeape," Ash muttered in surprise.

Serena and Rotom Dex were amazed to see Primeape escape from Venomoth's Confusion, but now he had some anger issues again. Rotom Dex zoomed in and analyzed Primeape and his behavior. It was almost similar to when they first met him, but Rotom Dex feel it might have a hypothesis.

"I think I may have known why Primeape was so angry the first time we met him," Rotom Dex said in astonishment.

"Why was that?" Serena asked.

"It might have been Primeape's special ability, Anger Point. Primeape gains a lot of strength when he receives critical damage. That could've explained what happened when Pikachu used Thunderbolt on him back when he was a Mankey," Rotom Dex explained.

So, it made sense, while Primeape had some anger issues, it came from his special ability Anger Point. They figured this could be put to some good use in battle as soon as Ash and Primeape handle it with care.

Meanwhile Primeape was ready to bash Venomoth. Ash noticed how angry Primeape was and he needed to reach out to him.

"Primeape listen," Ash called out.

Then without warning, Primeape charged at Venomoth with Thrash. Venomoth was aware of Primeape's movements and got out of the way before he could hit him. Primeape then slammed into the spinning wall head-first and fell onto the spinning ground. Primeape was lying on the ground as the room continued to spin.

"Primeape!" Ash cried.

"It looks like Primeape can't battle anymore, so Venomoth wins while Primeape gets a free merry-go round ride!" Bart announced as he watched Primeape get spun around in the room.

Primeape was groaning, but he also looked like he was ready to throw up as he was getting light-headed quickly by the spinning room. Ash knew he needed a breather, so he immediately called back Primeape before it got worse. Ash looked at his Pokeball and took a deep breath.

"Guess I wasn't prepared for a spinning room, huh Primeape," Ash said kidding around a little until he became sincere, "Take a break for right now Primeape."

Ash could realize that this place could be tough. If there was a room where everything was spinning, who knows what else this place could have. After all, he wanted to get some training in for all of his Pokémon, and he would have another chance for Primeape.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Temperature Battle Room**_

"Temperature battle!" Bart announced.

It was a plain room and this time it was Leaf and Daisy facing each other again for a battle. They agreed that whatever battle would happen next, that would be for Ash and Serena.

"In this room, trainers have to battle while the temperature suddenly changes!" Bart announced, "Right now it's going to be extremely hot!"

As Leaf and Daisy reached out for their Pokeballs, they suddenly felt in intense draft. It was getting warmer and warmer and then everyone in the room began to sweat.

"What just happened?" Daisy questioned in panic as she felt like she was getting cooked.

"It's almost like an oven in here!" Leaf cried.

"That's the thing about temperature battle, it's always going to be too hot, too cold, or whatever and you can't control it!" Bart announced as he didn't look like he was phased, "Now choose your ponymon!"

This was pretty much hectic in here, but it appeared Leaf and Daisy were going to have to tough it out. As Ash and Serena were standing on the sidelines feeling like they were cooked, they had to keep in mind that there could be different battle environments that they would need to be ready for.

"Go Charmeleon!" Daisy yelled out sending out Charmeleon.

"Let's go Ivysaur!" Leaf yelled out sending out Ivysaur.

Charmeleon was looking onward towards Ivysaur. Despite being a fire-type, Charmeleon was feeling somewhat warm while Ivysaur on the other hand felt like he was going to burn up. If what Battlebart said was true, Ivysaur was in huge trouble.

"Charmeleon use Flamethrower!" Daisy called out.

"Jump up out of the way with Vine Whip and then use Petal Dance!" Leaf called out.

Charmeleon opened his mouth to unleash a monstrous Flamethrower, but Ivysaur jumped up in the air with the help of Vine Whip and then unleashed a flurry of petals. However, once the petals came out, they all burned up to ashes before coming close to Charmeleon.

"What happened?" Leaf questioned in shock.

"Didn't I tell you, it's too hot in here so those small plants are going to burn up," Bart explained, "Speaking of being too hot!"

All of a sudden the temperature in the room dropped drastically. A second ago everybody was sweating, but now everybody was shivering as the room now became extremely cold.

"Now it's too cold in here," Bart said.

Charmeleon felt the sudden change in temperature, but thankfully his body heat is preventing him from getting cold. Ivysaur on the other hand was shaking heavily. Leaf was crossing her arms hard as she could to keep warm and so was Daisy.

"This is ridiculous," Leaf muttered.

"I know," Daisy replied.

"Only the tough battlers can withstand temperature through these bortles," Bart told the girls.

Leaf and Daisy knew that Battlebart was right. Unfortunately, they were not completely skilled battlers like Ash and Gary or maybe Serena depending on what environments she has been handling. The good thing though is they were both equals on handling temperatures like this, so no one was at a huge disadvantage, except for Ivysaur.

"Let's keep going, Charmeleon use Flamethrower on Ivysaur!" Daisy yelled out.

"Ivysaur try what you did last time now that it's cold!" Leaf called out.

Charmeleon once again unleashed a Flamethrower but a little slower due to trying to compose to the cold. Ivysaur tried to get his vines out, but they froze once they got out. Leaf gasped and the only thing Ivysaur could do was take the Flamethrower. Charmeleon's Flamethrower hit the Seed Pokémon and Ivysaur cried in pain.

"I should've known better that the vines would freeze up," Leaf muttered.

Then it started to get hot again and everyone went from shivering to sweating just like that. Maybe this would be good for Leaf and Ivysaur since they've seem to handle the excessive heat a little better.

"Alright Charmeleon use Slash!" Daisy yelled out.

"Take Down Ivysaur!" Leaf retorted.

Charmeleon and Ivysaur charged at each other with their respective attacks. However, Ivysaur was weakened by the effects of the temperature and Charmeleon's Flamethrower which lead to the Flame Pokémon overpowering Ivysaur and knocking him back.

"Come on Ivysaur, you got to pull through," Leaf told Ivysaur.

Ivysaur gritted his teeth as he was struggling against Charmeleon and the temperature. Man, this Battlehaus was a tough place for Pokémon. Really is a good place for trainers to train if they can handle it. So far, Ivysaur was not handling it. The Seed Pokémon needed to toughen up and fight, but he has been dominated by this Pokémon and the environment so far.

Ivysaur thought to himself how would he be able to protect Leaf if she were in trouble but couldn't because he wasn't strong enough. Leaf wasn't just his trainer, but his friend as well and he couldn't handle the intense environment, and a while back he couldn't stand up against Proton's Rhydon on Mt. Moon. Even though it was just a fun trainer battle, Ivysaur wanted to do what he could to help Leaf not just here, but in the future.

With that, Ivysaur found a new sense of strength and glowed white. Ivysaur was beginning to evolve and then taking his place was a big blue quadrupedal with leaves on his back and a giant red flower. The new Pokémon looked over at Charmeleon as it suddenly turned cold again, but this time he wasn't fazed.

"Ivysaur, you evolved," Leaf said in astonishment as she pulled out her Pokedex while Ash and Serena who were also amazed had Rotom Dex do an analysis.

 _#003-Venusaur: Seed Pokémon_

 _The flower on its back catches the sun's rays. The sunlight is then absorbed and used for energy._

Also, without a command, Venusaur charged at Charmeleon embracing the cold with not a Take Down, but a Double-Edge attack. The attack hit Charmeleon and sent him flying into the wall.

"Great job Venusaur," Leaf said in amazement as it turned hot again, "I wonder. Venusaur use Solarbeam!"

As the room turned hot again, Venusaur started to gather sunlight but he was gathering it a lot quicker than a normal Solarbeam because of the heat. Charmeleon got back up feeling dazed but wouldn't have a chance to react to what was coming at him. Venusaur fired a powerful Solarbeam right at Charmeleon dead on his tracks.

"Charmeleon look out!" Daisy cried.

But it was too late, the attack hit Charmeleon with the force of a high-speed train and knocked him out. Venusaur really overcame the odds in this battle.

"Charmeleon is done battling, Ivysaur or should I say Venusaur wins the bortle!" Bart announced.

Leaf ran up to her Venusaur who just became victorious over Daisy's Charmeleon. It was a tough battle, but Venusaur pulled it out.

"Good job Venusaur, and congratulations on your evolution!" Leaf cheered as she hugged Venusaur.

"Venusaur," Venusaur replied.

"Nice job Leaf," Serena praised.

"Good job, and congratulations on evolving Venusaur," Ash praised.

Leaf found it rather strange that Ash and Serena were around for both of Venusaur's evolution. They were with her when Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur on Mt. Moon, and now they were here seeing Ivysaur evolve into Venusaur. Ash and Serena couldn't believe that they now got to see Leaf's starter hit the final stage, but at least she wasn't being a pain like Gary was. They wondered if they'll be around for Daisy's Charmeleon evolving.

"I don't think that was your best, but good job Leaf," Daisy said as she approached Leaf.

"You did good too Daisy," Leaf said as the two shook hands.

"Congrats on the evolving, maybe we'll get more of your ponymon to evolve today," Bart said with a smirk while crossing his arms.

What Bart said is true. If they keep putting in hard work, then maybe more Pokémon will evolve with the group today. Serena was hoping that maybe some battles with Abra here could be the answer to get him to evolve so that way he could develop more moves and can showcase a variety of things in her future contests.

Right now, the group was wondering what the next type of battle would be.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Floor Battle Room**_

"Welcome to Floor Battle! Two trainers and their Pokémon have a battle while the floor suddenly changes!" Bart announced.

Daisy and Leaf just had a battle, now they were on the sidelines with Rotom Dex as Ash and Serena were now going to have a battle. This would be their first battle since their fun battle on the S.S. Anne, and this was a fun battle too. Both of them had a Pokeball in their hand as they were ready to battle.

"Oh yeah, no flying Pokémon! I want you trainers to actually engage with the ground," Bart called out.

Well that meant Pidgeotto, Scyther, and Beedrill were out of the question. Neither Ash nor, Serena were going to use any of those Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Bulbasaur.

"Pinsir let's go!" Serena yelled out sending out Pinsir.

Bulbasaur and Pinsir stood on the ground facing each other. Right now, the floor was completely normal as the battle was actually about to begin.

"Alright Bulbasaur go after Pinsir with a Tackle!" Ash yelled out.

"Pinsir use Vice Grip to grab Bulbasaur!" Serena yelled out.

Bulbasaur was charging at Pinsir with a Tackle while Pinsir stood his ground awaiting Bulbasaur to grab him with Vice Grip. However, just when Bulbasaur was coming close to Pinsir and he was about to grab Bulbasaur with his pincers, things turned topsy turby.

The floor suddenly became a pool and both Pokémon fell into the water. Everyone was completely shocked when they saw what just happened.

"In floor battle, the terrain changes whenever it wants like now the ground has become a pool," Bart told everyone.

Bulbasaur and Pinsir were struggling to swim due to the sudden occurrence of the ground shifting into a pool. Both Ash and Serena knew that these Pokémon were not known to be capable swimmers.

"Bulbasaur, hurry up and swim up," Ash called out.

"You too Pinsir," Serena called out.

Both of the Pokémon began to swim towards the surface when all of a sudden the ground changed again. This time the ground turned into sheer ice and both Pokémon were now completely frozen inside.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash cried.

"Pinsir," Serena cried.

"Now the floor has turned into an ice rink," Bart said as he looked on, "Oh but it doesn't look like those two Pokémon are going to battle."

The two knew that both Pokémon were completely trapped. Sure, they needed to figure out how to get their Pokémon out of situations, but this one was something completely new and utterly dangerous. Ash and Serena didn't want to take any chances, especially since one of their Pokémon already had a bad injury.

"I forfeit!" Ash called out.

"Same here!" Serena announced.

Ash and Serena quickly called back their Pokémon, and despite being completely trapped, it was safe to know that the two Pokémon were able to get back in their balls.

"Did they both win?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"Well sort of, they lost," Bart replied, "And just for the record there was also grass, rock, metal, and a conveyer belt like field."

That was barely a battle for Ash and Serena. The group could agree that this Battlehaus place was tough and tricky. Serena was now wondering how would she get Abra to train in here, or Slowpoke for that matter.

"If you don't mind, do you think we can have a type of battle where we can tone it down to the point it doesn't become utterly dangerous?" Daisy asked as if she were suggesting it.

"Well if you put it that way, you kids don't look like you're ready for these awesome cutting-edge battles," Bart said, "So why don't we go into a regular battle room and practice special types of battle where we don't alter the environment."

"Really, like what kind of battles?" Serena asked.

Bart stood there with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. They couldn't tell what his eyes were saying due to the sunglasses.

"Ever heard of tag battles?" Bart asked everyone.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Tag Battle Room**_

The group was now in a regular room with grey walls and a battlefield, but there were two trainer boxes on each side of the battlefield.

"Tag battles are like double battles, but instead of two trainers each using two Pokémon, it's two trainers teaming up each using one Pokémon. They go up against two other trainers who each use one Pokémon," Bart explained.

Well this really drew their attention. This was a type of battle where all four of them could partake in at the same time. It was great that they all learned how to battle, but it would be a great idea if they learned how to battle with another trainer.

"A tag battle sounds interesting," Serena happily said.

"Great, now everybody choose your trainers and then you can choose your Pokémon," Bart told everyone.

So, they were all going to take part in a tag battle. This was definitely going to be a new experience for everyone. Having a Pokémon battle was one thing, but now working with another trainer to win a match sounds like a challenge. Leaf and Daisy both looked at Ash and Serena with smirks on their faces knowing what would happen.

"Ash, I take it you're going to team up with Serena, am I correct?" Leaf questioned in a happy tone with her hands on her hips.

Ash looked over at Serena. He was happy about traveling with her, but now he had a chance to actually battle with her on his side. These two were in a relationship and now was the chance to put it to the test. What more, there's a good possibility that getting this experience would be a great deal in the future. There was this strange feeling that Ash and Serena could team up for a tag battle that may have so much on the line.

"You bet I am, if Serena is okay with it," Ash said looking at Serena.

"You didn't have to ask me Ash, I'd be happy to battle alongside with you," Serena responded with a loving smile.

"Well, I guess that leaves me and Leaf," Daisy said crossing her arms.

"Alright, the bortles are all set. Now take your respective side and choose your Pokémon," Bart announced.

Ash and Serena walked over to the left side of the room while Leaf and Daisy walked over to the right side of the room. Ash was looking forward to battling with Serena, but then he had an idea. Ash actually thought of something where he could help Serena.

"Hey Serena," Ash said.

"What is it Ash?" Serena asked.

"I was thinking, this might be a good for you to bring Abra out," Ash stated.

"Bring Abra out right now?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, think of it. This is a tag battle where we're each going to use one Pokémon. Your Pokémon can be Abra, and I can have Pikachu battle alongside with Abra," Ash explained to Serena as he then turned to Pikachu, "You're up for a battle Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded meaning yes.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Ash," Serena said smiling, "Abra can Teleport, and Pikachu and attack."

"Who knows, maybe Abra will finally learn some moves or evolve," Ash stated.

Serena was up for this. This tag battle was not only a chance to battle alongside her boyfriend, but to also help Abra gain some great battle experience. Maybe she should do this with Ash more often in case there's a Pokémon that she seems to have trouble with.

"Alright trainers, choose your Pokémon!" Bart announced.

"Alright Pikachu, you're up," Ash said turning to Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

"Come on out Abra!" Serena yelled out tossing her Pokeball.

Abra was floating in midair and Pikachu joined by his side. Daisy and Leaf had their Pokeballs in hand ready to send out their Pokémon.

"Alright Tangela let's go!" Daisy yelled out sending out Tangela.

"Weepinbell go!" Leaf yelled out sending out Weepinbell.

Both Tangela and Weepinbell were standing together facing Pikachu and Abra. They knew these Pokémon well since Erika used these two Pokémon in the Celadon Gym. Well this was just great for Ash and Serena, Pikachu was the only Pokémon who knew offensive attacks, and both of the Pokémon they were facing were grass types which electric types don't do well against. For Ash's and Serena's first tag battle, this was going to be tough.

"Begin the battle!" Bart announced.

"Alright Tangela use Poisonpowder!" Daisy yelled out.

"Hey Weepinbell, let's combine that with Stun Spore!" Leaf yelled out.

Tangela brought out a poisonous purple powder onto the battlefield with Weepinbell bringing out a brownish powder as well. The two powders combined and were coming towards Pikachu and Abra. Ash and Serena were looking at each other and figured this could be a good way to make good use of Abra's Teleport.

"Pikachu grab Abra's hand!" Ash retorted.

"And Abra use Teleport after that!" Serena yelled out.

Pikachu got a hold of Abra's hand and both Pokémon saw the powder coming closer and closer. Abra concentrated on both Tangela and Weepinbell and figured where would be the perfect place to transport them both. Abra and Pikachu both teleported away right before Poisonpowder and Stun Spore arrived, and the two Pokémon were right behind Tangela and Weepinbell.

"Shock Wave!" Ash retorted.

Pikachu unleashed his electricity and shocked both Tangela and Weepinbell with the attack. Despite the attack not taking the necessary amount of damage, it did catch them off guard.

"Tangela use Vine Whip!" Daisy retorted.

"Weepinbell use Razor Leaf!" Leaf retorted.

"Quick Attack on Weepinbell!" Ash yelled out.

Tangela was about to throw her vines at Pikachu, but he used Quick Attack not only to get out of the way, but to go for Weepinbell too. Weepinbell was about to unleash a Razor Leaf attack, but Pikachu beat Weepinbell to the punch with Quick Attack knocking the Flycatcher Pokémon out.

"Weepinbell no!" Leaf cried.

"Alright!" Ash and Serena both cheered.

Tangela however grabbed Pikachu with her vines, however. Pikachu was now trapped in the grips of Daisy's Tangela. Though it was two on one now, Daisy knew that Pikachu was the only one capable of using attacks.

"Good job Tangela, now turn it into a Bind," Daisy told Tangela.

The Vine Pokémon began to grip Pikachu much harder with her vines. Pikachu was now completely trapped and now things seems to be bad for Ash and Serena.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out.

"Try and break free!" Serena called out.

Pikachu however began to struggle as Tangela's Bind just got tighter and tighter. Daisy wasn't much of a battler, but she did have some skills in Pokémon battling. Serena looked around to see that Abra was still standing. Maybe he could do something, but all he knew was Teleport. Ash looked onward and saw something that might have hit him. Tangela was clearly focused on binding Pikachu as her eyes were not coming off of him. Ash then turned to Serena.

"Hey Serena, I got an idea," Ash told Serena.

"What is it Ash?" Serena asked.

"Tangela is really focused on binding Pikachu with Bind. I can see it in Tangela's eyes. I suggest you have Abra use Teleport but have him teleport in between Tangela and Pikachu to break Tangela's concentration and free Pikachu," Ash told Serena.

Serena heard what Ash said. Ash may have found another way to put Abra's Teleport to good use. Having Abra get in the way of Tangela by surprise seems to be a good idea. Abra may only know Teleport, but it can be put to good use when trying to use the element of surprise.

"Now use Sleep Powder," Daisy told Tangela.

"Teleport in front of Pikachu!" Serena retorted.

Abra heard the command and teleported away and reappeared right in front of Pikachu. Tangela was caught off by surprise at the Sleep Powder hit Abra instead of Pikachu.

"No!" Daisy cried.

Abra was feeling the effects of Tangela's Sleep Powder and began to fall asleep. Serena and Ash both smiled, even though Abra took one for the team, that gave Pikachu a chance to fight again.

"Pikachu use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu regained his battle stance and went for Tangela. The yellow rodent jumped up and came at Tangela with an Iron Tail and used all of his might on it. The attack hit Tangela extremely hard and sent her flying towards the wall. Tangela then fell off the wall and onto the ground. Tangela was lying on the floor unmoving as she was knocked out.

"Pikachu and Abra win the tag blartle!" Bart announced.

Pikachu ran up to Ash and they shared a high five. Serena meanwhile went up to Abra who was still sleeping. Despite being asleep, Serena knelt down and patted Abra on the head telling him he did a great job. Serena then returned Abra and walked back up to Ash.

"Good job Serena," Ash said giving Serena a thumbs up.

"No Ash, it was you who orchestrated how he were going to team up," Serena said with a smile, "We do make a good team."

"Thanks, maybe we should do more tag battles in the future," Ash suggested.

"I wouldn't mind at all, it would be a good way to work on our teamwork and help out a Pokémon who needs help," Serena told Ash.

It was true, Abra's Teleport really helped them gain an edge in the surprise factor if used properly. Serena knew that Abra was going to need much more help if he was ever going to get it going.

Leaf and Daisy then walked up to Ash and Serena.

"You two did a pretty good job," Daisy said.

"I think it may have to do with the fact that me and Serena are traveling together as a couple where we really know each other," Ash stated as a suggestion.

"You might be right Ash, and I also think it's cute," Leaf happily said with glee.

Ash and Serena both blushed in embarrassment when Leaf said that. It would be funny if what Leaf said was true.

Little did the group know, a certain trio was inside Battlehaus watching the battles taking place in there. The trio believed that all of these battles will wear them off when the time comes where Team Rocket strikes.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Rotation Battle Room**_

The group was now in another room where they were about to have another type of Pokémon battle. It almost looked like the last room, but it looked like there were three trainer boxes on each side with the middle one being regular size and the two on the side being smaller than usual.

"So, what of battle are we going to have now?" Ash asked.

"Rotation Battle!" Bart announced, "In this battle trainers have to bring out three Pokémon, but they all battle one at a time. When you want another Pokémon to battle, switch them out for another Pokémon that you have out."

"So, it's like we one Pokémon battles and if we want to switch out, they go off to the side for another Pokémon that we have on the sidelines?" Daisy asked.

"Exactly! It seems like a complicated blartle, but you'll get the hang of it," Bart commented.

The group of four looked at each other. Now Rotation Battle was something none of them were familiar with. They heard of double battles, even tried out tag battles, but this was completely new to them. Daisy then looked at Ash with a determined look as he may be the best battler in the group.

"Hey Ash, how about you and me, take part in this Rotation Battle. You already battled Leaf and your girlfriend today here, and I'm the only one you haven't had a chance to go up against yet," Daisy suggested.

Ash looked in utter surprise that Daisy was the one suggesting that they battle. Truth was, Ash hasn't had a battle with Daisy yet. He just had his first one with Leaf today, and now one with Daisy would be in the making. Ash took the time to think, if he could figure out how to handle this rotation battle, it would be another step closer to becoming a Pokémon master.

"You bet I will," Ash said giving a thumbs up, "We already tried out these crazy battles, so I don't mind another one."

"Great," Daisy said as she turned to Battlebart, "Me and Ash will battle."

"Alright, go to your sides, bring out three Pokémon, and then battle and rotate with them," Bart told Ash and Daisy.

With that, Ash and Daisy walked over to their respective sides. Daisy pulled out her three Pokeballs while Ash got out his three. He wanted to go with Frogadier, Charmeleon, and Primeape. Ash hoped he could get a little workout from Frogadier, but not work him too much on the count of his nagging back. Ash was hoping Daisy could at least have a Pokémon Charmeleon can consider worthy to go up against so he can gain more experience and get stronger, and Ash can hope Primeape can get his cool in and know how to focus on the match.

"Alright, Charmeleon, Primeape, Frogadier, I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out his three Pokémon.

Charmeleon was out first as he was standing in the middle not knowing he would be battling first with Primeape and Frogadier on the side.

"Alright Farfetch'd, Kingler, Charmeleon, come on out!" Daisy yelled out sending out her Farfetch'd, Kingler, and Charmeleon.

Farfetch'd was standing in the middle with Kingler and Charmeleon off to the side. All of the Pokémon looked around to notice the other Pokémon and none of them knew what kind of battle they were going to partake in. Ash called all of his Pokémon over to speak with them. Frogadier on the other hand was just standing there off to the side as only Charmeleon and Primeape were with him.

"Frogadier, come on over," Ash called out to Frogadier.

Ash looked at Frogadier and he could tell that all he wanted to do was just stand there. Ash was wondering why Frogadier wasn't budging. Ash knew how troubled Frogadier was when he got discharged from the Pokémon Center. Ash decided to actually walk up to Frogadier instead as he gestured to his Pokémon to follow him.

"Alright everyone listen up, we're going to be taking part in something called a rotation battle where I bring three out Pokémon, but I can only have one battle at a time. However I can switch you guys out in a second where the one Pokémon battling goes off to the side while another Pokémon I have to the side jumps in to battle," Ash explained to his Pokémon as he was trying to explain rotation battles the best way possible to Charmeleon, Primeape, and Frogadier, "Charmeleon you'll get to battle first, and if you don't get a Pokémon that isn't considered a challenge to you, I'll swap you out for Primeape or Frogadier and they can battle. Does that sound alright to you?"

Charmeleon nodded his head confirming yes but didn't sound so sure about it. Daisy was giving the same explanation to her Pokémon and they took the time to understand as well. Once she was finished talking, she confirmed Farfetch'd would be her first Pokémon on the battlefield. Ash looked over at Daisy's Pokémon.

"Alright Charmeleon, Daisy has Farfetch'd, Kingler, and her own Charmeleon. Let me know what you think of those Pokémon," Ash told Charmeleon.

Charmeleon nodded his head once more and proceeded to the battlefield. Daisy had Farfetch'd out to battle. Charmeleon took a close look at Farfetch'd and wondered if he was willing to take on this Pokémon. If Charmeleon was going to be ganged up against all three of these Pokémon at once, then he would definitely battle. There was only thing to do now, and that was to see what Farfetch'd could do.

"You make the first move Daisy," Ash told Daisy.

"With pleasure," Daisy said while giving a wink, "Farfetch'd use Fury Attack!"

Farfetch'd began to run up towards Charmeleon ready to peck him. Charmeleon was going to stand there and see what this attack was capable of. Without a command from Ash, Charmeleon dodged all the pecks coming from the Wild Duck Pokémon. Charmeleon took a close look at all of those pecks while evading the attack. They didn't feel strong or were coming at him fast enough.

"Char," Charmeleon snorted as he crossed his arms giving a humph.

"So, you don't think Farfetch'd is right for you?" Ash questioned.

"Charmeleon," Charmeleon grunted confirming the Wild Duck Pokémon not to be a challenging opponent.

"Alright then, I'll switch you out for Primeape," Ash called out as he looked at Primeape, "Primeape come in and use Fury Swipes!"

Charmeleon jumped off to the side with Primeape coming in charging at the Wild Duck Pokémon with Fury Swipes. Farfetch'd was crying out from the pain of Primeape's attack and then Daisy made the call.

"Farfetch'd, switch out and Kingler come in and use Vice Grip!" Daisy retorted.

Farfetch'd flew out and Kingler jumped in. Primeape stumbled forward from Farfetch'd getting away and came right in front of Kingler who clamped onto Primeape's fist with a Vice Grip from her pincer.

"Hurry Primeape, switch out so I can bring Frogadier in!" Ash called out.

"I don't think so Ashy boy," Daisy responded as she just had a thought coming to her head that she just acted a little like her twin brother but then regained her focus on the battle, "Kingler use Stomp!"

Kingler obeyed the command and stomped on Primeape. Ash gritted his teeth, how was Primeape going to get out of this one. He needed him free in order for him to switch Pokémon, other than that the only other way was for Primeape to be knocked out which Ash wasn't going to allow.

The next thing that Ash noticed was Primeape was losing it again. This was his downfall earlier against Leaf's Venomoth when he angrily charged at him with Thrash only to whiff and get knocked out by the wall.

"Primeape listen to me, take a deep breath and then use Karate Chop upwards," Ash called out to Primeape.

Primeape heard Ash out this time. He was giving him an idea on what he could do to get away from Kingler. With that in order, Primeape took a deep breath while still on the ground, and he felt relaxed. Primeape didn't know how to say it, but it actually felt good. The Pig Monkey Pokémon didn't groan but smirked as he lifted Kingler up in the air with an upwards Karate Chop.

Daisy saw what was happening as Primeape got back up and proceeded to make her next move once Kingler hit the ground.

"Kingler come back, Charmeleon come in!" Daisy yelled out.

"Good job Primeape, come back and Frogadier come in!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pri!" Primeape responded as he jumped to Frogadier's spot.

Kingler was back in his original position while Charmeleon was now standing on the battlefield. Primeape gave Frogadier a high five tag indicating that it was his turn. As Ash looked at Frogadier, he noticed he wasn't moving at all.

"Frogadier, it's your turn," Ash told Frogadier.

It almost was like Frogadier was deaf. He didn't hear Ash at all. All the Bubble Frog Pokémon did was just stand there. Serena and Leaf along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex noticed Frogadier's behavior as he wasn't moving at all. Daisy lost her focus and looked on at Frogadier in concern. Even though they were having a battle, Daisy knew that the well-being of a Pokémon whether it was hers or her opponents was always a top priority.

"Time out!" Ash called out.

"Accepted," Bart replied.

Ash and Charmeleon went over to Frogadier with Primeape still with him. The only thing Frogadier was doing was standing there looking all troubled. The only thing his eyes were showing were hurt and pain.

"What's going on with Frogadier?" Leaf asked.

"I don't know, he's in a Pokémon battle but doesn't seem to be in it," Serena said worriedly, "He's been out of it since losing to Sabrina."

"Frogadier, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"Frogadier," Frogadier muttered in what appeared to be a whisper.

Ash didn't know what to make of this. Frogadier was in a Pokémon battle, but he didn't seem to notice. Frogadier always wanted to win for Ash since becoming his starter, but ever since Saffron City, he hasn't felt right. He did lose two important battles for Ash against Gary and Sabrina. Did they really take a toll on him like that?

"Hey Frogadier, I know you've taken a bad loss recently, but I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself," Ash told Frogadier.

Frogadier gave no response which worried Ash. This wasn't like Frogadier to not battle for Ash. Was he afraid of losing again?

"Hey Frogadier, I'll withdraw you from this battle. I can tell you're not in the mood to fight," Ash told Frogadier.

Once again, Frogadier gave no response or emotion. Just that scarred look. Did Frogadier really hear Ash? To Serena, it almost felt like Ash was talking to her Slowpoke. Ash looked down in despair and pulled out Frogadier's Pokeball calling him back.

"Frogadier will not be battling right now," Ash told Bart.

"Okay, then that's one Pokémon down for you then," Bart told Ash, "You still up for a battle?"

Ash turned to his two Pokémon looking at their faces. It was a tough scene to witness with Frogadier, but despite everything that has just happened, it seems as if they still wanted to battle.

Charmeleon looked over at Frogadier's Pokeball that placed back on his belt. A thought was running through Charmeleon's head right now. He wanted to have worthy opponents so he could get stronger, but after seeing how Frogadier was, a Pokémon who always wanted to battle for Ash, Charmeleon couldn't help but feel guilty that he had to deal with major situations in this battle.

"Primeape," Primeape confirmed.

"Charmeleon," Charmeleon confirmed.

"Really, you guys want to keep going. Especially you Charmeleon?" Ash questioned.

"Char," Charmeleon confirmed.

"Alright then," Ash responded as he turned over to Daisy, "Are you still up to battle Daisy?"

"If you're still willing to battle, then I'll keep going," Daisy responded.

"Okay," Ash replied as he turned to Primeape, "Primeape, I'll send you back on the battlefield."

Ash and Daisy returned to their spots with Primeape taking position as of now. Daisy decided to keep Charmeleon on the field. This felt familiar as Charmeleon was the Pokémon that defeated him to allow Ash to capture him, however this was a different Charmeleon.

"Resume the battle!" Bart announced.

Ash was now at a disadvantage with the loss of Frogadier while Daisy still had all three of her Pokémon. It was a tough break for Ash, but he still had two strong Pokémon with him, but Ash fears that Primeape could be his only reliable option as Charmeleon wasn't certain if any of his opponents were worthy.

"Charmeleon use Flamethrower!" Daisy yelled out.

"Dodge it and use Karate Chop!" Ash retorted

Charmeleon opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower right at Primeape. Primeape was able to jump out of the way and hit Charmeleon with a Karate Chop. The Flame Pokémon was hit and Charmeleon was on laying on his side, but not out.

"Great job Primeape, now use Seismic Toss!" Ash called out.

"Not so fast! Charmeleon switch out and Farfetch'd get in and use Aerial Ace!" Daisy retorted.

Charmeleon was able to get away from Primeape just in time and Farfetch'd struck Primeape with an Aerial Ace attack. Primeape was gritting in pain as he wasn't prepared for Farfetch'd to suddenly come in. Then again this was a rotation battle so the change can happen fast.

" _Man, this is going to be tough. How is Primeape going to be able to stand up against Farfetch'd and the rest of the Pokémon. I don't know if Charmeleon would want to battle Kingler or Daisy's Charmeleon as well,"_ Ash thought to himself.

"Char!" Charmeleon called out which got Ash's attention.

Charmeleon was smirking at Ash and giving him a salute and then pointing to the battlefield.

"Charmeleon?" Ash questioned.

"Ash, I think Charmeleon wants to battle Farfetch'd!" Serena called out to Ash.

Ash's eyes widened when he heard that. His Charmeleon wanted to go up against Farfetch'd? Just before the battle started, Charmeleon didn't consider Farfetch'd a worthy opponent, so why would he want to battle now?

"You want to battle?" Ash asked.

"Charmeleon," Charmeleon confirmed.

"But you didn't consider Farfetch'd to be a formidable opponent before. What made you change your mind?" Ash asked.

Charmeleon pointed to Ash's Pokeball which consisted of Frogadier. Of course, Charmeleon now knew the situation with Frogadier since he was there to witness it, and that the battle became much more of a pain for Ash. Charmeleon knew that Ash shouldn't be dealing with two heavy burdens right now, so he agreed to put his prideful behavior in getting a challenge right now and help Primeape.

"I see, it's Frogadier," Ash said as he smiled that there was hope in getting Charmeleon to come through, "Alright Charmeleon, go on in! Primeape we're going to switch out, Charmeleon is going to take your place!"

Primeape's eyes widened in surprise when he heard that. So Charmeleon was going to take on Daisy's Pokémon after all. Primeape didn't realize what just happened, but he was going to go with it. He jumped back to the side and Charmeleon was now in.

"I think Charmeleon has come through," Leaf happily said.

"You're right Leaf, I think when Charmeleon saw what was going on with Frogadier, he didn't want to put extra weight on Ash so he was willing to put his conditions aside and fight with Primeape rather than look for opponents who were just deemed to be in his liking," Rotom Dex explained as it then gone into though, _"But it still doesn't do justice to what's going on with Frogadier."_

"So, it looks like Charmeleon is going to battle after all," Daisy said.

"You bet he is," Ash confirmed as he looked at Charmeleon, "Charmeleon let's get Farfetch'd with Flamethrower!"

"Dodge it and use Air Slash!" Daisy retorted.

Charmeleon opened his mouth and unleashed a Flamethrower right at Farfetch'd, but the Wild Duck Pokémon got out of the way and unleashed an Air Slash attack right at Charmeleon.

"Go in with Dragon Rage!" Ash retorted.

Charmeleon opened his mouth once again and countered Farfetch'd Air Slash with Dragon Rage. The attack cancelled out the attack, but Daisy quickly acted.

"Farfetch'd switch out for Kingler, and Kingler use Harden!" Daisy retorted.

Farfetch'd quickly got out of the way before Dragon Rage came in and Kingler jumped in taking the blow with Harden to at least reduce the damage from the blow. Ash smirked at what he just saw. He knew Kingler was slow, and Ash was able to act quickly with the next command he gave Charmeleon.

"Fire Punch!" Ash yelled out.

Charmeleon charged at Kingler with Fire Punch. Kingler's Harden was finished, but Charmeleon found himself an opening thanks to Ash. Charmeleon's Fire Punch connected with Kingler and the Pincer Pokémon was screeching in pain. Despite it being a fire-type attack and Kingler being a water-type, the fact that this attack caught Kingler off guard really did a number and eventually, she wasn't able to stand up and collapsed to the ground.

"Kingler is out of the battle!" Bart announced.

With Kingler out, Ash and Daisy were each left with two Pokémon. Daisy instantly brought Farfetch'd back to play while Charmeleon remained on the battlefield. Charmeleon had to admit, this was pretty fun. Sometimes, his will of getting stronger can get the best of him that he can't enjoy the finer things in life.

"You still want to fight Charmeleon?" Ash asked.

"Char," Charmeleon confirmed.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed.

"Let's get back on track Farfetch'd, use Aerial Ace!" Daisy yelled out.

"Fight it off with Metal Claw!" Ash retorted.

Farfetch'd and Charmeleon were coming at each other with their attacks. As Farfetch'd was closing in with Aerial Ace, Charmeleon knocked him away with his Metal Claw and the Wild Duck Pokémon was knocked to the side.

"Hurry, get up and use Air Slash!" Daisy retorted.

Farfetch'd got back up and unleashed an Air Slash towards Charmeleon. Charmeleon just stood there as the blades of air were coming towards him. Did Ash have a plan or something.

"Charmeleon, I need you to switch out so I can get Primeape in there," Ash told Charmeleon.

Charmeleon was a little bewildered to know that Ash wanted Primeape to take his place against a flying-type. Did Ash have a plan or something? Without further question, Charmeleon jumped out and let Primeape come in.

" _Primeape, what is Ash up to?"_ Daisy questioned in thought.

"Primeape, take the attack!" Ash called out in which Primeape's eyes widened, "Trust me!"

Primeape was going to take Ash's words and take in Farfetch'd's Air Slash. The air blades hit Primeape which dealt him great pain knocking him back. Primeape grimaced in pain and felt his blood boil from such a powerful blow. His anger kicked in which meant the attack was enough to activate Primeape's Anger Point.

"Take it easy Primeape!" Ash yelled out to Primeape, "Use Thrash!"

Primeape was getting angry, but remembered the last time his anger came in, he just recklessly attacked. Primeape made sure he came to his senses and listen to Ash this time, and this time he told him to go at it with Thrash.

Primeape charged at Farfetch'd at alarming speed which shocked the Wild Duck Pokémon. Farfetch'd was sweating profusely as Primeape was coming in and knew he wasn't going to stand up against Primeape's strength. Primeape thrashed into Farfetch'd as he was sent flying at the speed of a bullet until he hit the wall and was out in a daze.

"Farfetch'd is out of the…" Bart announced until he saw Primeape collapse from exhaustion, "Never mind, both Pokémon are out of the bortle!"

Ash may have figured that Primeape was overly exhausted from Farfetch'd's Air Slash and that his Thrash attack tired him out completely. With that, both Ash and Daisy got their Pokeballs out and called back their Pokémon.

"Great job Primeape, you take a good rest," Ash told Primeape when he was back in his ball.

"You did great as well Farfetch'd," Daisy happily told Farfetch'd when he was back in the ball as well.

With both trainers down to their last Pokémon, Daisy had her Charmeleon out on the battle and Ash looked at his Charmeleon wondering if he was going to battle.

"You want to take on Daisy's Charmeleon?" Ash asked.

"Charmeleon," Charmeleon said nodding his head to confirm yes.

With that, Charmeleon walked up to the battlefield and looked onward at Daisy's Charmeleon. This was now going to be interesting as a battle between two Charmeleon's was going to take place. Ash smiled at Charmeleon as he was impressed that he actually was battling on his side right now.

"Continue the bortle!" Bart announced.

"Charmeleon use Flamethrower!" Daisy yelled out.

"Charmeleon, block it with Metal Claw!" Ash yelled out.

Daisy's Charmeleon sent out a Flamethrower, but Ash's Charmeleon raised his arms and showed off his Metal Claw but used it to block off Flamethrower.

"Now use your own Flamethrower!" Ash yelled out.

Once the Flamethrower was done, Ash's Charmeleon opened his mouth and unleashed a Flamethrower right at Daisy's Charmeleon. Daisy's Charmeleon couldn't get out of the way as he was being scorched by Ash's Charmeleon's Flamethrower. When finished, Daisy's Charmeleon was still standing. Since it was a fire-attack, he took less damage, but was greatly weakened.

"Now run up and use Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded.

Ash's Charmeleon's eyes were filled with complete fierce determination as he charged at Daisy's Charmeleon with a glowing purple claw and slashed Daisy's Charmeleon right in the stomach. Daisy's Charmeleon gave out a few shaky breaths while holding his stomach until he collapsed. Both Charmeleons were strong, but in the end, Ash's Charmeleon was much more skilled.

"The girl's Charmeleon is down which mean's the boy's Charmeleon wins the rotation bortle!" Bart announced.

"We did it!" Ash cheered as he pumped his fist.

Charmeleon pumped his arms up in triumph as he defeated another one of his kind. Charmeleon could now come to terms that he was stronger than the other Charmeleon in front of him. While Charmeleon wasn't deeming these opponents worthy, he put it aside for Ash because of Frogadier.

Speaking of Frogadier, Ash would hope to find out about Frogadier's typical behavior, and he would be back to his usual business. Ash walked up to Charmeleon and gave him a high five.

"Awesome work Charmeleon," Ash praised.

"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon replied.

"You did a great job Charmeleon too Charmeleon," Daisy said to her Charmeleon.

"Char," Charmeleon responded.

" _It's amazing to see that both of his Pokémon came together in a battle after what they witnessed with Frogadier, especially Charmeleon,"_ Serena thought to herself, _"But still, I hope Frogadier is alright."_

Despite Ash beating Daisy and carrying more battle experience, this was a new battle format that both him and Daisy were not familiar with. Neither of them ever took part in a rotation battle before, and the group could only tell what other kinds of battles there could be.

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Triple Battle Room**_

After a pretty long and difficult battle for both Ash and Daisy, Leaf and Serena agreed that they would be the next ones to face off in the Pokémon battle. The question was what kind of battle were they going to have now?

"Any of you know what Triple Battle is?" Bart asked.

All four humans shook their heads no.

"Then let me explain. Triple battle is exactly like a double battle, but you use three Pokémon at the same time," Bart explained.

"Like rotation battles?" Serena asked.

"No, rotation battles is where you bring three Pokémon out and switch them around, triple battles is where all three Pokémon you bring out battle at the same time," Bart explained.

The group felt like that this could be fun. Now the trainers could have all three Pokémon battle at once. Ash and Daisy turned over to Leaf and Serena.

"You two are going to face off against each other right?" Daisy asked.

"Definitely," Serena confirmed.

"After the battle you guys just had, I want me and Serena to have an amazing battle like that too," Leaf cheerfully said.

For Leaf and Serena, this would be another Pokémon battle for them. They had one back before reaching Mt. Moon, and now here they were prepared to have a triple battle.

The two girls looked at their Pokeballs trying to decide who they were going to bring out. Leaf was going to have her new Venusaur come out and take on Serena along with Ponyta and Venomoth.

With the luxury of using three Pokémon at the same time, Serena was definitely considering Abra a go since he needed some more training. She was going to have Braixen back her up since she knew a great variety of attacks, and as for her last Pokémon, she decided to use Slowpoke. Since Abra only had one move and Slowpoke…barely moves, she figured that a triple battle behind Braixen would be just the thing to get these two Pokémon in shape.

"Give me another good battle Serena," Leaf told Serena.

"I will," Serena told Leaf as they shook hands.

With that, Serena and Leaf took opposite sides as the two girls were ready to engage in their first ever triple battle.

"We will now begin the triple blartle! Choose your Pokémon!" Bart announced.

Both Serena and Leaf had their three Pokeballs in their hands.

"Venusaur, Ponyta, Venomoth, come on out!" Leaf yelled out sending out all three of her Pokémon.

"Braixen, Abra, Slowpoke, let's go!" Serena yelled out sending out her Pokémon.

The six Pokémon emerged from their Pokeballs. On Leaf's side there was her newly evolved Venusaur in the middle, Ponyta on her left, and Venomoth on her right. On Serena's side there was Braixen in the middle, Abra on her left, and Slowpoke on her right. Serena didn't notice, but Ash did notice that Braixen had the same look on her face as Frogadier. It was hard to know if she was in the same mood as Frogadier though.

Serena knew she was going to be relying on Braixen a lot since Abra doesn't know any attacks, and Slowpoke probably doesn't even know he's in a Pokémon battle.

"Venusaur, let's start things off with Razor Leaf!" Leaf called out.

"Abra use Teleport to get Slowpoke out of the way and Braixen use Psychic!" Serena retorted.

Venusaur unleashed a whole bunch of leaves right at the group of Pokémon. Abra quickly used Teleport to transport himself to Slowpoke and then transport himself and Slowpoke right behind Braixen. Braixen on the other hand was a different story.

Despite Abra using Teleport to get Slowpoke away from what would've been a super-effective attack for the Dopey Pokémon, Braixen wasn't attack at all. She was hit by the Razor Leaf, and despite feeling pain, Braixen didn't seem to pay any attention to it.

"Braixen, I told you to use Psychic," Serena told Braixen.

"Ponyta hurry and get at them with Flame Wheel," Leaf called out to Ponyta.

"Alright Abra, try using Teleport again once Ponyta comes in close, and Slowpoke use Water Gun on Ponyta," Serena told Slowpoke.

Ponyta was galloping and engulfing herself in flames ready to strike with Flame Wheel. Abra on the other hand got a hold of Slowpoke and used Teleport once again when Ponyta got close. The two Pokémon were right behind the Fire Horse Pokémon and Serena was awaiting for Slowpoke's Water Gun.

Nothing happened. Slowpoke just stood there.

" _Oh great, Slowpoke still hasn't attack. Does he even know he's battling?"_ Serena thought to herself as she gave a facepalm.

"Try Confusion Slowpoke!" Serena called out.

Slowpoke once again stood there with his blank expression.

Well, chances are Slowpoke was out of the question for attacking as of right now. Serena definitely was going to have her work cut out with Slowpoke.

"Alright Venomoth, use Gust!" Leaf called out.

Venomoth flapped his wings and created a gust right at the three Pokémon. Abra was getting blown back along with Slowpoke who still has that blank expression. Braixen on the other hand isn't aware of the attack as she was just standing there.

"Braixen use Flamethrower on Venomoth!" Serena yelled out.

Braixen heard Serena, but she didn't budge. It was like something was troubling her. It almost felt like the same thing Frogadier was enduring. All three Pokémon were blown to the wall and Braixen was still feeling like someone was after her.

"Braixen, did you hear me?" Serena asked Braixen.

Ash and Daisy looked onward as they saw how Braixen was acting. Leaf finally had Venomoth let up on his Gust attack as she somewhat noticed it too.

"I understand Slowpoke, but what's going on with Braixen?" Ash questioned.

"I don't know, she's acting just like Frogadier," Daisy muttered.

"But, Braixen didn't go through any impulsive defeats recently or taken any serious injuries," Ash stated with a look of shock.

"That may be true, but you say Frogadier and Braixen appear to be close, am I correct?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah," Ash answered, "I think they like each other."

"Then my theory is Braixen cares for Frogadier so much that his disturbed attitude may have rubbed off on Braixen," Daisy explained.

Ash's eyes widened when he heard that. Has Braixen cared for Frogadier so much that she starts to feel his feelings? If this was the case, both of these Pokémon weren't going to battle until Frogadier was feeling better.

"Do you still want to battle Braixen?" Serena asked.

Braixen just stood there without a response whether she wanted to continue battling or not. Serena wasn't sure if Braixen heard her out. Leaf hung her head hoping for an exciting battle, but all she got were Pokémon that couldn't attack, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for Braixen with whatever was going on.

"Well Serena, I didn't want to do this. But I'm going to have my Pokémon take all of yours out right now since they can't attack," Leaf told Serena solemnly, "But I'll go easy on Braixen."

Leaf was about to order all of her Pokémon to attack Abra and Slowpoke, but to her word she wouldn't be so harsh on Braixen. The Fox Pokémon just stood there like something was bothering her, Slowpoke was just standing there blank, and the only one who was aware of what was about to happen was Abra.

"Ponyta use Fire Spin, Venomoth use Psybeam, Venusaur use Petal Dance!" Leaf called out.

"Guys look out!" Serena called out.

This was it Serena was going to lose to Leaf because none of her Pokémon could attack. Abra's Teleport wasn't going to get him out of this one since none of those Pokémon could attack. He feels like he let them down, all because he can't use offensive attacks. Abra already let Serena down in their recent contest, and now he was letting her down along with the rest of the Pokémon who were immobilized.

As Ponyta's Fire Spin, Venomoth's Psybeam, and Venusaur's Petal Dance were now being sent into their direction, Abra couldn't help but feel like he didn't do enough. He only wished he could do something other than teleport around. Abra wanted to help Serena, Abra just wanted to do more for Serena.

That's when Abra started to feel something coming from within himself. He was feeling a new sense of strength, a new-found hope, and the next thing that happened to Abra is he started to glow white.

"Abra!" Serena gasped.

Abra began to go through a metamorphosis as he got bigger, and then a Kadabra took his place. Once the evolution took place, Kadabra used his psychic powers and redirected all of the Pokémon's attacks right back at them. All three of Leaf's Pokémon's eyes widened as they saw their attacks coming towards them. All three were knocked back and were sent into a pile.

"I don't believe it, you evolved Abra," Serena said in amazement, "Or should I say, Kadabra."

"Kadabra," Kadabra replied.

Ash had a huge smile on his face when he saw that Kadabra in front of him, and Daisy was also amazed. Leaf was shocked and at the same time happy for Serena as her Abra finally evolved.

"Abra evolved, and he just used Confusion," Rotom Dex said in amazement.

"I know, I wonder what else Abra can do?" Ash questioned himself.

Serena smiled at her newly evolved Kadabra. As she looked around, she saw Braixen and Slowpoke just standing there with the same expression. Serena understood Slowpoke, but she really was feeling down when she saw Braixen still looked troubled. She didn't realize that her Abra just evolved.

"Hurry up and get up, I think we got ourselves a battle now!" Leaf called out to her Pokémon.

Then the next thing that Kadabra did was unleash a rainbow beam from his spoon towards the pile of three Pokémon. Venusaur, Venomoth, and Ponyta all cried in pain as the beam was taking effect on the three Pokémon. An explosion was then created.

"Kadabra, was that Psybeam?" Serena asked.

"Kadabra," Kadabra happily responded confirming it was Psybeam.

"Yes Serena, according to my data, that was Psybeam!" Rotom Dex exclaimed in joy.

Serena was so happy for Kadabra now he could use actual attacks now rather than Teleport. She may keep in mind that she'll definitely give Kadabra another chance at a contest. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed that all three Pokémon were out cold.

"All three Pokémon are out, meaning the girl just won the triple bortle!" Bart announced.

Serena couldn't believe it, the odds were completely against her with an iron fist, but in the end, it was Abra's evolution that turned the battle around as not only did he finally use offensive moves but beat all three of Leaf's Pokémon at once. Damn, Kadabra has some pretty strong psychic powers there.

"We did it!" Serena exclaimed as she gave Kadabra a hug, "Congratulations on your evolution Kadabra!"

"Kadabra," Kadabra responded.

Leaf then walked up to Serena. She felt a bit disappointed that their battle didn't live up to the competition, mostly due to Braixen's behavior.

"That battle looked like a complete mess," Leaf muttered.

"I know, I expected Slowpoke to maybe act like that, but I wasn't expecting Braixen to be so…unresponsive," Serena muttered as she looked at Braixen who was still standing there and then turned to Kadabra, "But I'm so happy that Abra evolved."

"Are you considering using Kadabra in a future contest?" Leaf blissfully asked.

"Definitely! I'm even considering him being in my next contest!" Serena happily answered, "Maybe we can have another one of these triple battles again, but we have a better one next time."

"Agreed, a battle where all of our Pokémon are able to battle," Leaf said as she shook Serena's hand.

Ash and Daisy walked up over to Leaf and Serena with Pikachu and Rotom Dex following from behind.

"You guys did your best," Daisy told the girls.

"Thanks Daisy," Leaf said.

Ash then looked at Serena's Kadabra. Maybe because of the kindness and love he has seen Serena give him, this Kadabra didn't feel like a menace like the one Sabrina had. But both of them had one thing in common, they had tremendous psychic powers.

"Well Serena, all Abra needed was enough battle experience and he would evolve into Kadabra," Ash said placing his hands on his hips.

"Thanks Ash," Serena said as she gave Ash a kiss on the cheek.

"You and Kadabra are going to make a great team, I know it," Ash told Serena giving a thumbs up.

"I know we will," Serena responded giving a wink.

" _Maybe I could have my Pokémon train against Serena's Kadabra to help me prepare for my rematch against Sabrina,"_ Ash thought to himself looking at Kadabra, _"But as Sabrina's father said, I should probably get a ghost Pokémon first."_

* * *

 _ **Battlehaus-Main Hallway**_

Jessie, James, and Meowth were in a waiting area attending to one of the vending machines. Jessie got herself a soda while James got himself a water. Meowth on the other hand got himself a nice lemonade.

"Boy, that hits the spot," Meowth said feeling refreshed.

"Tell me about it, those battles the twerps had were pretty rough," Jessie said to herself.

"I agree Jessie, but there is one question. What happened to those two Pokémon the twerps have?" James questioned.

"Yeah, I noticed that. It was almost like they didn't want to battle," Meowth stated.

"Do you think something was wrong," Jessie said as she reached into her pocket to put out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"I hope not," James responded, "Can I have one Jessie."

"Sure, knock yourself out," Jessie replied as she gave James a cigarette.

Jessie lit her cigarette and started smoking while she lit James cigarette for her. Most of the members of Team Rocket are tended to smoke such as Proton, the other executives, and even their bosses and their Pokémon. It was cruel to know that Team Rocket even had their Pokémon smoking which was truly cruel. Thankfully, Jessie and James do not have their Pokémon smoke and neither does Meowth.

Then they noticed Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Daisy coming down the hall. After having all of their battles, they knew what was about to happen.

"Did you enjoy your battles?" Bart asked crossing his arms.

"You bet, I was kind of worried at first, but all of our Pokémon seem to be stronger now," Ash declared.

"Yeah, this was even great for me when it comes to my upcoming contest," Serena said, "Especially for my Kadabra."

"It was amazing for our Pokémon to get used to some other battle environments," Daisy stated.

"I agree with Daisy," Leaf said gesturing to Daisy.

It truly was a great experience for the group. The group got to learn new crazy ways about battling in certain scenarios, they learned about other types of battles, and Serena's Abra finally evolved in Kadabra. The only downside for the group was Frogadier and Braixen as they didn't seem to be in it today. Ash and Serena hoped to figure out what's going on.

"Thanks for showing this place Bart, our training her today will really help me with my next contest," Serena told Bart.

"And my upcoming gym battle," Ash declared.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu replied.

"That's amazing to hear from all of you Pokémon trainers. However, there is still one more battle I have to introduce you to," Bart said with his accent, "Battlehaus battle, it's you, versus the Battlehaus."

Then all of a sudden, Battlebart pulls out a tank of gasoline and matches. Ash, Serena, Leaf, Daisy, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all gasped when they saw this. It almost seems as if Bart wanted to burn the place down. Bart put the gasoline tank on the floor.

"Listen everyone, this thing cost me millions. I'm in deep with Team Rocket and I just a call from one of their executives that they're calling in debts," Bart explained now acting serious, "So I'm asking you to help me out so I can get the insurbance, or else I'm Dunsparce."

Everyone was in total shock when they heard that. He needed Battlehaus burnt down so he can get the insurance. What was even more mortifying is that he asked the group to burn the place down for him.

"Are you going to help us?" Rotom Dex asked feeling confused.

Serena glared at Rotom Dex when he said that. That sounded like he was going to lend a hand in burning the place down.

"No, I want you all to do it for me. If I don't lend a hand, there won't be a way I will be held responsible," Bart answered, "I've heard that you kids are out there helping people and Pokémon, and now I'm giving you a chance to help me."

Ash and Serena were wondering if this guy was out of his mind. During their Pokémon journey, Ash and Serena have been doing everything right in helping Pokémon and other people. Well, they couldn't save everyone on the S.S. Anne, but they did save their mothers in Team Rocket's casino and Ash was going to help Sabrina, and not to forget they were going to help Frogadier and Braixen get closure by taking care of Siegfried.

However, this was extreme. Even though Ash and Serena hate those crooks from Team Rocket and Bart was in a pickle with them, what he was requesting them to do to help him was absolutely extreme. Ash and Serena along with Daisy and Leaf have good hearts, but they weren't going to the limits of committing arson.

"I know what you mean Bart, but this something we can't do," Ash told Bart, "What you are trying to get us to do is wrong."

"You mean, you want me to be…killed by Team Rocket?" Bart questioned in fear.

"No, we don't, but we are not going to go this far to help you," Serena demanded, "This is actually a crime, and we aren't going to be part of this battle you have with them if you're asking us to do that."

"We all got our own battles kid besides don't you want to win a blarttle?" Bart asked the group.

"I don't understand what a blarttle is, probably a funny way you say battle, but this is arson! We will not commit to performing a heinous crime so you can get insurance money!" Daisy yelled.

"Yeah, maybe some stupid kid who incorrectly handles Pokémon to which they die could help you, but not us! I'm sorry you're tied up with that terrorist organization, but we will not stoop down to Team Rocket's level!" Leaf exclaimed.

The trio were watching the conversation going on with Battlebart and the group. Proton told them that he was trying to have Bart trick them into burning Battlehaus down, and then they could report to the police that they've committed arson and have them arrested so they would be out of their way for good. Jessie had a camcorder with her to record the situation, and then they would edit out the insurance part and show only the crime.

"Are you sure the twerps are going to actually do it?" Jessie questioned.

"No way Jessie, you can tell by how they're acting towards him that they won't do it," James answered as he flicked his cigarette off.

The cigarette was still lit, and it actually made a funny landing. The cigarette landed onto the lone drop of gasoline that hit the floor which sparked up a small fire. Everyone looked down at the small fire until they realized something. It was right near the gas tank and tiny embers were about to go in.

"Oh crap," Bart muttered.

"Kadabra, use Teleport to get us out of here!" Serena screamed as she brought out Kadabra.

The group held hands and were able to snag Bart away in time for Kadabra to teleport them out of Battlehaus. Then the embers went inside the tank, and the next thing that happened.

BOOM!

The gas tank exploded and the fires from the explosion hit the walls of the main hallway which were now engulfed in flames. The fire was starting to quickly spread all over the building and quickly hitting electronic outlets which caused explosions all over the place. The trio's eyes widened as they noticed an explosion coming their way. It turns out they were the ones who caused the destruction to Battlehaus, and not the group. The explosion caught the trio and they were sent flying into the sky with the camcorder being destroyed.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" the trio cried as they went up into the sky and became a twinkle.

* * *

 _ **Outside of Battlehaus**_

Battlehaus was now in flames as the whole place began to burn down. Serena's newly evolved Kadabra teleported the group out at the last minute. Kadabra safely teleported the group far away from Battlehaus.

Everyone gave a sigh of relief when they got away from the gas tank explosion just in time. If they were even a second late, all of them would be dead on the spot. The group looked out in the distance and saw Battlehaus burning to the ground. What once was a majestic theme park looking place that consisted of cutting-edge battles, was now up in flames and destroyed.

"Thanks for saving me just now," Bart said as he gave a sigh.

"No, thank that cigarette coming out of nowhere. Now Battlehaus is burning down where you can get your insurance money, and we didn't have to burn it down for you," Serena said with a smile, "So with that, all of us win today."

"Yeah, and you can pay your debts to Team Rocket," Rotom Dex told Bart.

"Well, this wasn't exactly what we were expecting to happen, but everything is okay for all of us," Bart said.

As everybody was looking up at the burning building, they just couldn't but wonder what kind of people Team Rocket really were.

"You kids go on ahead," Bart told the group seriously, "I got some work to do."

"Alright, sorry about Battlehaus," Leaf solemnly told Battlebart.

"It's okay kid, at least we're alive," Bart responded, "Now go on."

With that, the group bid farewell to Bart and walked down the path towards Lavender Town. What began as a day of intense training and learning about different types of battles along with Serena's Abra evolving into Kadabra, ends in despair learning that they were about to be roped into arson by Bart and that he was in debt with Team Rocket.

As soon as the group was out of sight, Bart pulled out his phone. He was about to make a phone call to someone.

"Hello," a dark voice responded on the other end.

"Yes, this is Bart," Bart responded.

"So, what happened?" the voice asked.

"Well just you expected the kids known as Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena came to the facility, and with them were two other kids named Leaf Green and Daisy Oak," Bart explained.

"Did you get them to burn Battlehaus down?" the voice questioned.

"No Proton, I was trying to, but then a cigarette came and hit a gas leak," Bart answered.

"The mission was for you to trick those kids into burning that place down and we could report them to authorities and get them arrested for arson and locked up! I also asked those three dumbasses to monitor them to make sure that they were the ones doing it, and you're telling me a cigarette came out of nowhere and caused the fire to break out!" Proton roared.

"Wait, are you telling me you had…Jessie, James, and Meowth monitor them?" Bart questioned.

"Ye…THOSE SON OF A BITCHES! THE MESS EVERY FUCKING THING UP!" Proton screamed.

Bart and Proton should both realize that it was Jessie, James, and Meowth who screwed the whole thing up. They all wonder why they keep letting them involved with their missions.

"Just return to headquarters, you'll still get your paycheck," Proton told Bart.

"Roger that," Bart said as he hung up the phone.

Bart glared out into the distance. They were hoping to get those two arrested by tricking them into burning Battlehaus down, but in the end it was that dumb trio. Just like the other rockets, Bart hated those two Pokémon trainers along with the other two that were with them.

"Those brats are going to pay for getting in Team Rocket's way," Bart said darkly.

* * *

 _ **Back on the road to Lavender Town**_

It was almost over an hour since the group left Battlehaus. Everyone was in despair with what just happened with Bart and how he got tied up with Team Rocket. The group could realize how desperate Battlebart was for money and he even turned to them to burn the place down so he could get his insurance money.

"Listen guys, I want you all to take a lesson from me. It doesn't matter how bad things get but turning to help from a group like Team Rocket or any other criminal or terrorist group is not the right answer," Ash explained to everyone.

"Ash is right, if we ever turn to people like that for help, it can come back to haunt you, and it sure did for Bart," Serena stated in despair.

Leaf and Daisy took those words in pretty well. Daisy hasn't seen Team Rocket, but Leaf has, and Ash and Serena had plenty of experience with them so far during their travels in Kanto.

"When you see what kind of people Team Rocket are, then you know you shouldn't make deals with them," Leaf muttered.

"You're absolutely right Leaf," Daisy told Leaf.

The mood was pretty depressing after they left Battlehaus. Rotom Dex didn't want this mood to last any longer, so it spoke up.

"Let's change the subject to something more positive, what can we expect when we get to Lavender Town?" Rotom Dex asked Leaf.

Leaf then gave a huge grinning smile on her face. Leaf remembers her previous visit to Lavender Town as it involved Mr. Fuji's house.

"As I told you all, there's the Pokémon Volunteer House which is the home of Mr. Fuji. Many volunteers come and take care of the Pokémon that live there, and I sure enjoyed that a lot," Leaf said as she now became happy.

Leaf could remember that taking care and playing with the abandoned Pokémon at Mr. Fuji's house was one of Leaf's favorite moments of her Pokémon journey as she is a huge Pokémon lover herself. After all, that's where she spent most of her time.

"Huh!" all of them gasped.

The conversation was then cut short when the group saw three figures lying on the ground. All of them gasped when they saw them as they could be dead bodies laying in the middle of the road. Ash was the one who approached the bodies and he studied them. There was a woman with long red hair, a man with short blue hair, a Meowth, and underneath them was a tree branch that may have broke off which cushioned their fall. Ash could hear then moaning and then his eyes widened.

"Not you guys again," Ash stuttered as he backed away.

"Ash, what's going on?" Serena asked calling out Ash.

Ash turned his head around in complete shock and horror. Something was telling the girls that whatever Ash saw was not pretty.

"It's Team Rocket," Ash stuttered as all of them gasped with Serena gasping the loudest.

The trio were finally opening their eyes and adjusting their senses and they saw Ash in front of them. They haven't seen him since their escape from the S.S. Anne. The trio's eyes widened when they saw him, the twerp and his friends.

"The twerps!" the trio cried out in union as they quickly rose up to their knees.

It was them, Jessie, James, and Meowth.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed my take in Battlehaus as I found a way to incorporate it in the story, for just one chapter. Tell me what you think about it in the reviews as I stated, this was a difficult chapter to write.**

 **So, the chapter ends with the group running into the trio again. How will that work out? What could their cruel executive Proton or the other rockets have in store since they messed up, again?**

 **Despite the somewhat bitter ending, Serena's Abra finally evolves into Kadabra as now he will be able to use other moves than Teleport. He actually could be a good training Pokémon for Ash if he's going to challenge Sabrina again in the future.**

 **As for Frogadier and Braixen, no one in the group knows what's going on, but it will be known fairly soon why they're acting like that.**

 **I've decided to add a new poll asking if you would like to see more rotation battles or triple battles in the story. There definitely will be more tag battles as I got a big one coming up in due time.**

 **Until then, see you next time!**

 **Chapter 39: The Ghost of Lavender Town**


	42. The Ghost of Lavender Town

**Last time, Ash, Serena, Leaf, Daisy ran into the Team Rocket trio. Let's see what goes on with them, and then it's off to Lavender Town where the group will come across more members of Team Rocket.**

 **I was originally going to just make Lavender Town just one chapter, but I wanted to give you all a break with all of these long chapters and make something shorter. Plus, the Team Rocket encounter kind of caused this chapter to be a little longer. Also, it's the first chapter in forever that is less than 10,000 words.**

 **The part with Pokémon Tower will take part in the next chapter. Now just sit back and enjoy.**

 **I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **On the road to Lavender Town**_

The group was frozen where they were and so were the trio. Ash and Serena knew them too well, and Leaf encountered them once. Daisy on the other hand never encountered anyone with Team Rocket. It was a sudden surprise to see the trio right here on the road when usually they're up to no good in a town or city.

"You guys again," Ash muttered.

"I didn't think we were going to meet again," Jessie ranted.

The trio fully got back up on their feet and began to do poses as they were going to recite their motto.

"Now you twerps should prepare for trouble," Jessie recited.

"And make it double," James recited.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie recited.

"To unite all people within our nation," James recited.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love," Jessie recited.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," James recited.

"Jessie," Jessie recited.

"James," James recited.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," Jessie recited.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight," James recited.

"Meowth that's right," Meowth recited as he jumped in.

"So, what brings you here?" Serena smugly asked.

"Um, nothing," all three members lied in union.

"You can't fool us!" Ash ranted as he had Pidgeotto's Pokeball out.

The trio was sweating profusely. This twerp saved their lives, but then again that was a one-time thing only because all of them were in trouble. Ash did tell them that they were going to be enemies again if they should meet. After all, they were part of Team Rocket. Maybe it was best to tell them as somewhere deep down, they had a tiny shred of respect for those twerps after their time on the S.S. Anne.

"Okay, we confess! We heard about the man's issue with Battlehaus and we were going to confront him for the money!" Jessie cried.

"I thought we were to keep an eye on them to make sure Bart got the twerps to burn Battlehaus," James responded until Jessie covered his mouth.

Everyone gasped in complete shock. Ash clenched his teeth while Serena gave a furious glare. Pikachu was sparking his cheeks while Leaf and Daisy were making fists and shaking them. Bart never was in debt with Team Rocket, it was all a setup just to get the group in trouble with the law.

"If you think we were stupid enough to do something like that, think again," Daisy growled as she got out a Pokeball.

Leaf and Serena each got a Pokeball out as well. As Jessie, James, and Meowth could see that they were going to attack, the trio got their Pokeballs out as well. What surprised them was that Jessie and James had an extra Pokeball with them as well which probably meant…they got new Pokémon.

"Let's go you guys. We're probably going to be killed by Proton for failing to trick them into committing a crime which would get them arrested, let's at least make it up to him by killing these twerps right here, right now!" Jessie ordered to James and Meowth.

As Serena was holding what appears to be Beedrill's Pokeball, she couldn't help but let those words sink in. If she could recall, the trio said that it was Proton who locked them in the kitchen when the ship was sinking. Now here they were hoping to kill them after she and Ash saved their lives.

"Arbok, Lickitung, go!" Jessie yelled out sending out her Pokémon.

"Weezing, Victreebel, go!" James yelled out sending out his Pokémon.

Jessie brought out her Arbok along with another Pokémon who looked like a fat pink lizard with baby doll eyes, cream yellow marks on his body, stubby feet, a big swirly tail, and what stands out the most, a long tongue. James brought out his Weezing along with another Pokémon that looked bigger than Victreebel. She had a yellow bell-shaped body with her mouth on top of her head, giant leaves on each side, and two tails with one being short thin with a bulb, and one being long thin tail with a leaf at the end. The funny thing about this Pokémon is once she came out, she began to eat James.

"Ahhhh, get off me!" James screamed as his head being inside muffled the sound.

"Hey Rotom Dex before we take care of these clowns, do you want to get information on these Pokémon?" Ash asked looking at Rotom Dex.

"With pleasure!" Rotom Dex brightly responded as he got data on Lickitung and Victreebel.

 _#108-Lickitung: Licking Pokémon_

 _Its tongue spans almost seven feet and moves more freely than its forelegs. Its licks can cause paralysis._

 _#071-Victreebel: Flycatcher Pokémon_

 _Lures prey with the sweet aroma of honey. Swallowed whole, the prey is dissolved in a day, bones and all._

After Rotom Dex got the data on the trio's new Pokémon, James was able to get Victreebel off of him, and all four Pokémon were focused on the battle.

"Go Pidgeotto!" Ash yelled out throwing his Pokeball.

"Go Beedrill!" Serena yelled out throwing her Pokeball.

"Go Starmie!" Leaf yelled out throwing her Pokeball.

"Go Tangela!" Daisy yelled out throwing her Pokeball.

Pidgeotto, Beedrill, Starmie, and Tangela all came out of their balls. It was now Pidgeotto versus Arbok, Beedrill versus Weezing, Starmie versus Lickitung, and Tangela versus Victreebel.

Arbok fired off a Poison Sting right at Pidgeotto, but she countered the attack with Air Slash which hit Arbok. Beedrill used his Rage to hit Weezing, but he always came right back with Tackle, but Beedrill's power kept going up when using Rage. Starmie unleashed its Water Gun at Lickitung while he used Lick to counter. Tangela couldn't use any of her powder attacks on Victreebel so she resorted to using Vine Whip while Victreebel kept chipping away with Leaf Blade.

Rotom Dex could see that the whole group was struggling with the trio. With Rotom Dex and Pikachu looking on, the two figured that they should step in.

"Everybody out of the way!" Rotom Dex yelled, "Roto Lotto activate!"

All of the Pokémon backed away as Rotom Dex activated his Roto Lotto function and directed it towards Pikachu. The slot machine was running on its screen and there was a red energy ball, a multiply symbol, and the number two.

"Special attack times two!" Rotom Dex hollered as there was now a blue glow around Pikachu, "Pikachu, shock them with Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu felt the power surge in his body as he charged his cheeks and unleashed a much more powerful Thunderbolt than usual. The trio were being electrocuted so hard that an explosion was created, and the trio was sent flying into the air along with their Pokémon.

"We're blasting off again!" the trio all cried in union as they were flying into the sky and became a twinkle.

The group looked onward at Rotom Dex and Pikachu. While being a good help, Team Rocket was not supposed to be blasting off.

"There, that no good Team Rocket is gone again," Rotom Dex putting its arms on its sides.

"Rotom Dex, even though we thank you for the help, we were actually trying to knock them out so we can get them captured and turned over to the police," Serena explained.

"But, what about the time you worked together with them on the S.S. Anne?" Rotom Dex asked with a little crack in his voice.

Leaf's and Daisy's eyes widened in shock when they heard that. The two girls were thinking that Ash and Serena assisted Team Rocket in one of their plans.

"That was a one-time thing Rotom Dex, remember?" Ash questioned.

"You guys helped those crooks?" Leaf questioned in astonishment.

Ash and Serena didn't want to mention anything about when they helped the trio. Those two and their Pokémon knew about when they worked together to get off the S.S. Anne, but they all had no choice. Leaf and Daisy haven't heard the whole story behind that.

"It's true, we did work with them once, but not in the way you would think," Serena confirmed as she looked down.

What Serena just said got the two girls curious. Serena figured it would be best for Ash to do most of the talking on this topic.

"You guys may have heard the news about the S.S. Anne disappearing a while back, have you?" Ash solemnly asked Leaf and Daisy.

"Yeah, dad even mentioned it to me," Daisy answered nodding her head.

"Well, the truth was Team Rocket was behind the S.S. Anne's disappearance, and the reason we know is because we were on the ship when it happened," Ash answered.

Leaf and Daisy gasped to hear that Ash and Serena were caught on the S.S. Anne when it disappeared. Wait, if the ship and all of those passengers disappeared, why are Ash and Serena still here?

"Team Rocket set up a party for Pokémon trainers only as a scheme to steal all of our Pokémon. They had guns out so we couldn't fight back with our Pokémon, but thanks to Rotom Dex's Roto Lotto feature, Rotom Dex boosted Pikachu's speed to take out the rockets and allow us to get our Pokémon back, but we didn't know they had second wind with them," Ash explained.

"He's right, they had a bomb that activated that shook the ship. I lost a marble that I ended up getting and went after it with Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex following me. Thankfully we weren't in the room when Team Rocket actually attacked a second time and succeeded in taking everyone's Pokémon," Serena explained.

Serena would've wanted to show that marble Aria gave her, but that was beside the point. Ash continued to talk.

"The ship sank and me and Serena were caught in the wreckage, and chances were all of those passengers died," Ash grimly said.

Leaf and Daisy gasped when they heard that. Now they knew what happened to the S.S. Anne, Team Rocket was behind it all. That was truly an act of terrorism, but now they needed to know about the shipwreck and how they got out.

"So, what happened next?" Leaf asked.

"When me and Ash were on the ship, we were going to try and get out, and then all of a sudden, we saw them on the ship too. We saw Jessie, James, and Meowth. They never got off the ship," Serena explained.

"So, knowing that all of us were trapped and our lives were in danger, we had no choice but to work together and get out of the ship. All of us greatly contributed getting through obstacles, but Serena had the biggest impact," Ash explained.

"Really, what did Serena do?" Daisy asked as she looked at the honey blonde coordinator.

Serena looked at both Daisy and Leaf, but slightly had the most focus on Leaf.

"Leaf, do you remember that Magikarp I was scammed into buying?" Serena asked Leaf.

"Yeah, I do," Leaf muttered.

"She ended up evolving into Gyarados and was able to get us back to the surface with all of us," Serena explained.

"Wow talk about money now well spent," Leaf said in astonishment.

"If it weren't for Gyarados, the two of us and those three would probably be dead right now," Ash muttered as he then looked down, "Gyarados got us back to the surface, and we decided to make a nice gesture to them."

"Nice gesture?" Daisy questioned.

"What did you do?" Leaf asked.

Ash and Serena both took deep breaths ready to tell them what happened next, but Rotom Dex decided to be the one to speak.

"Once we got back to dry land, we decided to let them go as a small thank you for not only cooperating with us, but also giving us information on the operation they were running in Celadon City," Rotom Dex explained, "But only due to the fact that we may have been far from any authorities."

The two girls eyes widened as they felt a shiver down each of their spines. It was one thing helping the trio but letting them run away too.

"But not to worry, we weren't going to let them walk away scot free. Gyarados whipped them away with her tail and sent them flying away, just like what Pikachu did just now," Rotom Dex explained.

The two girls then relaxed a little bit. At least they came them a little something.

"So, what it that Jessie and James told you Team Rocket was doing?" Leaf asked as she crossed her arms.

"Leaf, do you remember when your mom along with our moms and Ash's Aunt Yellow went to Celadon City for a getaway?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, she just called me recently telling me she came back," Leaf answered.

"They all went into a hotel that was run by Team Rocket where they ran a casino. Those three told us about the casino when we were on the S.S. Anne and, they tried to kill them because…we kept getting in their way," Serena explained solemnly.

Leaf's face was completely horrified when she heard that. Team Rocket was actually trying to kill her mom.

"They tried to kill my mom," Leaf stuttered.

"It was mostly directed towards our moms, your mom and my aunt were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," Ash hesitated to tell them.

"And for the record, all the times we've ran into them were on accident," Serena stated, "We never go out looking for them."

Leaf's face loosened up when Serena told them that all of them were a complete accident. If Leaf can recall, if Team Rocket did kill her mom, she wouldn't be talking to her on the phone. Ash and Serena continued talking about how they met their moms and winded up being tied up with Team Rocket's casino and how they had to rescue Froakie and Fennekin along with how they evolved.

"That had to be rough for you all, but I'm glad everyone is alright including you," Daisy said.

"Thanks, we're glad to be alright as well," Serena sighed as she could recall that horrible memory in Celadon City, "We truly do hate Team Rocket and all of the horrible things they do to us and Pokémon. I wouldn't even be surprised if they killed a Pokémon."

"I'm pretty sure they have Serena," Daisy muttered, "You just don't know about it yet."

Daisy was right, Team Rocket have probably killed Pokémon. Maybe they even did in that casino. It was despicable that she and Ash helped the trio that one time, but it was in the past and they had no choice. She and her boyfriend along with their Pokémon truly wished that criminal organization disappeared off the face of the earth. Like Siegfried, why did this organization exist?

While Serena had lots of hatred towards Team Rocket, at the same time she couldn't help but realize if that time on the S.S. Anne would help them change. Jessie, James, and Meowth confessed to their superior eventually trying to murder them because they always screw up, like they just did back at Battlehaus and likely with the encounter just now. Still, while they were their enemies, Serena can't help but wonder if there is any good in those three.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Tower**_

Inside the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, Team Rocket grunts have been catching ghost Pokémon non-stop and decided to take a break. They all sat down and looked at all of the Pokeballs that contained ghost Pokémon which were mostly Gastly and Haunter.

"So, did you guys notice there has been an actual ghost here?" one of the grunts said.

"Yeah, it's been around since we entered the Pokémon Tower," another grunt responded.

"But no one in this fucking town ever told us that this place was haunted by an actual ghost," another grunt muttered.

It has been true, lately a ghost has actually been wondering around Pokémon Tower. They would run for their lives, but the executive Proton would snap their necks if they tried to run out during the mission. Some of the rockets were wondering if Proton knew about the ghost. Speaking of Proton, the grunts knew that he was angry after hearing what just happened with Battlehaus.

Proton was grinding his teeth and thinking of other clever ways to murder the trio. Team Rocket was clearly getting sick of them always messing everything up. Now the attempt to trick the group into getting arrested went up in flames, literally.

As Proton stood there watching the men continue to gather ghost Pokémon, he hoped to Arceus that those three never show up here. Team Rocket needed these Pokémon to capture Mewtwo when the Pokémon is fully awake. Right now, he was in a sour mood after what just happened which got some of the grunts attention. One of the grunts decided to get up and approach Proton.

"Sir Proton, we got all the ghost Pokémon on this floor," a grunt reported.

"THIS FLOOR! YOU REALLY FUCKED THAT UP!" Proton screamed.

The grunt got scared as Proton pounded his fists and punched him in the face. The rocket fell down and made sure not to let out a scream, despite Proton just doing that. Proton then looked downward with a furious glare at the scared grunt, but then he took a deep breath and relaxed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little on edge. As you know, those three bastards fucked up yet again. It was wrong for me to take my anger out on you like that," Proton calmly said to the grunt who was still shivering as he took another deep breath, "What I mean to say is, well done. Now go to the next floor."

"Yes, sir Proton," the grunt nervously said as he got up and gave a salute.

All of the grunts made their way to the next floor as they didn't want to anger Proton any further, so the grunts cut their break short and went back to work. Proton knew that those three better pray to Arceus that they don't meet up with him because next time he could just kill them on the spot.

" _Whoever gave them those two admin titles should be stoned to death in public on global television where everyone sees it because of how retarded they are giving them those titles to begin with! If it were our bosses Giovanni and Ariana, I would have to let them pass because they're our bosses and I can't assault them. I wonder if it were them, what the hell were they smoking,"_ Proton thought to himself.

Proton then got out his communicator as he needed to make a call. Unaware of the thud that was just heard outside.

Outside, Jessie, James, and Meowth crashed into Pokémon Tower and then fell down into a pile of bushes and were out in a daze.

* * *

 _ **Kanto Power Plant**_

It's been almost a week since Cassidy and Butch had their unit take control of the Kanto Power Plant. The Magnemite and Magneton were forced to followed Team Rocket's commanders and their powerful leader Magnezone couldn't do anything about it. The Pokémon were starting to control most of the electric current to the Silph Company and the others back to Team Rocket Headquarters.

They needed extra electricity at Silph Company to keep the process of crafting the perfect Master Ball in progress and hope to move along faster. They also needed extra electricity at their headquarters to increase the process of developing Mewtwo and keep it alive without suffering a power outage which could kill the clone. A gang of Grimers have been left in the waters and other part around the power plant to make sure no one gets in.

"What's the quota on the flow of electricity?" Cassidy asked one of the grunts.

"So far we have managed one-eighth of Kanto's stored electricity being directed towards either the Silph Company or headquarters. I say that in a few days we may begin to get blackouts in parts of the region," one of the grunts reported.

"Excellent work," Cassidy responded with authority while looking at the Pokémon.

Then Cassidy was getting a message from her communicator. It was Proton who was calling her.

"Proton," Cassidy responded.

"Cassidy, what's the status report," Proton responded on the other end.

"Me and Bluff have managed to transfer one-eighth of the electricity towards either the Silph Company or our base," Cassidy stated, "At this rate, not only can we start to gain control of Kanto, but we'll be able to make tremendous progress in the Mewtwo project."

"Good work, at least somebody is doing something right," Proton muttered.

"What do you mean by that?" Cassidy asked.

"Apparently I decided to be mentally retarded for a day and let Jessie, James, and Meowth do a simple assignment, and they messed that up too," Proton stated.

Cassidy rolled her eyes knowing that he was clearing talking about Jessie, James, and Meowth. Everybody has been hating those guys because of their constant screw ups.

"What did those fools do now?" Cassidy questioned.

"They were supposed to monitor our mortal enemies Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, and make sure they were tricked into burning down Bart's battle facility and snitch them out and get them arrested never to come near us again, unfortunately those three braindead bastards decided to have a smoke break and they were the ones responsible for burning the place down!" Proton exclaimed.

Cassidy started to frown as hard as she could and tighten up in her face when she heard of them. She remembers how those two put their casino out of business and even beat Archer in the process. Not to mention their mothers were supposed to be killed a while back, unfortunately the people Proton called braindead messed that up too. Cassidy along with Butch really knew how much of a thorn those two were.

"I hate them," Cassidy muttered.

"We all do Cassidy," Proton responded as he gave out an order, "Now have those Pokémon keep controlling the electricity at the pace they're going. We want to gain much power as possible, but not potentially damage the power grid in the progress."

"Roger that! And how is it going with the Pokémon catching?" Cassidy asked as she wanted to know about Proton's assignment.

"It's going splendid, all thanks to no retarded bastards breathing near here!" Proton proudly exclaimed, "But seriously, the men are doing a great job. They've already cleared four floors and are onto the fifth. At this rate, we'll have an unstoppable army that will keep Mewtwo under control."

"Proton, you know how to run things," Cassidy complemented.

"Indeed," Proton replied, "And uh, funny story. I've heard from some of my men that a real ghost is haunting Pokémon Tower."

"A real ghost?" Cassidy questioned as she got a little paled.

"Yeah, but I don't believe that crap. And besides, before we left for Pokémon Tower, Giovanni gave me these Silph Scopes," Proton stated as he pulled out a pair of high-tech goggles, "These goggles will allow me to spot any ghosts that are in here."

"Impressive, Silph Company really knew how to produce revolutionary products," Cassidy smirked.

"Yeah, so if that so-called ghost exists, I'll just have one of my Pokémon beat the crap out of it," Proton smirked, "We'll I got to go, have to keep tabs on my men to make sure this place is cleaned out of all the Pokémon. You and Bitch keep up the good work."

"Will do sir Proton! Over and out!" Cassidy reported as the transmission was shut off.

Cassidy looked back and saw the Pokémon floating around the generator controlling the electricity. Proton was right, they needed to keep up the pace they were at if they wished to send more power towards their main bases of operation. Butch then walked in to check in on the generator.

"Things going smoothly?" Butch asked.

"Indeed Barth, at this rate Team Rocket will have this planet in an iron grip soon," Cassidy answered.

"The name is Butch!" Butch ranted.

"I don't fucking care. Anyway, we just got a call from Proton and I gave him the status report. Not to mention Jessie, James, and Meowth screwed up again," Cassidy muttered.

"Those three bastards," Butch muttered.

"Yeah, but we're doing great here. As for Proton, the operation in catching ghost Pokémon is going great as well," Cassidy stated, "Mewtwo will not stand a chance against us and have no choice but to work for us."

Cassidy and Butch couldn't help but give evil smiles as they continued to watch the Magnemite and Magneton control the electricity. Magnezone was pretty much helpless as it had to just obey Team Rocket if the workers would live. Right now, everything was going Team Rocket's way.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Center**_

It was the day after the group had their experience at Battlehaus along with their encounter with the Team Rocket trio. They finally arrived in Lavender Town after just two days. The group really could get their Pokémon looked at after the events of yesterday.

They were in the Pokémon Center and all four trainers handed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy with Pikachu hopping on for a checkup. After their Pokémon were healed, Leaf would be taking them to the Pokémon Volunteer House where Mr. Fuji lives. Right now, Leaf just grabbed a soda from the vending machine while Daisy picked up a magazine and began reading, and Ash and Serena just stood there with their arms crossed hoping to know how their Pokémon were doing.

Ash and Serena were hoping that Nurse Joy could find the cause of Frogadier's and Braixen's behavior, but they got to remember that Nurse Joy studies medicine not psychology since their problem is emotional. So, the two weren't going to have high hopes for that.

"Have you heard about the ghost that is in Pokémon tower?" a man asked a woman.

"I've heard stories about the ghost, but I didn't know they were real," the woman answered the man.

This caught the Pallet Town couple's attention. A ghost living in Pokémon Tower. They figured there would be ghost Pokémon, but an actual ghost.

"There's a ghost in Pokémon Tower?" Serena questioned the two where she may have been kind of rude.

The man and woman didn't mind that Serena was asking.

"Yeah, I haven't seen it, but everybody is talking about it," the man answered.

"That's right, people say that the ghost has been scaring people away," the woman responded.

Serena was looking pretty terrified. Did she really believe an actual ghost was thriving in Pokémon Tower? Leaf never mentioned anything about an actual ghost. Ash wasn't sure if what he was hearing was true.

"So, there's a ghost in Pokémon Tower?" Ash questioned.

"Seems like it, but it has been heard to just be a rumor," the man stated.

"Do you think you actually believe in ghosts?" the woman asked.

"Well, I believe in ghost Pokémon that can live in Pokémon Tower, but not actual ghosts," Ash answered.

The woman then gave out a chuckle.

"Maybe not, but I guess that white hand resting on your shoulder isn't real either then, huh?" the woman jokingly asked.

Ash then gasped to see if there was anything around. He looked around only to see nothing was there. Serena then let out a giggle seeing Ash's reaction.

"Okay, I'm not sure about ghosts, but I'll admit that was a little funny," Serena chuckled.

Then to Serena's surprise along with Ash's surprise, the two discover that the man and woman have suddenly disappeared. Were they real, or was it just an illusion? That was strange.

Leaf who was drinking her soda was noticing Ash and Serena as they seemed to be talking to air. Leaf walked up to the two with a big grin on her face.

"Making imaginary friends I see," Leaf said in her bubbly tone as she sneered towards Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena both got startled by Leaf's utter surprise. Great, that's three surprises in less than twenty seconds.

"Don't sneak up on us like that," Serena ranted as she quickly turned around glaring at Leaf.

"Geez, sorry," Leaf said in a sarcastic tone.

Then the ding sound was being made. That was the signal notifying that the group's Pokémon were finished with their checkups. The three went up to the counter with Daisy coming with them as she knew her Pokémon were ready. Nurse Joy presented four trays of Pokeballs which belonged to the group along with Pikachu who hopped back on Ash's shoulder.

As they looked at the trays, they noticed that Ash's and Serena's Pokeball tray had only five Pokeballs. The two-special colored Pokeballs were not on the tray which meant Frogadier and Braixen were still being evaluated.

"Nurse Joy, how's Braixen and Frogadier?" Serena asked as she clasped her hands in worry.

"And how's Frogadier's back doing?" Ash asked who was also concerned.

Nurse Joy looked at the two Pokémon trainers. They needed to know if she was able to have an answer on Frogadier's and Braixen's behavior.

"Ash, Serena, Frogadier and Braixen are psychically fine. Frogadier's back is starting to feel much more relaxed so he might be battling at 100% soon," Nurse Joy explained as she looked down, "But as for their behavior that you're talking about, I'm still doing evaluations."

So, to their opinion, Nurse Joy hasn't been able to crack the code on the two Pokémon's troubled feelings.

"If you don't mind, I would like for them to stay overnight if that's okay with you," Nurse Joy suggested.

"Even if you don't find the answer, we can't argue with that," Serena muttered, "Go ahead, maybe you might find something."

"If not, that's okay," Ash told Nurse Joy, "I just hope we can get answers soon."

Until the two knew what was going on, Frogadier and Braixen were going to be seeing limited battling action for some time. This could be a huge blow for Ash and Serena for a while as they won't be competing in any gym battles or contests until this behavior was gone. If it ever goes away.

"Thank you very much. I'll do everything I can to see if I can have answers for your Pokémon," Nurse Joy told the couple.

"Thank you," Ash and Serena both replied.

"Now to change the subject, are you all planning on visiting Pokémon Tower?" Nurse Joy asked the group.

"Most certainly, Ash is hoping to find a ghost Pokémon in there," Rotom Dex answered.

"Well before you head off to Pokémon Tower, I suggest you visit the Pokémon Volunteer House which is home to Mr. Fuji," Nurse Joy recommended.

"You're in luck, because that's where we were going next!" Leaf energetically said to Nurse Joy as she hugged her friends together extremely tight.

"Technically you're going there again Leaf," Daisy muttered.

Leaf let go the group and everyone caught their breath from that group hug. The group took their leave and thanked Nurse Joy before exiting the center. While Ash heard that ghost Pokémon live in Pokémon Tower, Ash and Serena hope to hear more about the so-called ghost living in Pokémon Tower. Maybe Mr. Fuji has the answer.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Mr. Fuji's House**_

Frogadier and Braixen were left at the Pokémon Center while everyone else went to the Pokémon Volunteer House. When the group arrived at Mr. Fuji's house, they could see that it was a pretty small house. The room was pretty barren with almost nothing inside but a door leading into another room.

"Hello, anyone here!" Leaf called out.

"Yeah," a girl answered on the other side of the door.

Then the door opened revealing a girl. The girl had auburn hair with two pigtails going behind, and she wore a pink blouse, white skirt, green socks, and brown shoes.

"So, this must be the Pokémon house?" Ash questioned.

"It's a house, but where are the Pokémon?" Rotom Dex asked.

"It is, this is where we keep all of the abandoned and orphaned Pokémon and take care of them," the girl answered.

"Yeah, we kind of heard that from our friend Leaf over here," Serena stated gesturing towards Leaf.

"Hello again," Leaf said giving a bow.

"Nice to see you again Leaf," the girl kindly replied.

Because of all the time Leaf has spent in Mr. Fuji's house, this girl knew Leaf pretty well.

"So, I take it all of these people here are your friends?" the girl asked.

"They aren't just my friends, they've been my longtime friends," Leaf said as she gestured towards her friends.

"I'm Ash," Ash replied.

"I'm Serena," Serena replied.

"And I'm Daisy," Daisy replied.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Reina and I'm one of the caretakers of the Pokémon here at the Pokémon Volunteer House," the girl who introduced herself as Reina replied.

"It's nice to meet you," said Serena.

"So where are the Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Follow me and I'll show you," Reina answered as she showed them to the door she just came out of.

Ash, Serena, Daisy, Leaf, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all went through the door. As they could all see, there were pens with colorful floors where all the Pokémon were being kept. There were many Pokémon ranging from Oddish, Growlithe, Vulpix, and many more. Some of the people in there were cleaning up while others were playing or feeding the Pokémon, and others were just rubbing their heads in affection and grooming them as well.

"I never had an idea that there we so many abandoned Pokémon," Ash stuttered.

"It almost makes you wonder how many cruel people are out there in the world," Serena muttered as she looked at the Pokémon.

"I know what you mean Leaf, but it does warm my heart that these Pokémon are healthy and happy," Leaf said looking at all the Pokémon.

Reina took a look at the surroundings of the place. She could imagine there being furniture and other things and that it's now converted into a home for these lost Pokémon. None of the people, not even Mr. Fuji knew that there was another place like this place down south in Kanto where a Snorlax was giving Pokémon a home.

"Did you know that this house once belonged to Mr. Fuji. He converted it into a home for all these abandoned Pokémon so they could have shelter," Reina explained.

"So, this was once Mr. Fuji's house?" Daisy asked.

"It still is, he just made room for the Pokémon," Reina answered.

It amazed the group that there was such a generous and kind soul like Mr. Fuji. Leaf looked around and wondered where the Pokémon caretaker himself was. Just as Leaf was about to ask, the group spotted another Pokémon who didn't look to happy.

This Pokémon looked like a brown hamster wearing a skull on his head and holding a bone. This Pokémon looked to be in a defensive stance and had a dark look on his head. It was almost like he was dealing with some sort of tragedy.

"What Pokémon is this?" Ash asked looking at the troubled Pokémon.

"It's a baby Cubone," Reina answered as she showed them the Pokémon.

Leaf didn't remember seeing this Pokémon last time, so it was likely a new Pokémon that Mr. Fuji took in. As Rotom Dex began to do an analysis, it could tell that Cubone may be grieving.

 _#104-Cubone: Lonely Pokémon_

 _Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody._

As Ash and Serena continued to look onward at the baby Cubone, his troubled look highly reminded them of what their starter Pokémon's current state was now.

"Mr. Fuji found this Cubone running out on the streets almost a week ago. Usually, Cubones are with their mothers, but this one didn't have a mother," Reina sadly explained.

"Really, what happened?" Daisy asked as she seemed to have a broken heart.

"Something tells me his mother…might have died," Reina sadly answered.

The group couldn't help but feel bad for this Cubone. A baby Pokémon was dealing with tragedy after all. Judging by Cubone's attitude looking like he wants to fight, this Cubone's mother may have been murdered. Ash and Serena could remember Frogadier and Braixen were in the same predicament before they even hatched that their whole family was murdered by Siegfried. But that tragedy took place over four years ago, so it didn't completely answer why those two Pokémon were acting like that, but they probably shouldn't take Siegfried out of the equation just yet.

"Let me try and reach out to him," Ash said as he cautiously approached Cubone and had a kind voice, "Hi there."

Cubone growled and backed away while remaining in his defensive stance. Ash was showing his warm touch in Pokémon, but it didn't do anything.

"This Cubone is only friendly to Mr. Fuji, because he was the one who found him and took him in," Reina explained.

Daisy looked down in despair seeing how that Cubone acted towards Ash. He wanted nothing to do with him because he wasn't sure if he could trust him. The pain of losing a mother can take a huge toll, and Daisy can relate to this Cubone since she also lost her mother.

"Speaking of Mr. Fuji, where is he?" Leaf asked, "I want to say hi again and introduce him to my friends."

Reina then had a dark look on her face. Did the group know about where Mr. Fuji has gone?

"I don't know where he is. He's been missing for almost three days," Reina answered.

"Missing!" all of them exclaimed in union.

"Yeah, you see there has been a rumor that an actual ghost is living in Pokémon Tower. Mr. Fuji went over there to investigate, but he has not turned up since. After the disappearance of Mr. Fuji, the people of Lavender Town have been advised to stay away from Pokémon Tower until we can get to the bottom of the situation," Reina explained.

"So, what could it be?" Ash asked.

"We don't know, in fact Agatha of the Elite Four is going to be coming to Lavender Town soon to look into this," Reina explained, "After all, Pokémon Tower is the gravesite for deceased Pokémon, and no one will be able to see their lost Pokémon."

This was an unexpected surprise, Agatha of the Elite Four was going to show up and try to handle the situation. She was a specialist in ghost Pokémon and was once under the authority of Red, but now she is under the authority of Blue. The people of Lavender Town thought she could handle the situation with the ghost and Mr. Fuji's disappearance.

" _I guess dad knew of the situation which is why he sent Agatha over,"_ Daisy thought to herself.

"When is going to be here?" Serena asked.

"In a couple of days," Reina answered.

"That's too long! What if the situation gets worse or Mr. Fuji dies?" Ash questioned in a rant.

Everyone was looking at Ash wondering what was he thinking? No one was allowed in Pokémon Tower during the time, but he wanted to go anyway.

"Ash, you don't know how dangerous this could be," Daisy told Ash.

"Come on Daisy, it's just a ghost. It's not like it can hurt me," Ash stated.

"But what if that ghost possess the tower and the tower starts eating you alive," Serena stuttered as she then covered her mouth realizing what she just said.

"It's probably nothing and everybody could be getting overreacting," Ash declared as he looked at Cubone, "Besides, Cubone needs Mr. Fuji as he is the only human he can trust. And who knows if he's in trouble."

Reina can't help but think how stubborn Ash could be, but also how brave he was. If Mr. Fuji were here, he might see something special in this boy.

"Do you really think you can do it?" Reina asked.

"I might not be an Elite Four member like Agatha, but I am a decent Pokémon trainer," Ash answered as she opened up his jacket, "Here are four badges to prove it."

Everyone in the room was gathering around the group and could notice the four badges Ash had, and some of them were amazed. He wasn't at the level of Agatha, but this was proof that he was a serious Pokémon trainer. Serena realized that Ash has proven himself in dangerous situations, and she has too.

"I don't know if you can call this proof that I'm a productive trainer, but I do have two Kanto ribbons to prove how good I am," Serena told Reina as she showed her the two contest ribbons.

Ash was amazed to see that Serena was on her side, and despite those crazy horror theories, she knew they could resolve this if they work together like they always have.

"That's impressive," Reina said in astonishment, "Maybe you two can actually handle what's happening in Pokémon Tower after all."

"You mean three," Daisy announced as she got everyone's attention, "I might not have the accomplishments of Ash and Serena, but as a member of the Oak family, I have to play a part in possibly giving peace to those Pokémon gravesites."

"What about you Leaf?" Serena asked as she turned to Leaf.

"No thanks, that tower creeps me out. Plus, the fact an actual ghost is haunting the place makes it even more creepy! Sorry, I'm sitting this out," Leaf stuttered as it then turned into a mutter and then into a positive attitude, "Besides, I like to keep these Pokémon company again. And if worse comes to worse, give me a call and I can come in for backup."

"That's okay Leaf, and it's a great idea. If we do get in trouble, we can try and contact you," Daisy said smiling.

Ash looked out the window and stared at Pokémon Tower. Maybe the whole thing with the ghost was completely bogus, but Ash wanted to get answers. He was filled with complete determination as he hoped to get to the bottom of this. After all, this would just be another obstacle in becoming a Pokémon Master.

"Well I'm ready, what about you guys?" Ash questioned Serena and Daisy.

"We're ready Ash," Serena confirmed nodding her head.

"Same here," Daisy confirmed.

"Then let's go," Ash said.

Pikachu got onto Ash's shoulder as he walked out the room with Serena, Daisy, and Rotom Dex following him. Reina and the rest of the volunteers knew that those three were not at the level of Agatha, but they proven to be really brave and did have some confidence in Ash since he has four Kanto badges. Leaf watched her friends leave the room as she knew what dangers could be awaiting them.

"Be careful you guys," Leaf muttered.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Outside Pokémon Tower**_

Jessie, James, Meowth, and all of their Pokémon were lying on the ground in a daze. The trio and the other four Pokémon have just woken up as the impact from crashing into the tower knocked them out for at least a day. They were in some bushes in an unreachable area which explained why no one noticed them.

"What just happened?" James asked as he looked around to notice his surroundings.

Victreebel took a look at James and then tried to eat him once again. James whole upper body was engulfed inside Victreebel and she screamed, but it was muffled.

"Get off me!" James yelled muffled.

"It appears we hit this building that knocked us out after those twerps sent us blasting off," Meowth answered as he looked around.

"But, exactly where are we?" Jessie questioned as she looked around.

While everyone was looking around, Arbok was slithering to notice the view of a town. However, the Cobra Pokémon noticed a couple of figures running through town.

"Charbok!" Arbok called out.

"What is it Arbok?" Jessie questioned as she went over to Arbok with Meowth following him.

James on the other hand was running in the opposite direction as he couldn't see because of Victreebel trying to eat him. This caused James to run into a tree which caught the two's attention.

"Get over here you nincompoop!" Jessie ranted as she approached James.

She grabbed Victreebel's Pokeball and forcefully returned her. Jessie helped James up back onto his feet and rejoined Meowth, Arbok, Lickitung, and Weezing. The group looked onward and saw who it was.

They noticed that it was Ash, Serena, and Daisy along with that Pikachu and that floating television. They also noticed that Leaf was now absent from the group. Where could she have gone? It didn't matter as it was Ash and Serena who caught their attention.

Meanwhile, Ash, Serena, and Daisy were looking at Pokémon Tower. It was a grey tower with a round roof that was the vocal point of Lavender Town. So, this is where Mr. Fuji has gone and disappeared into. This is where the so-called ghost thrived.

"So, this must be Pokémon Tower," Serena said looking at the tower.

"It sure looks like it. I mean it is a tower after all," Ash stated.

Three things were going to have be done here for Ash. One, he needed to know if Mr. Fuji was in the tower and if he was alright; two, he needed to know about this ghost; and three, he needed to catch a ghost Pokémon.

Ash and Serena were each a Pokémon short as Frogadier and Braixen were still in the Pokémon Center for evaluations, but that didn't matter as they each still had five other Pokémon they can truly rely on. Well for Serena, the exception of Slowpoke. Not to mention they had Pikachu with them too.

The trio was able to hear out what just came out of the group's mouths. They looked at the town and then up at the building. The trio's faces completely paled up when they realized they were in Lavender Town and that the tower they crashed into yesterday was Pokémon Tower.

Jessie, James, and Meowth already knew Proton was running the operation of collecting ghost Pokémon inside, and if they were to have any confrontation with him, he would backyard shoot them in the head in a matter of seconds. The trio usually report their failures, but now they've lost the courage to say something now knowing someone from Team Rocket, mostly Proton, will be ready to kill them.

"Proton is in there, I don't want to see his face," James muttered as he can picture them holding an assault rifle and repeatedly shooting him in the head with him screaming that he was a waste of oxygen.

Meanwhile, Ash, Serena, and Daisy began to put all of their fears aside and replaced them with determination. They rather do something rather than have this town continue waiting.

"I'm not waiting any longer, let's go!" Ash declared as he ran off.

"Wait for us!" Daisy called out as she ran after Ash.

Serena was running after them until she tripped. Serena landed on her stomach, but quickly was able to get back up, but Ash and Daisy didn't look back as they were about to reach the entrance. Despite saying no one was allowed inside, there weren't any guards so the two were able to enter with ease.

Serena looked on the ground and noticed that her shoe was untied as she tripped on her own shoelace.

"I'll catch up to you guys in a second," Serena said to herself as she began to tie her shoe.

While Serena was tying her shoe, she ended up hearing voices coming from somewhere, and those voices sounded familiar. They belonged to the trio.

"Proton is in there and when he finds out that we fucked up at Battlehaus we're all dead," Jessie said.

"He just wants to always find an excuse to kill us because she so called, always fail," James said.

Serena stood there and looked around and saw the trio. She wasn't going to approach them, but she couldn't help but stand there and listen to them.

"Let's get away from this place before he finds us," Meowth stated.

"We can't Meowth, they have the only ride back," Jessie stated.

"We could walk to headquarters," James suggested.

"No good James, it's almost a three month walk, and we're limited on supplies and cash. Not to mention if anyone sees us, we're going to be snitched out," Jessie muttered as she sank to her knees, "Face it, it's over for us. I'm starting to wish I never joined this organization in the first place."

"With the way everyone treats us because of our actions, it's not healthy being a part of Team Rocket anymore," James muttered.

Serena couldn't help but feel heartbroken. Sure, they were evil crooks, but if they were part of a group, they should be treated like team members and not prisoners. Serena knew when she or Ash failed in a situation, they would help each other back up along with the Pokémon which they have done with Frogadier and Braixen most respectively. Jessie, James, and Meowth on the other hand, it seems when they fail, they get abused and berated by their teammates instead of helping them up and improving.

Serena was truly starting to hate Team Rocket more and more. Not only did they commit acts of terrorism and try to kill her moms, but it seems that they deal with workplace abuse which proves that Team Rocket is a toxic cancerous organization. She also heard that Proton was in there and it made her wonder, could Team Rocket be behind Mr. Fuji's disappearance?

Serena didn't know what to do for them, and she wasn't sure if she should explain this to Ash, Daisy, and Leaf. Right now, she just needed to catch up to them in Pokémon Tower.

Serena made a run for it and entered Pokémon Tower as well.

* * *

 **I'd figure this would be a good stopping point.**

 **It looks like Serena is aware of what the trio is going through. Could this bring an effect on how they deal with Team Rocket or possibly her relationship with Ash?**

 **Part two of Lavender Town is coming up next which will feature of course Pokémon Tower where Ash will get a new Pokémon and a little something else. Not to mention the encounter with Proton and the ghost in the tower.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll and leave a review. Also, if there is anything I can do to improve my writing, feel free to let me know. Until then, I'll see you next time.**

 **Chapter 40: Dear Mother**


	43. Dear Mother

**First off, congratulations on Ash Ketchum for finally winning a Pokémon League. In my opinion, I hope this means this could lead to less betrayal fanfictions which I'm not fond of.**

 **Anyway, here is the second part of Lavender Town as this will be the place where Ash catches his next Pokémon. Now Serena is going to do something that some of you might be happy about, and hopefully you'll understand why I had her do this. On the plus side, I'll also be giving Daisy Oak her big shining moment in this chapter.**

 **Now sit down and enjoy and I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Tower**_

The inside of Pokémon Tower looked pretty dark. This was the memorial site for deceased Pokémon and right now, a ghost was haunting the place. Ash and Daisy arrived inside and could tell how creepy it was. Maybe it was because no one was here.

"This place gives me the creeps," Daisy stuttered.

"I know," Ash said as he turned to Rotom Dex, "Hey Rotom Dex, can you locate any Pokémon, or ghosts?"

"Most certainly," Rotom Dex answered giving a salute as it started to analyze the area.

Serena finally caught up to the group while waiting for Rotom Dex. Serena panted as her hands were on her knees.

"Where were you?" Daisy questioned.

"Um hello, I tripped on my shoelace and fell, and I was tying my shoe. You guys dashed off without me," Serena answered with a stern look.

"Okay, at least we didn't lose you," Daisy said.

Serena didn't want to mention that another part of her delay was listening in on the trio's conversation. She was going to keep in mind Team Rocket could be in here. Right now, they needed to get a ghost Pokémon, find Mr. Fuji, and figure out what this ghost is.

"Did you find anything?" Ash asked as Rotom Dex finished scanning the area.

"This may seem strange, but there is only one ghost here," Rotom Dex uttered.

"Is it the ghost of Pokémon Tower," Daisy stuttered as she was shaking.

"It's a ghost Pokémon, not an actual ghost. I don't think my data can spot actual ghosts," Rotom Dex explained.

Guess this was a sigh of relief for the group that as of now there was no ghost. Wait, only one ghost Pokémon? This tower was supposed to be full of them! What happened to all of the ghost Pokémon?

"Just one ghost Pokémon?" Ash questioned in surprise.

"Yeah, likely on one of the upper floors," Rotom Dex confirmed as it looked up.

This was getting sort of creepy, first an actual ghost now only one ghost Pokémon. The group had to think something was up in here. Right now, it was best to just walk around and look for that ghost.

"Alright, let's go," Ash told everyone.

Serena and Daisy each had their hands covering their mouths in fear of wondering what they could be coming upon as Ash led the way. The group began to ascend up the tower.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

After investigating the second floor, the group ended up on the third floor. The place was pretty dark and began to get somewhat foggy inside. Guess this is what the tower does to keep its grave site feeling inside.

So far the group hasn't found any site of the ghost Pokémon, Mr. Fuji, or the ghost. They were observing tombstones along the way not only to find something, but also pay their respects to the fallen Pokémon. As they were walking through the tower, there was one Pokémon tombstone that caught Daisy's attention.

"Guys look," Daisy called out to Ash and Serena.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all gathered around Daisy as they observed the tombstone. It showed an image of Raticate engraved on the stone, and a description on the tombstone.

 _Raticate, beloved Pokémon and friend of Blue Oak_

So, this Raticate belonged to Daisy's father. When Blue told her and Gary stories about his travels and his rivalry with Red. He mentioned that he had a Raticate and one day he was having a battle with Red on the S.S. Anne, Red beat his Raticate but may have done a lot of damage to it. Blue never mentioned to anyone what ever happened to that Raticate after his meeting with Red, not even his dad. Some say he released it, others say he traded it or gave it to someone else, or maybe that it was dead.

"So, it looks like my dad's Raticate did die after all," Daisy solemnly said.

The rest of the group gathered around the tombstone looking onward. Ash, Leaf, and Serena even heard of these stories from Daisy. Of course, this was way back when they Blue and Red were still kids. Maybe Blue didn't want to say anything to Red because he didn't want him to live with that for the rest of his life, and they understood it was a complete accident.

"I'm so sorry Daisy," Serena said as she put her hand on Daisy's back.

"It's okay, this happened a long time ago," Daisy responded.

The group learned something from looking at that gravestone. Pokémon battles can be fun, but sometimes they can turn deadly. Ash can recall that in the Saffron Gym when Kadabra was obliterating Frogadier. If Ash didn't call a forfeit, Frogadier could be dead.

"I guess it can come to show you that we need to be careful of our Pokémon's strengths in battle," Ash muttered as he looked at the tombstone and then turned to Daisy, "Even though our dads back then were still learning like we are, no one wants to deal with the tragedy of losing a Pokémon in a friendly battle."

"I know what you mean Ash," Daisy replied.

Seeing that tombstone told them that just because they all will get stronger down the road; it can also mean sometimes being strong can come at a price if not handled properly. It also means they need to be careful on who they face in case that opponent tends to be much more powerful. It was a painful lesson the group learned.

As they were looking at the tombstone, a Pokémon was looking at the group from behind. This Pokémon resembled a ghost who was a purple floating head with hands not attached to its body. The Pokémon was floating closer to the group and was right behind them preparing for a scare.

"HAUNTER!" the Pokémon cried.

"AHHHHH!" the group screamed.

Everyone turned around and saw the ghost Pokémon Haunter right in front of them. Talk about scaring them during a grieving process. Haunter made a scary face and let out a creepy scream.

"AHHHHH!" the group screamed yet again.

Everyone made a dash for upstairs as soon as that Haunter scared them. Haunter was looking at those kids and crossed her arms, even though she didn't have arms, and had a glazed look in her eyes. Haunter was hoping they get a kick out of that scare, but all she did was scare them off to the upper floors.

"Haunter," Haunter muttered.

Soon everyone made it to the next floor. Everyone had a feeling that they just came across the ghost. They were all catching their breath after the encounter with that ghost.

"I think that might have been the ghost," Daisy said as she was panting and shaking at the same time.

Rotom Dex however had different thoughts. Rotom Dex's circuits were saying that there was no ghost in front of them, but it was a Pokémon that was spotted.

"I don't think that was the ghost," Rotom Dex muttered, "That looked more like a ghost Pokémon."

"A ghost Pokémon?" Ash questioned as this caught his interest.

"Yeah," Rotom Dex answered as he played the video of Haunter scaring them, "And according to my analysis, this Pokémon happens to be Haunter."

 _#093-Haunter: Gas Pokémon_

 _By licking, it saps the victim's life. It causes shaking that won't stop until the victim's demise._

Ash couldn't believe it they were frightened by an actual ghost Pokémon when they thought it was a ghost. This was one of the reasons the group came to Pokémon Tower was so Ash can get a ghost type Pokémon.

"So that was a Haunter," Ash muttered as he looked back at the stairs going down.

"Are you really going to go back down there Ash?" Daisy asked.

"I thought we were here looking for Mr. Fuji," Serena stated.

"Pikachu," Pikachu responded.

"Don't worry, I was going to find Haunter and have a word with it, befriend it, and then have Haunter join me," Ash explained, "And then we would continue searching for…"

It felt like the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees. Ash was feeling a shiver down his spine. Serena and Daisy were also feeling the shivers down their spines as if there were an unsettling presence in the room.

"Go away," the voice said.

The group looked onward and saw a purple gas figure floating around the room with red eyes. Ash was wondering if that was Haunter again, unfortunately it wasn't. As the group's eyes widened, they saw an actual ghost in front of them.

"Leave now," the voice said.

"It's the ghost! Let's get out of here!" Daisy shrieked.

"But what about Mr. Fuji?" Ash stuttered as he was clearly frightened by the ghost.

They all were scared, but Ash made a point. If there was any indication that Mr. Fuji was in Pokémon Tower, they needed to keep investigating. So, there was only one thing to do.

"Run away upstairs then!" Serena shouted.

On que, the group got past the ghost and proceeded to head upstairs. The ghost was looking at them still giving that bone chilling voice telling them to leave. What the group didn't understand was that the ghost was saying it as a warning due to what's up there.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile on the top floor**_

Proton and the rockets were hearing screaming coming from inside. This got the evil group bewildered. Who would be in here when no one else would come in?

"Did you hear something?" One of the rockets asked.

"It might be the ghost," another rocket stuttered.

"It's probably nothing," Proton responded as he wanted to ignore it.

The rockets were almost done as they were on the top floor cleansing the place of any remaining ghost Pokémon. On the top floor was an old man who seemed to be wearing some casual clothes. This man was Mr. Fuji. One of the rockets turned to Mr. Fuji.

"Do you have any idea what it could be old man?" one of the rockets questioned.

"Maybe it's a group of people finding evidence of that Marowak you killed," Mr. Fuji growled.

Proton turned over and looked at Mr. Fuji with a menacing smile. Mr. Fuji knew Team Rocket was a group of criminals and he figured they were the ones behind Marowak's murder, and he was right.

"I enjoyed killing that Marowak and guess what, I would do it again," Proton said in a menacing tone.

"That Marowak was only walking around the tower with her baby, and you found joy in murdering her! It just goes to show that Team Rocket are truly a despicable group of people," Mr. Fuji spat.

Proton then sneered at the Pokémon caretaker. He pulled out a pistol and pointed it right at Mr. Fuji's head.

"Shut your fucking mouth, or I will use this pistol on maybe, the Pokémon in the Pokémon Volunteer House!" Proton shouted.

This kind old man was completely powerless. He was subdued by Team Rocket who was currently disturbing the Pokémon's sleep, and now they could have the power to terrorize the Pokémon in his own home.

"Do whatever you want to me, just don't hurt the Pokémon," Mr. Fuji muttered.

The rockets felt disturbed as they those voices were pretty close. They were even starting to hear footsteps now.

"Proton, maybe we should see what's going on downstairs," one of the rockets suggested.

Proton looked over at the other rockets. He thought they were crazy, but then again it wouldn't hurt to see what was going on. There was no way Proton was believing that ghost crap.

"Fine," Proton muttered as he went downstairs with the rockets following him, but not without him turning to Mr. Fuji, "Now be good and stay here. We're going to investigate what's going on downstairs."

Mr. Fuji knew he had to obey that order not only to protect the Pokémon, but he was completely subdued by the ropes. As Proton and the other rockets went down, Mr. Fuji hoped that whatever they thought could be downstairs would help him.

* * *

 _ **Back downstairs**_

Just as the group expected, there were hardly any other ghost Pokémon except for that Haunter they encountered. What happened to all of the ghost Pokémon?

"Just as I expected, there are no ghost Pokémon up here. It's like a ghost town up here," Rotom Dex said as it sounded like some sort of ironic pun, "Or a non-ghost town because this place is a habitat for ghost Pokémon. It's so confusing!"

Rotom Dex placed its hands on its screen in frustration. Ghost town means no one is here, but when it's supposed to inherit ghosts that aren't around, what do you call it?

"What could of, happened to all the ghost Pokémon?" Serena questioned in thought.

"Do you think it had something to do with that real ghost?" Daisy asked while stuttering.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu muttered as he didn't want to believe that.

"Maybe that wasn't all Mr. Fuji could have come here for. I mean he must have known something about the ghost Pokémon going missing," Ash stated.

Then all of a sudden, everyone came to a complete halt as they heard footsteps coming from above. Could it be the ghost again? No, ghosts can't walk, they float. However, they knew something was up there.

Ash, Serena, and Daisy were getting pretty nervous knowing what could be up there. Maybe it was Mr. Fuji, or it could be someone else. Whoever or whatever it was, the group had to be ready.

"I'll investigate further down. You stay here and guard the Pokeballs in case it's someone getting in our way!" a voice exclaimed in an authoritative tone.

"Yes sir!" other voices responded as they were soldiers.

Just as they expected, someone else was here and they must've gotten past the ghost. It sounded like a group of people that were on an assignment. To Ash and Serena, that voice sounded completely familiar as if they heard that voice before. Daisy looked over at Ash and Serena and noticed that they were sweating.

"You guys nervous?" Daisy asked.

"I think I've heard that voice before," Ash stuttered.

As the footsteps were getting louder, the group could now see a man with a flashlight coming down the stairs. It was the Team Rocket executive Proton. Proton's eyes widened when he saw Ash and Serena again. He has seen those bastard kids on Mt. Moon with another girl who happened to be Leaf. Proton didn't recognize Daisy as he just saw her for the first time. Ash's, Serena's, and Pikachu's mouth along with Rotom Dex's screen mouth were wide open when they saw the evil executive.

"You," Proton said in complete shock.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Mr. Fuji's House**_

Back at the Pokémon Volunteer House, Leaf was playing with an Oddish by tossing a ball at him. Every time Leaf tossed the ball, Oddish bounced it back with his body. When Leaf was here in Lavender Town, she spent most of the time playing with the Pokémon as she loved them herself. Pokémon Tower creeped her out which explained why she stayed behind.

Reina couldn't help but giggle to the fact Leaf was here again. It was almost like she was a regular here, but in due time she would need to hit the road again. As she looked around, she saw Cubone still standing there in his defensive stance with his dark look on his face. Cubone would only show emotion to Mr. Fuji if he were around, but no one knew where he was. Then something caught everyone's attention. The volunteers looked around as they heard it, Leaf heard it, and the Pokémon heard it as it caught everyone's attention.

Cubone was trying to break out of his pen. Something was telling Cubone that there was a great disturbance taking place.

"Cubone," Reina said in shock.

Then Cubone successfully broke the door down and ran out of the room. Leaf was in total shock when she saw that. Reina went after that Cubone and Leaf figured she should follow as she put the ball down.

Cubone ran outside and was now heading towards Pokémon Tower. Whatever was troubling Cubone appeared to be in Pokémon Tower. Reina got out and watched on with Leaf catching up.

"What's going on with Cubone?" Leaf asked as she saw Cubone running.

"I don't know," Reina answered as she saw Cubone enter Pokémon Tower from the distance, "All of a sudden, Cubone is acting like this and I don't know why."

It was strange that Cubone's behavior ended up like that. It was almost like he felt some presence in there that he needed to see.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Tower**_

Proton looked surprised when he saw Ash and Serena again. They were supposed to be tricked into arson at Battlehaus, but he knew the trio messed it up and he was now out for their blood if he saw them again. Right now, his focus should be on Ash and Serena.

"I was hoping not to see you again," Proton muttered.

"Same here," Serena spat.

"What are you doing here?" Rotom Dex questioned as it crossed its arms and had an angry face on its screen.

"None of your business," Proton muttered as he pulled out a pistol, "Now get the hell out of here or you can fit in with these dead Pokémon by being dead yourselves!"

The girls were frightened when he pulled out the pistol. He would waste no time shooting Ash, Serena, and Daisy on the spot. He hated those kids as much as he hated Jessie, James, and Meowth. Ash was clenching his teeth and his fists as he was ready to fight.

"Ash, he has a gun," Daisy said in a low volume voice.

"I don't care," Ash responded.

"I heard her, and she's right," Proton said as he looked at the gravesites of the Pokémon, "You know speaking of these dead Pokémon, one particular Pokémon got in our way just recently."

"Really?" Ash questioned.

Proton knew about these kids very well as they would do anything to help Pokémon. He knew this would light a fuse into Ash when he heard about Marowak.

"Yeah, a Marowak. That Marowak and her baby boy were going on a nice walk here in Pokémon Tower until Marowak got into our way," Proton explained as he could see Ash's face tense up, "Marowak got into Team Rocket's way by getting into my personal space, and as an added result."

Proton then paused and then showed a menacing smile which he knew would cause Ash to lose it and be prepared to shoot him.

"I SHOT THAT MAROWAK IN FRONT OF HER BABY BOY! AND I DO IT AGAIN!" Proton shouted as he let out a mechanical laugh.

Everybody just gasped in horror when Proton said that. He just killed an innocent Marowak. Something was now telling them that the Cubone at Mr. Fuji's house was the orphan Cubone. Serena and Daisy had tears coming down their eyes going to their cheeks as they were filled with sadness and anger.

Ash on the other hand was ready to break his neck. Team Rocket have committed evil acts of terror such as trying to kill him and Serena, tried to sell off his and Serena's Pokémon, attempted to kill his mom and aunt along with Serena's moms, and now this was the backbreaker. Killing a mother Pokémon in front of her child. Ash Ketchum had it.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ash screamed as he charged at Proton.

"ASH NO!" Serena screamed.

Proton stopped laughing and pointed the pistol at Ash as he was ready to shoot him. He was going to enjoy this. Proton was about to pull the trigger until all of a sudden.

"Haunter!" Haunter exclaimed as she popped up in the air out of nowhere.

Proton was startled by the ghost Pokémon's appearance as he lost his aim and fired into no man's land. Proton didn't have time to recover from the shock of being scared as Ash tackled Proton onto the ground causing him to lose the gun.

Serena and Daisy were completely shocked when Haunter just popped up out of nowhere. Talk about good timing. Wait, now was not the time to be thankful for Haunter coming to the rescue yet. Serena turned to Pikachu.

"Hurry Pikachu use Thunderbolt on the gun!" Serena retorted.

Pikachu didn't waste time as he quickly powered up his cheeks and unleashed the most powerful Thunderbolt possible at the gun. Proton was trying to break away from Ash as he tried to get back to the gun, but Proton was too late. Pikachu's electricity was engulfed in the weapon and then it exploded. The gun was now nothing but scrap.

Proton was now looking at everyone with a furious glare. He really hated these kids with every fiber of his being. Just as much as his bosses. Proton has had it with these kids. He grabbed Ash by his shirt and growled at him while Ash growled back. Proton threw him right back at Serena and Daisy as he stumbled backwards and landed on his butt.

"Are you alright?" Serena asked as she picked him up feeling completely scared and hugging him.

"I'm fine," Ash answered in a comforting tone as he did try to calm down.

Ash felt a little rough from that landing but being with Serena made him feel better. Proton on the other hand got out a Pokeball.

"You were warned, and you chose to ignore it. Now you will fucking die along with that girl with you," Proton said darkly, "I think you might know this Pokémon. Go Rhydon!"

Proton tossed the Pokeball in the air and it revealed a Rhydon. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all remembered this Pokémon as it took out Froakie, Fennekin, Pikachu, and Leaf's Ivysaur in one hit. However, that was in the past, and Ash and Serena have managed to get strong enough to take on an executive.

Ash and Serena each only had five Pokémon since Frogadier and Braixen were back at the Pokémon Center being evaluated. Then again if they were with them, they wouldn't even be able to help them with the state their minds are in. Of course, they knew that they still had other great Pokémon with them and Pikachu.

"Primeape I choose you!" Ash yelled out sending out Primeape.

"Go Pinsir!" Serena yelled out sending out Pinsir.

"Charmeleon let's go!" Daisy yelled out sending out Charmeleon.

Primeape, Pinsir, and Charmeleon all stood their ground as they looked at the menacing Rhydon in front of them. The group knew that there was more of Pokémon Tower to be explored right behind Proton. Something was telling the group that Team Rocket may be behind Mr. Fuji's disappearance, but they still had no idea what they were doing here.

* * *

 _ **Outside of Pokémon Tower**_

Jessie, James, and Meowth were all hanging their heads on what they were going to do. If Proton or any of the rockets found them, they would die. If they run off, they could end up in a scenario where they could starve and get thirsty and die of low health.

"What are we going to do?" Jessie asked herself.

"I don't know Jessie, once Proton finds out what happened, it's our heads," James muttered.

"Unless something happens, we're done for," Meowth muttered as he hung his head.

The trio have failed so many times that all members of Team Rocket do not get along with them. They're just being considered as a burden rather than team members. Sure, they weren't perfect, but this was ridiculous. The only thing the trio can hope for is a miracle.

* * *

 _ **Back inside Pokémon Tower**_

Rhydon was just as menacing as before. Ash, Serena, and Daisy ordered all of their Pokémon to attack Rhydon. Primeape was coming in with Karate Chops since Rhydon was a rock-type, Pinsir was prepared to use Brick Break, and Charmeleon was going to come at Rhydon with Metal Claw.

The attacks have been hitting Rhydon, but the Drill Pokémon hasn't been feeling a whole bunch of damage. Whatever Proton has been doing with his Pokémon has been working. Rhydon keeps swatting them away, but they come back for more and Rhydon isn't feeling tired. Ash, Serena, and Daisy have to be aware that their Pokémon do have limits.

They needed to do something, but what can they do? Ash was looking around while the girls, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex watched. Proton and his Rhydon were the only ones in the room right now and Ash may have noticed an opening. He turned to Serena and Daisy.

"Hey ladies, I got an idea," Ash said which caught their attention, "Team Rocket has to be up to something, so I say use this opportunity to slip past him. I'll stay here and have the Pokémon hold them off."

Serena and Daisy could see where Ash was going with this. Maybe the battle with Rhydon can be a distraction so they can see what's going on. Though the group were handling Proton's Rhydon a lot better, but not to a point where they were winning, Serena and Daisy seem to disapprove. Ash seems to feel like the leader and Serena and Daisy feel like supporting characters right now.

"Ash, you and Serena are the ones who do crazy things," Daisy rebutted, "Let me stay here and you and Serena can go ahead."

"Daisy's right, that way I won't have to worry about you," Serena told Ash.

Daisy made a point because whatever is behind Proton could be even more dangerous. Plus, he wouldn't have to worry if Serena suddenly was in danger. Daisy wasn't as strong as Ash and Serena, but knowing the mind the younger Oak twin has, and that she has proven to be a valuable asset, maybe having her handle Proton wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Are you sure you can handle this Daisy?" Ash asked.

"I'm sure Ash," Daisy answered as she now had a face of determination.

With Primeape, Pinsir, and Charmeleon struggling against Rhydon, it would be hard to get past this battle scene. Ash was looking at Rotom Dex and he nodded his head. Rotom Dex knew what it had to do.

"Rotom Dex, do your stuff," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"You got it!" Rotom Dex responded giving a salute as it floated towards his Primeape.

"Come on Rhydon, use Drill Run!" Proton commanded.

Rhydon charged at the three Pokémon with Drill Run sending them all flying to the wall. However, none of them were out just yet, but they were getting tired. They still had what it took to fight. Rotom Dex then came in and made its move.

"Roto Lotto activate!" Rotom Dex announced as the Roto Lotto feature was activated.

The screen on Rotom Dex acted like a slot machine once more and coming up on the screen would please the group. A shield, a times sign, and the number three.

"Defense times three!" Rotom Dex announced as a blue beam was directed towards Primeape.

The good news for Ash was that Primeape had a drastic raise in his defense. Unfortunately, the Roto Lotto only gives an effect to one Pokémon at a time. Since Ash and Serena were going to be heading upstairs, Rotom Dex had to use it on either Primeape or Pinsir since they weren't going to be around and the two could worry about one of them a little less.

"Primeape use Karate Chop as much as you can!" Ash called out.

"Pinsir keep using Brick Break!" Serena called out.

"Crush them Rhydon!" Proton screamed.

Primeape was now charging towards Rhydon once more and he was prepared to send in a Karate Chop. Rhydon was trying to swat him away, but the Pig Monkey Pokémon's increased defense made it harder for him to move. Pinsir was then given the opportunity to hit Rhydon with his own Brick Break while Charmeleon kept attacking with Metal Claw.

"Let's go!" Ash called out to Serena.

Daisy was staying where she was while Ash and Serena made a run for it to get around the action. Pikachu was right on their heels and he unleashed a Thunderbolt onto the cruel executive. Proton screamed in pain as he then fell on the floor. Proton tried to get up, but Ash and Serena got past him.

Haunter looked onward at Ash and she knew that he figured out these people were trouble and taking all of the other inhabitants. Haunter proceeded to follow Ash and Serena.

When Proton got up, he looked back and saw that Ash and Serena got past him. Then he turned around to see Daisy standing there with a determined look on her face. Meanwhile the Roto Lotto effect on Primeape wore off as Rhydon hit him with a Bulldoze along with Pinsir and Charmeleon.

Proton looked over to see all three Pokémon slumped over on the wall. Proton had a hostile look towards Daisy. Not only was he angry for them getting in their way, but also having the effects of the trio rubbing off on him. Rhydon had such an evil look on his face when he saw Daisy. Proton was going to have so much fun crushing this girl.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile on the higher floors**_

The rockets were standing to keep guard at the Pokeballs while Proton investigated. However, they were starting to hear footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Do you hear that?" one of the rockets questioned.

The rockets turned around to see someone emerge from the stairs. They were hoping it was Proton, but it wasn't. It was Ash and Serena along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex. The rockets stood in shock wondering what they were doing here.

"Alright you crooks, what are you up to?" Ash questioned as he clenched his fist.

"None of your business, the real question is how you got past Proton?" one of the rockets questioned.

"We got someone downstairs taking care of him," Serena answered as he looked at the stairs, "Now, care to tell us if you know anything about Mr. Fuji's whereabouts."

"And you better tell us, because I already have a grudge over the fact that you monsters killed a Pokémon!" Ash yelled.

The rockets were getting frustrated with these kids. They began to approach Ash and Serena. Pikachu sparked his cheeks and Rotom Dex floated up in the air a little bit, only to discover a giant sack.

"What's in the bag?" Rotom Dex questioned as its hands were on its hips or screen.

The two rockets looked back at the bag of Pokeballs containing all of the ghost Pokémon they caught.

"Those are all the ghost Pokémon Proton assigned us to catch here," another rocket answered.

"What do you need those Pokémon for?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Like we said before, none of your business!" another rocket screamed.

Rotom Dex already used its Roto Lotto and it won't be available for another hour. Ash and Serena each pulled out a Pokeball, but the rockets each pulled out a handgun.

"Put the Pokeballs away and turn them to us, or you can join these dead Pokémon," a rocket grunt told Ash and Serena.

"After killing a Pokémon, forget it!" Ash yelled.

"Ash!" Serena retorted.

The rockets knew that Ash wasn't going to cooperate. They each got out their handguns and were prepared to pull the trigger when all of a sudden.

"Haunter!" Haunter exclaimed making a silly face.

"AHHHHH!" all the rockets screamed as they lost their aim to surprise and fired off in different directions.

The rockets looked around and saw that one of their men was accidently shot in the lower abdomen. The rocket grunt was a victim of friendly fire thanks to that Haunter.

"You…piece…of…shit," the injured rocket muttered as he heavily breathed and weakly pulled out his gun.

The other rockets pulled their guns out and started firing at Haunter. Ash and Serena dove down to duck from the firing. Because Haunter was a ghost, the bullets were going through her and Haunter made a fake yawn impression knowing she was bored. The rockets stopped firing and growled at the ghost Pokémon. Ash looked onward and saw this distraction as an opportunity.

"Wait a minute, why the fuck are we shooting at this thing? We should be capturing it!" one of the rockets called out.

The rockets were about to put the guns away when suddenly, a vine came flying across the room and slapped all the rockets in the head causing them to all fall down and lose their firearms. It was Ash's Bulbasaur who he just called out. The other rocket angrily looked at Bulbasaur and prepared to fire, but the Seed Pokémon used Vine Whip on his arm to knock out the gun. He would've gone for the head like the other rockets, but this grunt was already in enough pain.

"Good job Bulbasaur!" Ash called out praising Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur replied with a thank you.

"Hurry Kadabra, use Confusion on the guns!" Serena retorted sending out her Kadabra.

Kadabra materialized out of his Pokeball and in the blink of an eye used Confusion on the guns crumpling them up into spheres. Kadabra then ended his confusion and let the now spheres fall onto the floor which caused the rockets to shake in fear and anger. Serena couldn't help but smile, while Braixen may not be able to fight, she had a nice backup psychic user in Kadabra.

"You son of a," a rocket angrily muttered.

"We can use our Pokémon to attack!" another rocket angrily yelled.

"Right," the rocket responded, "Kill them!"

The rockets all threw their Pokeballs revealing Zubats, Grimers, and Raticates. Knowing that they were outnumbered, Ash called out his Pidgeotto while Serena called out her Beedrill. The two Pokémon joined with Kadabra and Bulbasaur as they had a load of work to do.

* * *

 _ **Back on the lower floors**_

With Ash and Serena getting past Proton, that left Daisy to take on the evil rocket executive by herself. She wasn't hoping to beat him, but just hold him off long enough so Ash and Serena can find out what's going on.

"So little girl, how does it feel being all alone," Proton said with venom in his voice, "Your Ketchum and Gabena heroes are gone."

Rhydon felt a little wear and tear from fighting those three Pokémon, but nothing major. Daisy turned around to see Primeape and Pinsir along with Charmeleon getting back up.

"Primeape, Pinsir, stay there," Daisy told the two Pokémon, "Let me and Charmeleon handle this."

Primeape and Pinsir had a point, they didn't want to add extra worry to their trainers, so they stayed put. Charmeleon on the other hand walked right back over to Daisy to try and defend her. Then a voice came out from below.

"Cubone!" someone cried.

Daisy turned around to see Cubone right behind her running up the stairs. Daisy was wondering where this Cubone came from? Wait, any chance that was the same Cubone from the Volunteer House?

"Cubone," Daisy questioned looking at the Cubone, "Is that you?"

Cubone was looking at the Rhydon and the evil man with the Rhydon. That was him, that was the man who killed his mommy.

"What's this?" Proton questioned as he saw Cubone and then gave a menacing smile, "Oh yeah I remember you. I murdered your mommy, and boy was that fun."

The tone of Proton's voice was menacing and cold. Cubone was crying in both hurt and anger. This man enjoyed killing Cubone's mother! Daisy looked at Cubone's hurt expression which told it all.

"You killed that Cubone's mother," Daisy uttered.

"Yeah, and now I get to kill you too," Proton responded, "Rhydon use Horn Drill and kill them both!"

Rhydon charged at Daisy and Cubone. Charmeleon stepped in and used his body strength to try and hold Rhydon back, and to Rhydon's surprise, Charmeleon was able to slow Rhydon down a little bit. Charmeleon must have found the extra strength from within after hearing about Cubone.

"Hang in there Charmeleon!" Daisy exclaimed as she got out two more Pokeballs, "Don't worry Cubone, I'll protect you. Sandslash and Golbat, stop that Rhydon!"

Sandslash and Golbat emerged from their Pokeballs and Sandslash tried to help out Charmeleon while Golbat was launching Air Cutters at Rhydon's face in hopes of weakening him. Cubone was watching on as Daisy's three Pokémon struggled against Proton's Rhydon. Cubone never had a chance to defend his mother, but he wanted to avenge her. The Lonely Pokémon was about to rush on in until Daisy grabbed him.

"Cubone no! It's too dangerous," Daisy cried.

"Cubone, Cubone!" Cubone cried as he tried to struggle out of Daisy's grip.

"No Cubone, I can't let you get hurt! And I'm sure your mom wouldn't want that either!" Daisy cried.

Cubone finally gave up on his struggle as Daisy's hold on him was tight. Cubone watched as Daisy's Pokémon were having trouble with Proton's Rhydon. Cubone was just a baby who wasn't strong, and his strong mother was taken from him. All this Pokémon could do was hope for the best.

* * *

 _ **Back with Ash and Serena**_

The rockets were actually losing as Bulbasaur was able to knock out the Zubats with Razor Leaf despite the huge type disadvantage, Kadabra was able to stranglehold the Grimer with Confusion, Pidgeotto blew the Raticates away with Whirlwind and Beedrill finished them off with Pin Missile.

Now that all of their Pokémon were knocked out, the only thing left to do was to subdue the rockets and grab the sack containing the ghost Pokémon.

"Alright Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to tie them up," Ash commanded to his Bulbasaur as he looked at the injured rocket who was weakened by the bullet, "Except for that one, he's in pretty bad shape."

Bulbasaur proceeded to tie up the rockets with Vine Whip leaving the shot rocket free since he suffered enough. Ash went over and grabbed the sack containing the Pokeballs when he heard a voice.

"Hello!" a voice called out, "Is anyone there?"

Ash and Serena looked ahead and could tell the voice was coming from upstairs. This could be him, that could be Mr. Fuji.

"Sounds like someone is on the top floor," Rotom Dex said as it looked up.

"It might be Mr. Fuji," Serena praised as she was hoping.

"Okay, I'll check it out," Ash said giving a thumbs up towards Serena and then looking at the window, "Pidgeotto use Air Slash to break open that window!"

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeotto responded as she unleashed an Air Slash.

The window shattered and glass was flying out and onto the ground. The trio was still standing near the tower when they noticed the falling glass. They got out of the way and avoided the broken glass. The trio was wondering what just happened.

"Alright Serena, I want you to get these Pokeballs out of here through the window so we don't have to get them by Proton," Ash told Serena, "I'll go check upstairs who that could be."

"Right," Serena confirmed nodding her head.

Ash made a beeline up the stairs while Serena went over to the sack of Pokeballs and picked them up. Serena grunted as she could feel that the sack felt pretty heavy. She carried the sack and walked over to the window and realized how would she bring them down. Sure, she could toss them, but then the impact of the fall could cause the bag to open letting Pokeballs spill out and possibly losing some. Serena realized she would also need to get the sack away from Team Rocket quickly as possible. This was the perfect time to call Leaf.

As Serena picked up her Pokegear, Haunter went over to the injured rocket and made funny faces at the rocket. The rocket was still grieving in pain as Haunter was doing so many comedic actions like a pie in the face, a jack in the box with a punching glove punching him (Even though Haunter is a ghost type), and then suddenly bringing a top hat and cane and dancing around.

"They say laughter is the best cure for everything," Rotom Dex said to the rocket.

"Fuck that thing," the rocket muttered as he was still bleeding.

* * *

 _ **On the top floor**_

Ash made it to the top floor and saw Mr. Fuji all tied up. The old man smiled as he saw Ash run up to him. He just knew that this boy was good news.

"Are you Mr. Fuji?" Ash asked as he knelt down to his level.

"If it's Mr. Fuji you're looking for, indeed I am," Mr. Fuji answered confirming he is Mr. Fuji.

Ash brought out Charmeleon and he told him to cut the ropes with his claws. The ropes broke and Mr. Fuji was able to stand up.

"Thank you for saving me from that awful Team Rocket," Mr. Fuji gratefully said.

"You're welcome," Ash replied giving a bow, "So would you mind telling me what's going on here in Pokémon Tower. I've heard there was a ghost here and it turns out that was true."

Mr. Fuji heard about the ghost that appeared in Pokémon Tower and he was the one who investigated the tower. He was not aware that Team Rocket was in the tower.

* * *

 _ **Back with Serena**_

"Darn it, I'm not getting a signal," Serena spat.

Serena wasn't getting a signal in the tower. How was she supposed to call Leaf now? Serena needed to hurry as Daisy may not keep up with Proton much longer. That Rhydon was strong, and Serena had a bad feeling Pinsir wouldn't hold his own.

" _I need to figure out how to get these Pokeballs out and quick,"_ Serena thought to herself.

Serena was looking around to see what she could do. She would ask Bulbasaur, but he has to keep the rockets tied up with his vines, and the Seed Pokémon didn't have an extra set of vines. What could she do?

* * *

 _ **Back with Ash and Mr. Fuji**_

Mr. Fuji explained everything that happened with how he was caught by Team Rocket and the dead Marowak. Ash now knew why he went missing from his house the last few days, because Team Rocket captured him.

"It just breaks my heart that Team Rocket would do something like that," Mr. Fuji muttered.

"I know how you feel, and I feel extremely angry with what they did," Ash muttered as he looked at the stairs going down, "And we can't let Team Rocket get away with that. That Cubone deserves justice."

Mr. Fuji sadly looked down at the ground. He couldn't believe Team Rocket would just ruthlessly murder that Marowak right in front of her baby. They didn't deserve to be free for doing such a horrible thing.

"I know, it will be the only way he can move on," Mr. Fuji said sadly.

Ash knew how Mr. Fuji felt. This was a man who loved Pokémon and as Reina told him and the others, the Cubone there was only friendly to Mr. Fuji. Ash felt that the only way Cubone could open up is to stop Team Rocket right here.

"My friends are down on the lower floors. We managed to subdue some of the rockets and another one of my friends is fighting the leader of their operation," Ash told Mr. Fuji, "I came up here figuring someone was up here."

"Well don't leave your friends hanging, let's go help them," Mr. Fuji told Ash, "There's no time to lose."

* * *

 _ **Back with Serena**_

Serena was looking around to see how she could get out without Bulbasaur. Then she noticed something, her own Kadabra. Serena now remembered that Kadabra was now more capable of using his psychic powers and maybe he could get the sack of Pokeballs out. Not to mention Pidgeotto and Beedrill were still out.

"Kadabra!" Serena called out.

Kadabra looked at Serena with a curious look. She must have a plan.

"I need you to use Confusion on me. Levitate me out the window and onto the ground," Serena told Kadabra as she now looked at Pidgeotto and Beedrill, "Beedrill, and Pidgeotto even though your Ash's Pokémon."

Beedrill and Pidgeotto both looked at Serena as they got her attention. Pidgeotto knew she was Ash's Pokémon, but Serena was his girlfriend, so he needed to help her as well.

"While Kadabra is sending me to the ground, I need you two to spot me in case anything happens," Serena told the two Pokémon.

Pidgeotto and Beedrill heard what Serena was saying. The two nodded their heads and actually flew out the window and remained close to the tower. Serena got a good grip on the sack.

"Alright Kadabra, do your thing," Serena told Kadabra.

Kadabra's eyes began to glow blue as he used Confusion to lift Serena into midair. Kadabra carefully had Serena float out the window and then brought her to a stop. Then Kadabra began to lower his arms slowly to allow her to float down.

Pidgeotto and Beedrill were hovering around Serena as she was gently being brought to the ground. After almost a minute, Kadabra stop using his telekinesis and let Serena have a soft landing.

"Thanks, you guys," Serena told Beedrill and Pidgeotto, "Go back and join up with Kadabra, and I'll see you guys later."

Both of the Pokémon confirmed Serena's words and flew back up. She gave them Kadabra's and Pinsir's Pokeballs as they were still in the tower so they can safely get called back. Serena decided to hang onto Beedrill's Pokeball just in case something else happened.

Serena was going to take the sack to the police station, but then she ran into someone. Serena looked at the group of people in front of her and saw that they had panicked expressions on their faces.

"Jessie, James, Meowth," Serena uttered in shock.

"The twerpette," Jessie muttered.

* * *

 _ **Back with Ash and Mr. Fuji**_

Ash and Mr. Fuji were coming downstairs and they saw Beedrill and Pidgeotto coming up with two Pokeballs. Ash figured these Pokeballs belonged to Serena's Pokémon so he could call them back. Ash smiled knowing that Serena got out of the tower safely with the Pokémon. Mr. Fuji also smiled that the rockets were tied up by Bulbasaur.

"I asked my girlfriend to get the Pokémon Team Rocket caught out of the tower and out of their possession," Ash told Mr. Fuji.

"I have no clue what they wanted to catch all of those Pokémon for, but I bet it was for no good," Mr. Fuji said.

"I believe so," said Ash, "My other friend Daisy is on one of lower floors holding off an executive. We got to help her!"

"What about that other rocket?" Mr. Fuji asked as he noticed the rocket who was bleeding and Haunter was there with a stethoscope, "It's nice that Haunter is trying to help, but we can't let him bleed and die."

Mr. Fuji made a point they couldn't just leave this rocket hanging on for dear life. Ash looked around figuring out how to help him. He didn't know what to do, not to mention Daisy was in trouble as well. Ash figured the best thing he could do was throw off his backpack and hand it to Mr. Fuji.

"Here, both me and my girlfriend were given first aid kits," Ash told Mr. Fuji, "Find the first aid kit in my backpack and do what you can to help him."

"Will do," Mr. Fuji said as he went through his backpack and instantly found the first aid kit.

It wasn't hard to identify since it was a white box with a red plus sign on it.

"Now go on, your friends need you," Mr. Fuji kindly told Ash, "I'll catch up once this man is patched up."

"Alright, thanks," Ash gratefully said as he headed downstairs with Pikachu and Rotom Dex.

Mr. Fuji was left with the five Pokémon which was enough protection in case something were to come up. Mr. Fuji was able to find some bandages and tried to wrap it around the rocket.

"Why are you helping me?" the rocket questioned in disgust.

"Because I'm a good man who will not let you die, and neither is that kid," Mr. Fuji answered.

The rocket just had a disgusted look on his face. He's saving his life, after he and his men took him hostage and hear that they killed a Pokémon. This rocket was wondering what the hell he was doing.

* * *

 _ **Back with Daisy and Proton**_

Charmeleon, Sandslash, and Golbat were giving it all they got against Rhydon, but the Drill Pokémon completely was overpowering her Pokémon. They all kept getting back up, but they were still struggling with Rhydon. Daisy gritted her teeth wondering how the heck this Rhydon was so strong.

"Face it, you can't beat Rhydon," Proton told Daisy.

Daisy was feeling stressed out as he Pokémon can't seem to beat Rhydon. However, her Pokémon wanted to continue to fight.

"After what you did to that Cubone's mother, I won't let you get away with this," Daisy angrily told Proton.

Rhydon was able to swat away Golbat and Sandslash who were trying to attack again, and the two Pokémon were knocked out cold. Charmeleon was the last one standing as he came at Rhydon with a Fire Punch which didn't do so much.

"I'm sorry, but I am going to get away with killing that Marowak," Proton sneered, "All of your Pokémon are too weak to fight my powerful Rhydon."

Daisy could see Charmeleon trying to attack Rhydon, but he knocked him away with another Bulldoze. Daisy was very upset with what was happening that he was winning. Daisy knew what Cubone went through, and she didn't want him getting away with it.

"You didn't just commit a heinous crime; you traumatized a Pokémon's mental well-being. Something that my family cannot stand," Daisy declared as she was having tears coming from her eyes.

Charmeleon got back up as he was still willing to fight. Charmeleon looked over at Daisy and could see how upset she was. Charmeleon knew Daisy the longest as he was her first Pokémon, so he knew her well.

"Our family has always valued the well-being of Pokémon along with the relations they have with humans and other Pokémon," Daisy said as she looked at Cubone, "This Cubone right here won't trust another human being because of the trauma you put it through with killing his mother."

Cubone was starting to feel somewhat surprised when he heard Daisy say that. He wasn't trustworthy of any humans except Mr. Fuji, but this girl was showing something.

"I can feel Cubone's pain, because I too lost my mom at a young age!" Daisy cried, "It took a huge toll on me, and mostly my twin brother! And I can tell you Cubone is feeling the same thing I felt when I was five!"

Proton was surprised when he heard Daisy say that. Team Rocket has heard that the Kanto Champion Blue became a widow almost six years ago and he has a son and daughter who were twins. Proton was starting to piece everything together with Daisy. He started to realize that it was Daisy Oak.

"And not only are you bringing pain to this Cubone, but you're also violating with what my family is known for in Kanto of creating a bridge between Pokémon and humans," Daisy told Proton.

Charmeleon heard the powerful words of Daisy and continued to fight Rhydon. Charmeleon unleashed a powerful Flamethrower and Rhydon just blocked it with Horn Drill.

"All that crap with Pokémon relations with human is tauros-shit!" Proton screamed.

"The relations that humans make with Pokémon help the Pokémon find the strength to make them stronger! I will not let you humiliate that! My family takes huge pride in that and I will not let you tarnish it!" Daisy yelled.

Daisy showed that she had a major sense of pride in being an Oak. She wasn't like her brother who just goes boasting around on an ego trip, Daisy takes the successes of her father and mostly her grandfather to heart. The Oak family is proud of Pokémon relations and Daisy wants to prove that not only to Cubone, but to Proton as well.

Charmeleon heard the words of Daisy. He was feeling the strength, he knew those words coming from Daisy had a lot of meaning. He was not going to lose to this Rhydon. He refuses to lose!

"My name is Daisy Oak! And I am going to show Cubone that a bond between humans and Pokémon make them stronger!" Daisy announced, "And my Pokémon can prove it!"

Then, right after Daisy speech, Charmeleon started to glow white. Daisy and Cubone were amazed that Charmeleon was starting to get bigger. Then replacing Charmeleon was an orange lizard with two horns on his head, wings, a cream belly, and a long tail with a flame on it.

The new Pokémon now locked arms with Rhydon and the Drill Pokémon now looked a little worried. The two were now in a battle of strengths. Daisy couldn't believe what has happened as her Charmeleon evolved.

Ash was now coming down the stairs with Pikachu and Rotom Dex right behind him.

"Daisy!" Ash called out.

"Ash, let me handle this," Daisy called out, "And don't bring Rotom Dex in."

Ash stared out in awe as he saw a new Pokémon with Daisy. Ash knew who this Pokémon was, and he knew it very well. That was a Charizard, the final evolved form of Charmander.

"Charmeleon evolved into Charizard," Ash said in shock.

"I'll analyze it," Rotom Dex said as he did an analysis on Charizard.

As Rotom Dex analyzed Charizard, it could see him power up a Fire Punch and knock Rhydon back. Rhydon was now in complete shock seeing how much stronger Charizard is now that he has evolved.

 _#006-Charizard: Flame Pokémon_

 _When this Pokémon expels a blast of superhot fire, the red flame at the tip of its tails burns more intensely._

Ash was amazed to see the strength that Charizard had, and that he was actually winning now. Ash is wondering how strong his Charmeleon could be when he evolves. He probably would be very happy since Charmeleon takes great pride in how strong he is.

"Rhydon use Stone Edge!" Proton yelled in panic.

"Charizard use Fire Punch again!" Daisy yelled out.

Rhydon summoned a bunch of stones and tried to topple them onto Charizard, but Charizard used Fire Punch from both hands to knock both stones back and hit Rhydon. The Drill Pokémon screamed in pain as he was hit and now greatly weakened.

"Inferno!" Daisy retorted.

Daisy has done her homework on moves that Pokémon can use, and she figured that Charizard was capable of using Inferno which he was. The Flame Pokémon heated up the room and then a blast of fire came and engulfed Rhydon. Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex shielded their eyes and Cubone stood behind Daisy.

Rhydon was screaming in pain from the power of Charizard's Inferno. Then after the attack stopped, Rhydon was now feeling completely weak. Proton was shaken up to see what has happened to Rhydon and then to his horror, Proton saw what he didn't want to see.

Rhydon collapsed to the ground and landed on his stomach. The Drill Pokémon couldn't handle anymore as he was knocked out. Proton clenched his teeth in anger wondering how a weak Pokémon like that could best his Rhydon. Primeape and Pinsir watched on and were amazed to see what Charizard could do, and so was Sandslash and Golbat.

"What the fuck just happened?" Proton angrily asked.

"What did I tell you, the love humans give to Pokémon is what makes them stronger," Daisy told Proton.

Cubone was amazed with this girl's antics. If the love she gave to her Pokémon helped defeat Rhydon, then Cubone could only imagine how getting along with humans can make him stronger. As Cubone only seems friendly to Mr. Fuji, he begins to realize that maybe being friendly to all humans, that are good, will help him become stronger and get past the grief of his mother's murder.

* * *

 _ **Back with Serena outside Pokémon Tower**_

Serena was standing there in shock seeing the trio in front of her. She had no idea what to do as most of her Pokémon were not with her. Braixen was being evaluated; Pinsir, Kadabra, and Beedrill were still inside the tower. She did have Slowpoke, but there was no way he could do anything. The only capable Pokémon Serena had that could defend her was Squirtle.

Serena couldn't reach for Squirtle's Pokeball or try calling on her Pokegear again unless she puts the sack down and she wasn't going to let her guard down on that sack.

"What are you doing here?" Serena asked.

"We…were…trying to get away from here," Jessie stuttered.

"Let me guess, the police are after you?" Serena questioned.

Jessie, James, and Meowth all had panicked looks on their faces. Are they really worried about the police coming after them?

"No, Proton is in there ready to murder us once he sees us," James answered.

"We don't have any way to get out of here in time, and Team Rocket has a truck. He's going to find us and kill us," Meowth cried.

Serena's memory was coming back to her. Proton was the executive that always abused the trio and tried to kill them. She heard in those bushes that the trio has always been miserable because of their own teammates.

"This is just crazy, Proton shouldn't kill you because you guys always fail," Serena told the trio.

"You're right, and we're going to not fail now when we try to kill you!" Jessie said as she just realized an opportunity to attack, "Now prepare for trouble."

"I'm not going to fight you!" Serena shouted.

Jessie and James each were about to send out their Pokémon until Serena shouted that. They lowered their arms and Serena continued to speak.

"I was just saying that you guys have messed up in the past, and it's just wrong that your teammates don't help you back up," Serena said solemnly, "I mean I've had my share of losses along with Ash, and we helped each other back up."

The trio heard what Serena just said. The fact that they lose, and they can go scot free and the fact she and her boyfriend are there to help each other up. The trio doesn't get that treatment one bit.

"You don't what it's like twerpette. We've failed so many missions that everyone is starting to hate us and one of our superiors is out for our blood now," Jessie solemnly said as tears were coming from her eyes.

"You two twerps have it good, and we are just targeted for torture," James cried.

"Meowth was hoping to be top cat, instead I'm being treated like a dead alley cat, or even worse," Meowth cried.

Serena felt heartbreak for the trio and what they were dealing with. Even though they were her enemies, she can't help but feel pain for what Team Rocket is putting them through.

"Have you ever tried quitting?" Serena asked.

"There is no quitting, you have to work for them until you die. If you quit, they kill you because they might think you'll go out and snitch on them," Meowth answered.

This was just great they were stuck with Team Rocket until the very end. These three were at the bottom of the food chain and all the rockets were ready to eat them alive no matter what.

"There is one thing you can do," Serena told trio.

"What's that!?" the trio asked in exclamation as they were wondering what it was that could help them.

"Turn yourselves in to the police," Serena told the trio.

The trio's eyes widened in shock. Serena really thought that the three of them, who were clearly criminals, should save their lives by getting arrested by the police.

"You're kidding right?" Jessie questioned.

"No, I'm not. If you go to jail, you'll be safe from Team Rocket," Serena answered.

It made sense, if the trio got arrested, then their teammates can't touch them. Especially Proton.

"And what if we share a cell with one of our teammates that knows us!? They'll still try to kill us!" James cried.

That was a good question by James. What if they ended up in a prison with any of the arrested rockets who know them?

"Then tell them you don't want to go into a prison with any of the arrested rockets," Serena suggested.

"Easy for you to say. The police can't keep track of which prisons hold rockets, and at times they aren't going to please the prisoners needs," Jessie explained in a somber tone, "Face it, we're going to be killed here or in prison."

Was what the trio saying was true. Did Team Rocket hate them so much that other rockets who were arrested were willing to kill them in prison if they ever were sent there? Serena wanted to do whatever she could to help them with their situation, but right now they were completely trapped, and she felt helpless as she watched the trio cry.

Serena knew that Proton was in there and ready to kill them. She was hoping that Ash and Daisy got everything under control with him. Serena was looking down at the sobbing trio and the weight of the back was kind of bringing her down a bit too.

That bag actually caught Serena's attention. The sack of Pokeballs filled with ghost Pokémon. This is what Team Rocket came here for if she heard correctly from the other rockets. See looked at the sack and had a grim look on her face.

Serena hated Team Rocket in every way, but she also had a good heart as she knew that not all criminals are bad. Jessie, James, and Meowth may fall into that category. Serena Gabena was not proud of what she was going to do, but if it may save the trio's lives, she would commit this sin just to help them. Besides, she felt like there should be a nice little favor return for back on the S.S. Anne.

"Jessie, James, Meowth," Serena addressed as she got the trio's attention, "Do you guys want to live?"

"Yes, we do," all three said in union weakly.

"Alright, I'm not happy about what I'm going to do for you, but it might help you guys," Serena said as she sat the sack down, "This sack contains ghost Pokémon your teammates caught, and I don't know what they plan to do with them."

The trio saw the sack and remembered why they were here. Proton and the other rockets were out to catch ghost Pokémon to help contain Mewtwo once the project is finished.

"If you leave me alone, I'll let you take this sack and you can take it to your teammates. Tell them you found it and take all the credit. I don't want them to know that I lent you a hand," Serena told the trio.

Jessie, James, and Meowth looked at the sack in disbelief. Serena was actually going to give them the ghost Pokémon Team Rocket caught.

"Take it now and go before I change my mind," Serena ordered.

"Alright," the trio said in union as they grabbed the sack.

The trio ran off with the sack and tried to find a place to hide. Before they got out of Serena's sight, Jessie looked back at Serena.

"Twerpette…I mean…Serena…thanks," Jessie said as there was a hint of kindness.

"You're welcome. I'm not happy about what I did, but I hope this helps you," Serena told Jessie, "No go now."

Jessie took Serena's words by heart and ran off with James and Meowth. As Serena saw the trio run off, she hoped that her act of kindness pays off for the trio. She was not proud of helping a terrorist organization but thought it would be for the best. There was one thing Serena was completely worried about, what would Ash say.

"I have a feeling Ash is going to kill me," Serena muttered.

She didn't want Ash to know she helped the trio. Serena was going to need to come up with an excuse.

* * *

 _ **Back inside Pokémon Tower**_

Proton looked in total shock that his Rhydon was beaten. There was no way anyone could beat that Pokémon, unless they were his bosses.

"What you just said is total shit," Proton told Daisy.

"It's actually true," Daisy muttered.

"Daisy's right, and I know it's true as well," Ash told Proton who turned his head to see the raven-haired trainer behind him.

"No," Proton muttered darkly, "The reason you beat Rhydon isn't because of that love and appreciation you give to your Pokémon."

Everyone was just gritting their teeth. Proton will not admit that their methods of raising Pokémon were right.

"The reason I lost is because…I WAS EXPOSED TO THREE FUCKING RETARDS AND THEY'RE EFFECTS KEEP RUBBING OFF ON THIS ORGANIZATION!" Proton screamed.

Ash knew who Proton was talking about. Sure, he and Serena have been able to get into the trio's way and beat them, but that didn't mean his lost should be on them. He can even remember when Ash and Serena came together to beat Archer's Crobat. They weren't anywhere around.

Ash and Daisy can't help but have deep hatred for Team Rocket. Today they learned that they killed a Pokémon and that they refuse to take blame for themselves and put it all on the trio.

"It doesn't matter why you lose, but now we have you were we want. So, I suggest you leave with us quietly. You deserve to rot in jail along with the rest of your men," Ash muttered.

"You're a bunch of kids and I'm an adult, and I'm not taking orders from kids, only from my bosses. I am not going to jail. I'm going to walk free and continue terrorizing this region!" Proton yelled as he pulled something out of his pocket.

Ash and Daisy were wondering what it was he was doing. Proton pulled out a cylinder like item and threw it on the ground. Smoke was coming out and Ash, Daisy, Cubone, Pikachu, and all the other Pokémon were covering their eyes and coughing. As the smoke cleared, they could see that Proton and Rhydon were no longer there.

"No! He got away!" Ash yelled slamming his fist onto the wall.

Despite Proton getting away, it did look like he dropped something. Daisy looked at the item in front of her along with Cubone and she picked it up. They looked like some sort of night vision goggles.

"I think Proton dropped these," Daisy said looking at the goggles.

After Daisy picked up the goggles, she returned her Pokémon and thanked them for a job well done and congratulated Charizard on evolving. Ash returned his Primeape and called back Serena's Pinsir since he had the Pokeball. Ash thanked them as well. Mr. Fuji was coming down the stairs. He was alone as the rest of the Pokémon were upstairs keeping an eye on the rockets, including Haunter.

"The rockets are all tied up, and I got that other rocket patched up," Mr. Fuji told everyone, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, but Proton got away," Ash said looking down.

Mr. Fuji just sighed. He was disappointed that the evil man who killed Cubone's mother escaped. At least he got the other rockets and they can't cause any more trouble.

"At least were all okay," Mr. Fuji said.

Cubone saw who was on the other side. This was the man who saved him from Team Rocket and took care of him. It was Mr. Fuji. Cubone happily cried once he saw the kind man.

"Judging by how happy Cubone is to see you, I take it you're Mr. Fuji?" Daisy questioned.

"Indeed, I am," Mr. Fuji said with a smile.

The introductions were then interrupted when they felt another chill come into the room. This was the same feeling they had before coming across Team Rocket.

"Please tell me that's Haunter," Daisy uttered in fear.

"No, Haunter along with the other Pokémon are monitoring the rockets," Mr. Fuji confirmed.

So, it was clear Haunter was not the presence in the room. Wait, Daisy felt this before and so did Ash and Serena. It had that bone chilling voice just like before. It was the ghost haunting Pokémon Tower.

"Go away," the voice told them.

The purple gas being has risen up once more. Ash and Daisy were looking completely terrified, Pikachu and Rotom Dex looked terrified as well. However, one person in the room didn't feel scared right now, or should they say one Pokémon. Cubone.

"This is the ghost that has been haunting Pokémon Tower," Mr. Fuji said while shaking.

Cubone wasn't scared, he was having tears coming out of her eyes. Something was telling everyone that Cubone was feeling somewhat of a warm presence with this ghost rather than a scary one.

While everyone was shaking in fear, the ghost suddenly lost its haunting vibe and now seemed to have more of a calm vibe. Why was this ghost suddenly so calm now?

"What's going on with the ghost?" Mr. Fuji questioned.

"My baby," the ghost said in tone where it looked like it choked up.

What, my baby? Why did the ghost suddenly feel so peaceful? Daisy looked at the goggles in her hands. They had to have been some sort of special night vision goggles since it was dark in here. She wonders if this thing could see ghosts.

"Let's see if these work," Daisy said as she puts on the goggles.

Daisy gasped when she saw what the ghost was. It was a Marowak. The fact Cubone felt a warm presence, the fact this ghost felt peace, it made sense now. The ghost Marowak, was Cubone's mother who was killed by Team Rocket.

"The ghost is a Marowak," Daisy said in surprise as she then looked at Cubone, "I take it this must be Cubone's mother."

"Of course, I think this ghost was warning us about Team Rocket," Mr. Fuji said.

Cubone's eyes continued to watered. Cubone knew this was his mother. Cubone cried and ran towards the ghost of his mother and embraced a hug on it. Marowak smiled and had tears coming from her eyes as well.

"My baby," Marowak said as she looked at Daisy, "Thank you for letting me know my baby is alright."

"You're…welcome," Daisy said in shock as she took off the goggles.

Marowak felt like she was at peace. She was thankful to know that Cubone was okay after her murder. She was thankful that Team Rocket was out of the tower. And now, Marowak became engulfed in a light and was risen up into the air.

"Take care of my baby," Marowak said as her spirit now was heading into the afterlife.

As they saw Marowak go away, they now could understand that she just wanted to see her baby boy one more time. Thanks to these great humans, Cubone was at least given the chance to say goodbye to his mom. Cubone felt closure, he was ready to move on.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Outside Pokémon Tower**_

The group exited Pokémon Tower with Cubone. They needed to wait for the authorities to arrive to arrest the rockets that were subdued inside as Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Beedrill, and Kadabra were still inside monitoring the rockets.

"Serena should be coming with the police," Ash told Mr. Fuji.

Then a police van showed up with Serena riding alongside along with an ambulance. The police stepped out of the car and Serena instructed that there were rockets inside along with a wounded rocket. Serena came up with the group of authorities.

"Is everyone alright?" the officer asked.

"We're fine," Mr. Fuji answered as he smiled and looked at Pokémon Tower, "And I'm happy to tell you that the mystery of the ghost in Pokémon Tower has been solved."

"So, what happened?" the officer asked.

"Team Rocket killed a Marowak, and the ghost was Marowak's spirit wanting to know if her baby was alright," Mr. Fuji explained as he looked at Daisy holding Cubone.

Mr. Fuji couldn't help but notice Cubone has now suddenly felt attacked to Daisy. At first he was the only one he could trust, but now he seems to trust Daisy too, and possibly even more than him. It's almost like…she could be his mommy now.

"Alright, our Pokémon are inside holding down some rockets. I see you brought an ambulance here since one of them accidently fell victim to friendly fire," Ash said as he looked in the tower, "And I'm sorry to say this, but one of the rockets named Proton escaped."

The police were able to get the information about the rockets and the executive who got away. Ash then looked at Serena, but she wanted to look down but couldn't. The reason was if she did, Ash would know something was up.

"That reminds me, Serena gave you a sack of Pokeballs I believe. Team Rocket was in there collecting ghost Pokémon for some reason," Ash stated to the police.

"We never got any sack of Pokeballs," the officer replied.

Ash and Daisy were surprised to hear that. Serena pulled off a foolproof escape with the Pokeballs. The only possible solution was that she may have run into Proton and he took them, but that couldn't be likely as Serena had plenty of time to get to the police.

"But Serena was able to get out of the tower undetected. How could she have not been able to give you guys the sack?" Ash questioned to himself out loud.

Serena was looking nervous. She didn't want to show signs that she handed them over to the trio on her free will. Ash would hate her if he hears that. Everyone was looking at her including the officers.

"I didn't realize it, but there were more rockets outside the tower," Serena answered in a calm and serious fashion as she just lied not only to Ash and Daisy but the authorities too, "They ambushed me when I came down and ran off with the sack. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying complete attention."

It was a believable lie that Serena just told. Technically there were more rockets down at the base of the tower that she didn't know about. Ash wasn't sure if what Serena said was true.

If Team Rocket did ambush her, she would have beaten marks or she would be bleeding, but it looks like she was perfectly fine. Maybe they had guns and she just got completely scared at the sudden moment and handed them over. After all she had a limited amount of Pokémon with her. However, Ash could somehow tell that she wasn't telling the truth. There might have been more to what happened that she wasn't going to talk about. Right now, though, he wouldn't push it on Serena.

"It's okay ma'am. As long as you're okay, that's what matters," the officer told them, "We'll keep an eye out for those rockets. Does anyone have a description of this Proton guy?"

"Yeah, teal hair, wears a black uniform like the rest of the rockets, and he wears a hat," Ash told the officer.

"We'll get a sketch to know what he looks like. In the meantime, we'll send our men in to arrest the remaining rockets for disturbing multiple gravesites and killing a Pokémon," the officer said as he ordered his men to move on in, "And you said there was one wounded rocket in there, am I correct?"

"There is one," Mr. Fuji assured.

With that, the police and paramedics went inside. Ash was able to help the sketch artist get a complete detailed drawing of Proton, and Serena just felt a little disturbed. She didn't like the fact of aiding Team Rocket just now, but she was hoping the trio would be alright.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

Everyone was prepared to head back to the Pokémon Volunteer House as soon as the police were taking the rockets out in handcuffs. The paramedics were also taking the one rocket out on a stretcher and it looks like he was going to live. After recovering at the hospital, he would go right to prison.

Just before they left, someone popped up from behind poking Ash on the back of the neck.

"AHHHHH!" Ash screamed.

"Haunter Haunter!" Haunter said laughing.

Everybody was a little shocked to see that Haunter that was following Ash floating outside. That little trickster really helped the group out today, and still loved to joke around afterwards.

"Okay, Haunter, don't scare me like that," Ash said as he regained his composure some.

Haunter rubbed the back of her head and everyone else around was laughing. Looks like this Haunter was one good jokester.

"It's okay Haunter, a good laugh is all we need," Ash said patting Haunter on the shoulder, "Hey Haunter, I was wondering, do you want to come with me?"

Haunter's eyes widened and she had a big grin on her face. This kid was a total sport and she could bring some humor to the group once in a while. Not to mention that this would be the ghost Pokémon Ash needed for when he returned to face Sabrina.

"Haunter!" Haunter confirmed.

"Haunter has confirmed that she will haunt you unless you take her with you," Rotom Dex told Ash as it knew what Haunter said was a joke.

"That's great Ash, you'll get the ghost Pokémon you need," Serena said clasping her hands.

"Alright then," Ash then as Ash took out a Pokeball, "Welcome to the team Haunter."

Ash tossed his Pokeball at Haunter and she got sucked in. The Pokeball began to shake a couple of times before it gave out the signifying ding. Ash picked up his Pokeball and smiled as he just caught Haunter.

Then, just like when Serena caught Pinsir, Ash saw his Pokeball teleport away. That made Ash realize that he now has more than six Pokémon and he can start rotating his team whenever he wants.

" _I'll see you very soon Haunter. We'll have many laughs together,"_ Ash thought to himself until he realized something and turned to Rotom Dex, "Hey Rotom Dex, you said you can activate a Pokémon transferring feature."

"Most certainly!" Rotom Dex said giving a salute.

"I actually want to bring Haunter back here right now," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"You know the rules Ash, you have to send one Pokémon back in order for Haunter to come," Rotom Dex told Ash waving its arms like it was waving its finger.

Ash knew what Rotom Dex meant. The good thing about this feature was that Ash and Serena can rotate their Pokémon whenever they want, and not just at a Pokémon Center. The only question for Ash was who was he going to exchange?

Mr. Fuji looked over at Ash after he caught that Haunter. He knew that Haunter liked Ash. To Mr. Fuji, it was like Ash had some magic touch to all of his Pokémon, and that he truly was a special child. Mr. Fuji wanted to figure out a way to repay him for helping him out, because Ash was truly a special child.

* * *

 _ **Outside of Lavender Town**_

Jessie, James, and Meowth were running away from Lavender Town with all the ghost Pokémon. They still were completely shocked that Serena gave them the Pokémon just like that.

"That was very generous of the twerpette, but she shouldn't be helping her enemies like that," Jessie said as she was running.

"I know, we're bad guys and she's a good person. That's not something a good person does," James said as he was running.

"We'll either way, maybe we'll get some appreciation for once," Meowth said as he was running.

Then the trio stopped when they heard something. There was an engine coming right for them. The trio's eyes widened when they saw who was coming at them. It was Proton who was glaring at them. He didn't hit the brakes, he slammed on the accelerator.

"DIE!" Proton roared.

"AHHHHH!" the trio screamed as they jumped out of the way.

Proton just missed running them over. Then he hit the brakes and stormed out of his truck pulling out an assault rifle. Proton was ready to shoot those bastards in the head once he found them. Proton didn't want to waste any time looking, so he shot all over the place.

"STOP!" all three yelled in union.

Proton stopped firing and he saw the trio come out of hiding. Proton was livid at them right now. How dare they show their faces to him after screwing up yet again.

"I'm not only going to kill you I'm going to kill your parents for raising you like failures!" Proton yelled.

Now Proton's hatred for the trio took an extreme. Killing their parents because they raised them like that. For Jessie, the joke was tragically on Proton, her parents were dead, and James wanted nothing to do with his parents, but never wanted them dead.

"Wait Proton, we got something for you," Jessie cried.

"No present is going to make me feel better!" Proton screamed.

"Trust me, you're going to love it," James cried.

"I told you no gifts are going to extinguish the failures you rubbed on us when we were in Pokémon Tower!" Proton yelled, "It's time for you to fucking die!"

The trio got hurried to the sack and picked it up. They carried it over to Proton in a hurry as he was already mad.

"Bags of goodies! Nice try!" Proton screamed as he was ready to shoot.

"Proton listen! You can kill us right here after you open the bag," Meowth told Proton, "As James said, you'll love it."

Proton took deep breaths and calmed down. He was going to kill them, but maybe he should open it. He didn't trust the trio at first, mostly because they messed up.

"If this is a trick to hurt me or escape, I don't know in Arceus's name what I'm going to do but it will be a complete massacre that will make your lives and afterlives a living hell," Proton muttered.

Proton opened the sack and coming out were a bunch of Pokeballs. The trio were now presenting them with the ghost Pokémon Team Rocket caught.

"A bunch of Pokeballs. You're trying to get on my good side with fucking," Proton muttered until something caught his mind, "Wait a minute."

Proton was recognizing some of the those Pokeballs and the bag. Proton took out a device to scan what was inside the Pokeball, and almost everyone contained either a Gastly or a Haunter.

"These were the ghost Pokémon that we caught in Pokémon Tower," Proton said in shock, "How did you guys get these?"

"Um…we managed to ambush the twerpette who had the sack and took it from her. She didn't see it coming," Jessie lied.

Proton was shaking in complete shock. These three were always screwing everything up, but now here they actually bailed Team Rocket out in a good way. They snatched victory away from their enemies and got back the ghost Pokémon for Mewtwo.

Proton still with that mortified look on his face picked up his Pokegear and began to call his boss. He always hated the trio, but this was a total surprise not just for him, but for Team Rocket as well.

"Hello," a voice questioned.

"Arianna, it's Proton. I just wanted to let you know that hell just froze over and the apocalypse is coming," Proton muttered in barely a whisper.

"What do you mean by that?" Arianna questioned.

"THE THREE RETARDS DID SOMETHING RIGHT!" Proton screamed to the heavens.

Proton then explained how Jessie, James, and Meowth were able to come away with the ghost Pokémon after Ash, Serena, and Daisy took him and his men down. Of course, he would mention Daisy Oak as she was the one who beat his Rhydon.

As the trio were hoping, Proton would spare them…for today. He only would consider this a fluke miracle.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Mr. Fuji's House**_

After the group retrieved all of their Pokémon, they returned to Mr. Fuji's house and reunited with Reina and Leaf. Ash had some thought of which Pokémon he was going to switch out for his new Haunter, and he has decided to go with Bulbasaur. Ash would hope to bring Bulbasaur back again soon for more training, but right now he wanted to get acquainted with his new Haunter.

Ash and Serena decided to play with the Pokémon while Daisy talked with Leaf holding the now happy Cubone. She told them everything that happened with Team Rocket and Marowak's spirit. Leaf was happy not to go in with that ghost, but not to the point where she leaves her friends hanging, but she was happy they were alright.

"So, they got away?" Leaf asked in disappointment.

"I'm afraid so, and they got the ghost Pokémon in there too," Daisy confirmed.

Serena was hearing that conversation and couldn't help but feel guilty. All she could do was hope that the trio would be alright and that whatever they were planning with those Pokémon would get ruined.

"That's the first time Cubone looks happy," Reina said as he was laughing.

"Yeah, Cubone heard me out and he started to open up since I beat Proton's Rhydon and let him say goodbye to his mother," Daisy said with a smile.

Daisy couldn't help but smile at how happy Cubone was now. Cubone was now feeling a completely warm touch from Daisy. She wasn't his mommy, but it almost felt like one a mother could have for their child.

"I see Cubone has taken a liking in you," Mr. Fuji said to Daisy.

Daisy turned around to see Mr. Fuji giving her a gracious smile. At first he was the only one Cubone could look up to, but now Daisy seems to be bringing an impact on Cubone. Ash and Serena could see Mr. Fuji was going to speak to Daisy along with Leaf and Reina.

"Daisy, I was wondering…would you like to adopt this Cubone?" Mr. Fuji happily asked.

Daisy's eyes widened with what he just said. He was willing to give Cubone to her. Cubone has already felt a sense of security with her, and while he would still be grieving, at least he now could accept the fact his mom was gone.

"I'd be happy too. Cubone just recently lost his mother and even though I'm not his mommy, I can fill that role for him," Daisy graciously answered as tears came from her eyes.

"I can tell you must be very happy," Reina said.

"I am, not only am I going to become Cubone's new mommy and give him all the love a mother can get, but we can relate," Daisy told everyone.

Ash and Serena knew what Daisy meant. Leaf, Reina, and Mr. Fuji didn't exactly know all of it, just them knowing different halves of it.

"When I was five, I lost my mother and I could feel the pain of losing her, and so did my brother. The one thing we both have in common is we lost our mom at a young age," Daisy explained.

This was a great opportunity for Daisy to greatly mature. She can learn to be a mother to this Cubone and when she starts getting used to it and gains enough experience, maybe she'll be able to reach out to her brother. Gary also boasts on his ego and it seems that Daisy's words aren't reaching him anymore as AJ's gym was a great example.

"So, this won't just help me and Cubone, but maybe my brother too," Daisy told everyone.

"I think you'll make a great mother to Cubone," Leaf said patting her on the back.

"I think you will. Maybe one day I'll get myself a Pokémon that I can be a parent to," Ash said to Daisy.

Daisy could agree that maybe Ash should get himself a Pokémon that could be a dad to, just like what she's doing with Cubone right now. Mr. Fuji then looked at Ash with a gracious smile on his face.

"I think you will Ash. Speaking of, I want you to come with me as I want to reward you with something," Mr. Fuji told Ash.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Ash was sitting at a table with Serena, Daisy, Leaf, Pikachu, Cubone, and Rotom Dex behind him. Mr. Fuji was looking in a cabinet and was pulling something out.

"I believe I sense something special in you my child and I'm sure this will fare well on your quest," Mr. Fuji said as he gave Ash a small silver box, "Open this box, I noticed since that Haunter wants to come with you it can have something."

Ash opened the box and inside surprised him. It was another one of those marbles. This time it was indigo with a purple swerve design in the middle and a red swerve inside the purple swerve.

"Another one," Serena said in a whisper.

"What is this, and why are you giving this to me?" Ash asked.

"It's something for Haunter, and you'll know soon enough what it is," Mr. Fuji answered.

This was the fourth one that they got, and the give interest to certain Pokémon. Was there something about these marbles that Ash and Serena don't know about. Maybe it was time to ask some questions about them.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Center**_

The group was back at the Pokémon Center as they were getting their Pokémon rested up after taking on Team Rocket. Leaf and Daisy were going to be leaving them soon as Leaf wanted to see the Safari Zone once more. Daisy actually decided that she would tag along with Leaf for a little while and Leaf would contribute a little bit to helping Cubone.

Ash and Serena on the other hand were now going to head south towards Fuchsia City where Ash's next gym battle and Serena's next contest. That was going to be an extremely long trek as there would be a few places of civilization along the way with a few Pokémon Centers.

Ash, Serena, Leaf, and Daisy were on the video phone with Professor Oak telling them about their experience in Lavender Town. They wanted to keep Team Rocket out of the conversation as they didn't want to alarm anyone. Professor Oak was proud of Daisy adopting a Cubone and couldn't wait to hear how she does with the Pokémon. Now there was one more piece of business that needed to be taken care of.

"I'm glad you'll all doing great," Professor Oak said with praise.

"Thanks, but now Ash and Serena wanted to ask you something important," said Daisy.

Daisy and Leaf got out of the way for Ash and Serena to come up to the screen. Ash pulled out the marble he just got from Mr. Fuji.

"Professor Oak, so far during our Pokémon journey me and Serena have been getting these strange looking marbles," Ash told Professor Oak holding the marble up towards the screen.

Professor Oak couldn't believe that Ash and Serena were finally bringing this up. After they left Celadon City, Professor Oak had a talk with Professor Sycamore about the other Mega Stones they have obtained for Gyarados and Pidgeotto. Now he has found another one.

"That's amazing, how many have you gotten?" Professor Oak asked since he already knew about the other two.

"Four in total," Serena answered.

Professor Oak was surprised, he thought that would be the third one, but it was actually their fourth. Where on earth were they finding these stones from?

"Four," Oak stuttered.

"Yeah, the first we got was on the S.S. Anne which went to Gyarados, Ash got the second one on his birthday for Pidgeotto, the third one we got for Kadabra was a gift from a great Pokémon Coordinator named Aria, and today Ash got another one for his newly caught Haunter from Mr. Fuji," Serena explained.

Professor Oak couldn't believe it, they now had four. Who knows if they come across another one? After hearing about this, Professor Oak cleared his throat and started talking.

"I'm very impressed that you're finding these in Kanto, and I should tell you something," Oak said

Ash and Serena leaned in closer so they can hear Professor Oak out.

"I actually had a conversation the other day with Professor Sycamore who agreed to give you Froakie and Fennekin as your starters. I've sent photos of your Gyarados and Pidgeotto with those marbles they had," Oak explained.

This caught the young couple's attention. Professor Oak knew about these stones, and now he has shared them with Professor Sycamore in Kalos.

"And after you found two more stones, I'm actually going to consider making another call to him. I'm going to have him talk to you about those marbles that you two have gotten," Oak told Ash and Serena.

Ash and Serena were pleased hearing that. Since those stones relate to Professor Sycamore's research, it clearly was best that Ash and Serena hear about these from him. Speaking of, there was another topic they wanted to bring up. Ash and Serena looked behind and remembered Frogadier and Braixen were back there getting evaluated.

"Is something wrong?" Oak asked.

"Yeah, we just remembered something. Frogadier and Braixen have been acting off lately," Ash confirmed.

"Off?" Oak questioned.

"They haven't been themselves since we left Saffron City. It's almost like, something is greatly bothering them, and we can't seem to help them," Serena explained.

Professor Oak heard what Serena just said. He remembers when these Pokémon were first given to Ash and Serena, they were too scared to open up to humans. Much like what Cubone was going through not long ago.

"You know what, while I speak to Sycamore about those marbles you guys have been finding, I'll also talk to him about your Pokémon. They have been in his care those past three years before you got them, and maybe he would be the best person to help you guys with them," Oak explained suggesting how they could help Frogadier and Braixen.

"Thanks Professor," Ash and Serena gratefully said in union.

"You're welcome. So, when Professor Sycamore contacts you, he won't just explain about the marbles you've been finding, but also he can help you with Frogadier and Braixen," Oak confirmed.

"Alright, we appreciate it," Serena said.

"Alright, now you take care and safe travels to all of you," Oak responded.

"Bye," all of them said in union.

The videophone shut off and the ding sound was made notifying that their Pokémon were all healed up. Ash, Serena, and Daisy went to get their Pokémon along with Pikachu jumping off the counter. As soon as they got their Pokémon back, Nurse Joy personally brought Frogadier and Braixen out. Judging by their troubled looking faces, it seems that whatever is bothering them is still taking over.

"Did you ever find out what could be wrong?" Ash asked.

"I'm afraid not," Nurse Joy confirmed with a tone of disappointment, "Both of these Pokémon are healthy, but I can't figure out what's bothering them."

They didn't expect Nurse Joy to figure out what's been going to with Frogadier and Braixen. As they both stood there looking more troubled than before, Ash and Serena think that it's something deeper.

"Well, thanks for everything," Serena graciously said.

Ash and Serena continued to look at Frogadier and Braixen and so did Pikachu and Rotom Dex. What could be the cause of their behavior being so sullen? Ash and Serena hoped to get the answer soon. They pulled out their Pokeballs and returned them and then sadly looked at their Pokeballs.

Then Ash and Serena along with Daisy and Leaf exited the Pokémon Center. Ash and Serena along with Daisy and Leaf were now on separate sides as this is where they would part ways.

"I hope you find your answer with them soon," Leaf told Ash and Serena.

"We know, I just don't know what to do," Serena sadly said as she looked at Braixen's Pokeball.

"Hey, we wish you guys the best in your next gym battle and contest," Daisy told Ash and Serena.

"Thanks, and me and Serena hope for the best for you and Cubone. As you said, if you can learn how to be a parent to that Cubone on your own, maybe you'll be able to get through to Gary," Ash told Daisy.

"Yeah," Daisy said as she smiled at Cubone, "I'm going to take great care of this Cubone."

"Well we hope for the best for you and Cubone," Rotom Dex replied.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

"Thanks, I hope we see each other again soon," Daisy said as she smiled at the group.

"Same here," Ash said.

"You guys take care and have fun," Leaf cheerfully told Ash and Serena.

"We will," Serena replied.

They all shared hugs with each other and then began to go their separate ways. Leaf and Daisy were heading towards Saffron City while Ash and Serena were now going to take the long road towards Fuchsia City.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Mr. Fuji's House**_

As Mr. Fuji saw Ash and Serena heading out, a ding from a bike was heard. Mr. Fuji looked behind and saw an elderly woman with blonde hair stepping off her bike. She wore a purple dress with a white maid apron on the lower part of the dress, black tights and purple mary-janes.

"Agatha," Mr. Fuji said greeting the elderly woman.

"Ah Mr. Fuji, how are you?" Agatha asked with courtesy.

"I'm doing great," Mr. Fuji answered happily, "I'm pleased to tell you that we won't need your services. The situation at Pokémon Tower has been resolved."

Agatha felt like her heart stopped for a second. She came all this way from Pokémon League HQ on a bicycle only to find out that everything in Lavender Town was taken care of. Agatha was pleased to know that everything was taken care of.

"It was thanks to a group of Pokémon trainers named Ash Ketchum, Serena Gabena, and Daisy Oak," Mr. Fuji told her, "I have to tell you that these kids were something special."

Agatha was bewildered when she heard those last names. Gabena she wasn't familiar with, but Ketchum and Oak she knew of very well. Agatha was a member of the Kanto Elite Four and she has been under the former champion Red and now the current champion Blue.

"Ash Ketchum and Daisy Oak," Agatha said as she went into thought and then turned to Mr. Fuji, "You're definitely right about those trainers."

"You agree with me?" Mr. Fuji happily asked.

"Of course, when you have the son of possibly the greatest Pokémon trainer to ever breathe air, and the daughter of the champion of the Kanto Region, you should know that their greatness were harnessed by their own parents," Agatha said peacefully as he can think that those trainers helped bring Lavender Town back to normal, "Those kids really do take after their parents."

Mr. Fuji was happy to hear that from an Elite Four member. It would've been better if she were to witness their actions in Pokémon Tower. Seeing what Red's son and Blue's daughter could do would really be a treat. Agatha wasn't going to let her bike ride go to waste.

"If you want to Mr. Fuji, I can help with services at Pokémon Tower for a few days. After all, helping deceased Pokémon receive peace is my specialty along with ghost Pokémon," Agatha suggested.

"It would be an honor," Mr. Fuji said giving a bow.

Agatha looked over at Pokémon Tower. It would be a treat for the people of Lavender Town as she would help with services. Still as she looked onward, she was hoping to meet those trainers soon. She didn't know much about Serena, but she would love to meet with Ash and Daisy.

* * *

 _ **Southeast Kanto-Ranger's Station**_

Out in a jeep, a ranger for the area has been on his usual patrol route to make sure all travelers and Pokémon were safe. Claude has been observing the area and could see that all of the Pokémon seem very happy and no one was causing any trouble. That was something his boss Shepard despised was troublemakers. While Claude could understand he needed to keep the area safe, he couldn't but think but Shepard's methods.

It's been almost three days since the rangers had their encounter with that wild Munchlax. Shepard immediately accused him of being with Team Rocket as there was clearly no evidence. When Claude found the Munchlax, he could see him being comforted by a Snorlax who happened to be his father. Despite being under Shepard's command, Claude didn't want to disturb the Munchlax or the group of Pokémon with them as they considered it a sanctuary.

Claude couldn't help but feel slightly guilty of not telling Shepard about Munchlax's whereabouts. If he were to tell them, Munchlax along with the rest of the Pokémon would lose their sanctuary, but if he didn't tell him, he could lose his job and possibly blacklist him.

Claude parked his jeep outside of the ranger's station. He inhaled and took a deep breath. Claude knew that it was right not to reveal the hidden grotto, but if it were to come out, he would try to talk Shepard into not visiting. Right now, it was best not to think about it for the time being.

"Well somebody seems to be feeling troubled," a voice called out.

Claude looked over and saw Pedansky leaning on a tree smoking a cigarette. He was putting out his cigarette and smirked at the ranger. Pedansky could tell something was bothering Claude.

"Pedansky," Claude stuttered as he caught his attention.

"I'm taking a smoke break," Pedansky said.

"You probably shouldn't smoke, it's bad for your lungs," Claude muttered.

"Hey, if it keeps me at ease, then I enjoy it," Pedansky told Claude.

Claude was not a smoker as Pedansky knew that. What just happened made Claude think a bit about things, and maybe bringing up Pedansky smoking might have caused him to blurt that out. Shepard of course also smoked, but Pedansky wasn't like his boss. Right now, he wasn't going to worry about.

"Is something bothering you?" Pedansky asked as he looked at Claude.

Pedansky was one of the rangers Claude considers as a great work friend. Whenever Claude had something going on with him, he felt comfortable talking to Pedansky. He can understand unlike Shepard.

"Pedansky, can you keep a secret?" Claude questioned which got Pedansky to raise an eyebrow.

"Anything for you Claude," Pedansky answered as he patted Claude on the shoulder.

Claude let out a slight chuckle after feeling the slight force in that pat. Pedansky definitely cared for Claude as a buddy. Claude let out a sigh as he was about to tell Pedansky.

"Alright, remember that Munchlax Shepard ordered us to hunt down along with the Seel that was with him?" Claude asked.

"Yeah what about it?" Pedansky asked.

"I actually found them during the hunt," Claude confessed.

Pedansky's eyebrows shot up high as they could. Claude actually found the Munchlax Shepard declared as rouge. This led to a major question, why didn't Claude report this to any of the other rangers or Shepard. The head ranger would flip his lid if he found out Claude let that Munchlax run free.

"You actually found that Munchlax?" Pedansky questioned as he had a bit of a worried look on his face.

"I did," Claude confirmed as he nodded his head, "He was in a hidden grotto in a big tree."

Pedansky couldn't believe it. Claude may have gone AWOL on the rangers by not reporting the sighting of Munchlax, but mostly keeping it from Shepard.

"Why didn't you report Munchlax's sighting to us?" Pedansky questioned.

Claude went back and reflected on what happened when he came across that Munchlax. He was sad and scared and the Snorlax who he thinks is his mother or father was hugging him and giving him comfort. Shepard was the one who did that to him.

"I think the place where Munchlax was hiding was his home. That Munchlax was scared for his life because of our boss," Claude answered.

"You mean Shepard?" Pedansky questioned in alarm.

"Pedansky, he was going to shoot him because in Shepard's eyes, he looked like a foreign Pokémon and immediately considered him a Team Rocket Pokémon!" Claude argued, "If I were to give any information on that Munchlax's whereabouts, he would lose his home and Shepard would shoot him anyways!"

Pedansky knew where Claude was going with this. Despite being a smoker, he cares about the Pokémon around these areas along with keeping everyone safe. Claude was doing this to protect Munchlax.

"So, you're saying that Munchlax isn't what Shepard thought it was?" Pedansky asked in a low tone.

"I don't think it is at all, and even if it were part of Team Rocket, there was no evidence," Claude stated.

"So, you were just looking out for that Pokémon," said Pedansky.

"I was, that Snorlax I saw was his family. I don't want to take him away from his family," Claude muttered.

Claude felt completely guilty about not telling anyone about spotting Munchlax, and when he finally confessed to Pedansky, he couldn't help but respect Claude. While it was Shepard's orders to catch that Munchlax, Claude had a good heart and was not going to let Shepard have any business with him or any of the other Pokémon in the grotto.

"So where is this grotto?" Pedansky asked, "I promise I won't go looking for it."

"You promise you won't find it?" Claude questioned sternly.

"Claude, you were looking out for that Pokémon. However, you could be stuck with some business and not have time to go over there in case they're in trouble. If you tell me, I will have to find it, but like you I won't disturb the peace in there," Pedansky said.

Claude was going to take his word for it since he was a good friend of his. Claude fears that he is on thin ice with Shepard because he isn't making things his way and if he gets fired, someone else needs to know about where Munchlax lives in case trouble comes there. Claude knew Pedansky was the best candidate to tell him.

"Something going on boys?" a voice called out questioning them.

Claude and Pedansky turned around to see the head ranger Shepard standing there with a stern look on his face and his arms crossed. The two were just talking about Munchlax and they didn't want to bring that Pokémon up to his attention.

"Nothing sir," both of them responded while giving a salute.

"That's more like it," Shepard uttered.

Right now, it was best for the two rangers to forget about that conversation as long as Shepard was around. Who knows if he could be eavesdropping in the future and he hears something that would get them in huge trouble?

"So, what brings you here?" Pedansky asked.

Shepard's face started to look grim. He actually just came back from a phone call and could understand that he received some bad news.

"I just wanted to let you know that we're going to be stepping up our patrols for a while," Shepard told the two rangers.

"What do you mean, stepping up our patrols?" Claude questioned.

Shepard was a man who will rid the area of anyone causing trouble such as Team Rocket or anyone else who is considered in the no-good category. Shepard had a serious look on his face as he was going to mean business.

"Alright listen up, and I need you all to tell the other rangers as well. I just took a call from someone in the Sinnoh Region," Shepard told the rangers.

"The Sinnoh Region?" Pedansky asked.

"Yes, they mention a threat that was just in Sinnoh causing complete destruction, and there are reports that the threat could be coming here," Shepard explained, "And chances are if it comes, it will likely touchdown in these parts."

This caught Claude's and Pedansky's attention. A threat that caused chaos in the Sinnoh Region that could be on the way to Kanto? It looks like that the two rangers were going to need to step up their game. Claude took a quick look back at where the grotto was. He just hopes to Arceus that Munchlax isn't wondering around again when there is possibly danger approaching.

"Claude!" Shepard addressed which caused Claude to look back at Shepard.

"Sorry Shepard," Claude reported with authority, "So what is this threat that the Sinnoh Region was talking about?"

Shepard narrowed his eyes at the two rangers. It was important that they knew the potential disaster that could be coming their way. Travelers could be in grave danger along with the Pokémon around here. Shepard knew if anyone came near him, he would have them dead with a backyard shooting.

"The possible threat is…" Shepard trailed.

* * *

 **And it stops there! So, what could be this threat the rangers have heard about? The answer will come very soon.**

 **You might not like the fact of Serena giving up the ghost Pokémon to the Team Rocket Trio, but Serena needed to know some people do have good in them and she may have found that back with the trio on the S.S. Anne. Who knows, maybe this might pay off one day for both the trio and Serena.**

 **On a happy note, Daisy has adopted the orphaned Cubone as these two can relate in terms of losing a mother. Not only will she take the role of a mother to this Cubone, but maybe it'll help her find the potential to reach out to Gary.**

 **And Ash has caught Haunter and has received a Gengarite! Four Mega Stones combined for Ash and Serena. Wonder when the Key Stones finally arrive?**

 **Get ready as the next chapter will begin the Kanto Power Plant arc which might end up being three chapters. Wait, Ash and Serena are heading south towards Fuchsia City while the Power Plant is up north of Lavender Town. You'll see how Ash and Serena wind up going there.**

 **Until then, see you next time as Ash and Serena go to the Power Plant!**

 **Chapter 41: Kanto Power Play Part 1**


	44. Kanto Power Play Part 1

**And now here is the first part of the Kanto Power Plant. Not only will Ash and Serena have another playdate with Team Rocket, but someone will suddenly show up (not here in part one) and have a talk with our Amour couple about something important. That will happen in the next chapter, or chapter after that since I might make it three parts. Depending how long it is.**

 **Anyway, the chapter will begin with what's happening at Silph followed by Ash and Serena being dragged into the Power Plant's mess. Mr. Fuji and Agatha will not be seen in this arc as this doesn't involve them. Ash does catch a new Pokémon, but he won't make it an official team member, yet. Enjoy and I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Testing Lab**_

The last couple of days under the Silph Company's new ownership has been hectic. All of the scientists have been forced to workday and night to perfect the Master Ball. They've already got the design down. Now they need to just perfect the capturing. Professor Namba wanted this special ball to work at 100% for when Mewtwo was ready.

"Alright, it's time we tested this ball out," Namba told the scientists, "We need a Pokémon that's considered difficult to capture to make sure that this ball works."

All of the scientists were getting exhausted both psychically and mentally. Hector has been forced to work with these scientists three days straight with no breaks. He has not been able to see Lapras at all. Anytime he wants to see her, the other scientists (who were the true scientists of Team Rocket) forced him back to work. Lapras has to be starving to death, and now he's been forced to neglect the Pokémon that he rescued.

"Hector, I believe you've been keeping a Lapras in your possession, have you?" Namba questioned.

Namba addressed Hector by his proper name as Professor Namba has been identifying all of the Silph scientists in case anything were to happen. Hector was a little worried as he took a deep breath. Apparently Team Rocket knew about the Lapras he had.

"I do," Hector answered.

"Where is it?" Namba asked, "Lapras is difficult to catch in a regular Pokeball so that will be our perfect test subject."

Hector's eyes widened when he heard that. They want to take Lapras who he just rescued as a test subject! Then Namba did something else that frightened the scientist, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

"If you don't tell us where this Lapras is, I can shoot you right here, right now," Namba said in a cold tone, "And I will hesitate to shoot Lapras too."

Now Hector was in a tough spot. He had to give his new superior Lapras or else he would shoot him. Hector did what he could to save Lapras and how he was forced to turn on her just to save himself and her.

"Alright, follow me," Hector muttered as he walked out the door.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Pool area**_

Lapras has been looking down at her own watery reflection sadly. It was one thing for Hector to start treating her like crap because his job became more important suddenly, but now he hasn't seen her in a few days, and she was hungry.

Lapras thought she could trust him after saving her, but now it looks like he was avoiding her and wanted nothing to do with her. Lapras were very picky with the humans that they trust, and now she was starting to believe that Hector was going to turn on her.

"Laaa," Lapras said as he heard the door jingle.

The door opened and coming in was Hector with a dark look along with Professor Namba and a few other scientists. Lapras's eyes widened when she saw all of these humans with dark looks on their faces. However, it was Hector's look that worried her the most.

"Lapras, we have to conduct tests on the Master Ball to make sure it can work the way it's supposed to," Hector sternly told Lapras as he was holding the Master Ball, "And you will be our test subject."

Well, Lapras thinks she may be saved, or she could be put through more trauma like with those pirates. She wasn't sure anymore as now the man who gave her a home is now using her as a business accessory.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-President's Office**_

Giovanni was sitting in the president's office on the phone with Professor Namba. Namba was giving him status reports on the Master Ball and their test run on Lapras.

"Remember Namba if the Master Ball is going to work, the Pokémon must be at full health. You don't want me using it on Mewtwo just so it fails don't you?" Giovanni questioned.

"Not at all Giovanni, we'll make the scientists take proper care of this Lapras to make sure it's fully healthy so we can get actual results," Namba reported on the other end.

"Good, by the way I'm pleased to tell you that I just got a call from Cassidy and Brick," Giovanni told Namba.

"It's Butch!" Butch yelled out all the way in the distance far away.

"Oh yes, how are they doing?" Namba asked.

"I'm pleased to tell you that they have taken total control of the power plant and are starting to transfer electricity here and back to HQ. Within the next couple of hours, we should start seeing parts of Kanto being slowly effected," Giovanni explained.

"Excellent work for them, if we wish to perfect the Master Ball and have Mewtwo be properly developed, then the extra source of energy will be perfect and we won't have any delays," Namba mischievously said.

Giovanni gave a dark smile and while he didn't see it on the other end, Namba was smiling too. Things were going smoothly for Team Rocket. Then Giovanni got a beep in the call, as another person was about to call.

"I have to go Namba I have another call. Keep me updated on our projects," Giovanni told Namba.

"Will do boss," Namba replied as he hung up.

Giovanni was pleased with how the two projects were going. Now he had to take another call. He was hoping it wasn't some businesspeople, because the only business he will take part in is with Team Rocket.

"Who's this?" Giovanni asked.

"This is Proton," Proton answered on the other end.

Giovanni was pleased to hear Proton on the other end. He wanted to get the news on the mission in Lavender Town. They were going to need those ghost Pokémon to counter Mewtwo.

"How did the mission go?" Giovanni questioned as he was waiting for an answer.

"Sir, that Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena showed up along with another girl named Daisy Oak," Proton answered on the other end, "I think that might be Blue Oak's daughter."

Giovanni's teeth clenched when he heard not just Ash's and Serena's names again, but Daisy's name too. Just not long ago he saw her outside the Silph Company and knowing that Lavender Town wasn't that far from Saffron City, it wouldn't be a surprise she was there.

"Just as we expected they tried getting in our way," Proton reported.

"What happened, surely you crushed them like last time on Mt. Moon!" Giovanni roared.

"Actually, I was defeated by Blue Oak's daughter. Not to mention that our two mortal enemies took out the other rockets," Proton reported.

Giovanni slammed his fist on the desk. This was not possible. This was the second time one of his high ranked executives failed him. To make matters worse, it was one of Blue's kids.

"Wait, there's more!" Proton yelled.

"More failures!" Giovanni roared.

"No, just when we thought those fucking kids got away with our ghost Pokémon, Jessie, James, and Meowth you won't believe this…they actually got the Pokémon back from them," Proton said in amazement.

Giovanni's eyes grew with complete shock. Those three who suddenly got admin titles actually bailed Team Rocket out.

"What drugs are you on?" Giovanni asked.

"None, they really did retrieve the ghost Pokémon! They told me and handed me the sack of Pokeballs. I checked every one of them and they did consist of the Pokémon we caught in there," Proton explained, "Just for the record I've already reported this to Ariana, and I thought I report it to you as well."

"Excellent work Proton. You'll be getting a raise for your successful mission, and I don't know how we're going to reward those screw ups," Giovanni said, "Return to base with the ghost Pokémon and present them to Archer and Petrel."

"I will, thank you," Proton said as he hung up.

Giovanni was actually pleased with how everything was going so far. He had Mewtwo making great progress, the Master Ball was being worked on, and now he had his ghost Pokémon ready to counter Mewtwo. However, one thing bothered him. The name Daisy Oak.

While Giovanni never met the girl or her brother in person, they were part of a family who have brought him bad memories along with another family he hated just as much, the Ketchums. While he did hate Ash, there was one certain Ketchum he hated a lot more, his father Red.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Giovanni was ten years old. He had very short hair and wore a white t-shirt, black shorts, and black shoes. Giovanni was always a stern boy who only wanted one thing as a Pokémon trainer, powerful Pokémon._

 _One day Giovanni was in the Viridian Forest looking at all the Pokémon that were in there. Giovanni found none of those Pokémon to be worth of value as he believed they wouldn't amount to anything as they were just Caterpie, Weedle, and Pidgey._

" _None of these Pokémon are capable of being powerful," Giovanni muttered._

 _Then he saw something laying on top of a tree branch. It was a cute pink species with a long tail. Giovanni was wondering what that Pokémon was. He thought it could be something rare as he never seen that Pokémon before._

" _I wonder what that is?" Giovanni questioned himself._

 _Then another set of footsteps were approaching from behind. Giovanni saw another boy that he growled at as he knew that boy. The boy had black hair going up to the front wearing a red baseball cap, a red jacket, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. He was looking at the Pokémon too and was completely amazed._

" _That must be Mew," the boy said in astonishment._

" _What?" Giovanni questioned as he looked at the boy._

" _Mew, possibly the rarest Pokémon in the world," the boy said with a bit of an attitude as it seems he doesn't like him._

 _Giovanni was shocked to hear that. That was Mew, a rare Pokémon. If Mew was considered rare, then it was considered powerful. Giovanni then pulled out a Pokeball and Mew looked alarmed at what Giovanni was doing._

" _What are you doing?" the boy questioned._

" _If that Mew is rare, then I want it!" Giovanni yelled as he made his Pokeball bigger._

" _Giovanni you can't do that," the boy said as he knew him, "That Pokémon could probably be endangered."_

" _Shut it Red! I can get whatever Pokémon I want! And if it's powerful, then I want it!" Giovanni yelled as he threw the Pokeball._

 _Mew saw the Pokeball coming its way and created a bubble to protect itself from the oncoming device. The ball was bounced back and Mew sent and charged up a blue energy ball which was Aura Sphere and launched it right at Giovanni. The attack didn't hit Giovanni, but it did create an explosion that caused him and Red to cover their eyes. Once the dust cleared, the two could see that Mew was gone, and the branch that it was on broke off the tree._

" _Where are you!" Giovanni screamed, "I want you!"_

 _Red on the other hand was furious with him. He didn't like Giovanni one bit as this was the second most despicable thing he has seen him do. In fact, he hated him._

" _Why did you scare it off like that!?" Red angrily questioned, "This was a special moment for a Pokémon trainer to see Mew, and you completely destroyed it."_

" _Then you should've not intervened," Giovanni spat as he walked up to the branch with complete anger about Mew getting away._

" _I did nothing! You threw the Pokeball, I just wanted to observe it and you had to ruin it," said Red with a hint of anger._

 _Giovanni looked down and saw on the broken tree branch a strand of pink hair. This pink hair must have belonged to Mew._

" _This…this is Mew's hair," Giovanni said looking at the branch._

 _Giovanni carefully picked up the strand of Mew's hair. He then got out a sandwich bag and carefully placed it inside the bag before sealing it up. Red approached Giovanni who had the strand of Mew's hair."_

" _This is Mew's hair," Giovanni uttered._

 _Red saw the strand of hair in the plastic bag. He smiled at the plastic bag. Maybe Mew got away, but there is one other thing he could do._

" _You may have not gotten Mew, but you a piece of its DNA," Red said, "I suggest we take that to Professor Oak."_

" _You want me to give up Mew's DNA. This hair may lead me to Mew," Giovanni retorted._

" _I am not suggesting we use Mew's hair to find Mew, but Professor Oak can maybe find a way to do research on this Pokémon. It may not be the actual Pokémon, but it can be the next best thing for his research," Red explained._

 _Giovanni gave Red the evil eye. Take this piece of hair back to Professor Oak so he can do research on it instead of finding a way to use it to track down Mew? How would he have powerful Pokémon if that old man was going to do homework on its hair?_

" _Research, you just want it for research instead of capturing it!?" Giovanni angrily questioned._

" _If we take this strand of hair back, Professor Oak may find a way to befriend Mew if anyone should come across it," Red explained with authority._

" _Pokémon are not to be friends as it gets in the way of them becoming powerful!" Giovanni yelled, "And now you want to take that away from me? This is why I hate you Red, because you don't want me to become a powerful Pokémon trainer."_

" _Pokémon are living creatures who have feelings, and if we ever want to befriend a Pokémon like Mew, your method that you just tried will not work!" Red argued._

 _Giovanni and Red continued to argue. Red thinks that Mew's DNA should be taken to Professor Oak for his research while Giovanni thinks it would be an addition to finding the rare Pokémon. In the end eventually, the DNA went back to Professor Oak and the two rivals who couldn't stand each other hated each other even more._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Giovanni was livid that day when they found Mew. In the end, it was officially going to be used to research into Pokémon relationship. However, Giovanni eventually got that strand of DNA back and he descended from being a heartless cruel Pokémon trainer to an evil tyrant of a Pokémon terrorist organization.

Giovanni eventually used the DNA of Mew to work on his cloning process of Mewtwo, the clone of the Mew he and Red saw in the Viridian Forest. This clone was not only going to lead Team Rocket into world domination, but to get revenge on the people he hated the most.

Red for dragging Giovanni and the DNA of Mew along back to Pallet Town along for him not agreeing on his methods of being a Pokémon trainer, and Professor Oak for taking away his chances of having anything to do with Mew.

When he heard those names, Ash Ketchum and Daisy Oak, he was reminded of them. Knowing that Daisy Oak is Professor Oak's granddaughter and that Ash was good friends with her throughout the years, he is assuming that Ash lives in Pallet Town. Serena Gabena on the other hand, even though she is Ash's boyfriend, that might fall into his wife's category of why his hatred for her is there.

"Ash Ketchum, you and that girl have been a problem for this organization. Your father had to interfere with my chances of getting my hands-on Mew, and the genes sure have passed with you interfering with our plans," Giovanni said to himself as he petted his Persain, "There will be retaliation on you soon."

* * *

 _ **Coastline**_

It has been about an hour since Ash and Serena left Lavender Town. Fuchsia City was their next destination. It was great to hang with Leaf and Daisy again, but they were relieved that it was just them again as they like to spend time alone.

Serena has been quietly lately as she didn't want to talk about what happened outside the Pokémon Tower. Ash wasn't going to push the subject, after all her birthday was coming up really soon and Ash should be thinking about what he can get her and what they can do. Sucks they will be on the road when that day comes meaning they can't have another get together like in Celadon City.

Ash was looking out in the water. He could remember when he and Serena had that nice walk on the shoreline before running into the Butterfree migration. It would be nice to have another walk like that. Ash turned over to Serena who was walking by him.

"Hey Serena, do you want to go for another walk on the beach?" Ash asked.

Serena blushed at what Ash just said. Another walk on the beach. It was truly romantic the last time they had a walk like that and Frogadier and Braixen back when they were Froakie and Fennekin even had a nice walk together. It could really turn up the romantic atmosphere, especially after what happened in Lavender Town.

"I'd love too," Serena answered in a romantic tone.

Ash was blushing again as he was going to have another romantic walk. The two got over to a nearby rock and took off their shoes and socks. Rotom Dex was looking out in the ocean and was unsure about the water. It didn't look right. As soon as the two trainers were barefoot, Ash and Serena got out their Pokeballs.

"Maybe Frogadier and Braixen would like to join in too. This could help them relax," Ash said as he was holding Frogadier's Pokeball.

Serena agreed and she got out Braixen's Pokeball. The two released their Pokémon and they both looked out into the water. Both Pokémon still had that extreme tension running inside them, and Frogadier's back still had a little nagging pain.

"Hey Braixen, Frogadier, we're going to walk on the beach. Do you want to join?" Serena happily asked.

Serena was looking at the two Pokémon and all they were doing was standing there tense. Did they even hear her? It almost felt like Serena was talking to two Slowpokes. Ash then took a jab at talking to them.

"Come on guys, you had fun last time. I'm sure this will help you right now," Ash happily told the Pokémon.

It was still nothing. All they were doing was just standing out there all stiff. Serena and Ash both sighed. What was it that was causing them to feel this way? They hoped they could get answers to this soon, but for right now they decided to just call them back. As soon as Ash and Serena returned their Pokémon, they can't help but wonder if there is any way to reach out to them.

" _I told Frogadier if anything was bothering him that he could talk to me. Why isn't he talking to me about this?"_ Ash questioned himself in thought.

Ash and Serena put their Pokeballs back on their belts as maybe this wasn't a time to think about it. Pikachu just hung a sad face hoping that those two can get help soon.

"I guess it's just us then," Ash said as he lost that romantic charm.

"Fine with me," Serena sighed as she also lost that romantic charm.

The thing with their Pokémon really was bothering them a whole lot. Then Rotom Dex floated over to them with concern.

"I think maybe we should call off the romantic walk," Rotom Dex suggested.

"Maybe you're right, we can't enjoy knowing how our Pokémon are doing," Serena sadly sighed.

"I wasn't talking about the mood, I was talking about the water," Rotom Dex said as it looked out in the ocean.

Ash and Serena took went up to the water and got a closer inspection. The water didn't look crystal blue, it almost looked like there was some green in the water. The water wasn't supposed to look like that.

"Thanks for calling that out Rotom Dex, the water doesn't look right," Serena said as she saw the water.

"Oh, my Arceus!" Ash exclaimed in horror.

Ash saw sludge washing up on the shore. It was clear this ocean water was tainted. Was there an oil spill? Were there a lot of littering? Did someone purposely do this?

"What happened to the water?" Ash asked in disbelief as he was looking along the shoreline.

"I don't know, it looks disgusting," Serena said shaking as words almost died in her throat.

Everyone was starting to look around to see that the water was clearly polluted. While everyone took slow steps without setting foot on wet portions of the sand since it could be filled with bacteria, Rotom Dex was using the camera feature to zoom in to see a detailed look in the water followed by any possible causes for pollution.

While Rotom Dex was looking around, its eyes widened when it saw something washed up on the shore. It looked like a small red crab with pincers almost the size of his face laying on his stomach. His body looked like it was rusted up.

"ASH, SERENA, THERE'S A KRABBY WASHED UP ON THE POISONED SHORE!" Rotom Dex screamed.

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu gasped when they heard that. Rotom Dex pointed in the direction of where the Krabby was. Then Rotom Dex showed the screen and zoomed in to where Krabby was. The entire group gasped as they could see what happened to Krabby.

He looked sick. This water may be the cause of his bad health.

"We got to help that Krabby!" Ash cried as he rushed over towards the Pokémon.

Serena and Pikachu followed him. The two didn't even bother putting their shoes back on as there was a Pokémon in need. While they were running, Rotom Dex did an analysis on Krabby since they haven't seen one yet.

 _#098-Krabby: River Crab Pokémon_

 _Its pincers are superb weapons. They sometimes break off during battle, but they grow back fast._

Ash had to admit that Krabby could be one tough Pokémon with those pincers. He also learned that Krabby would evolve into Kingler who has much bigger pincers as Daisy's Kingler proved. Wait, now wasn't the time to think about that! Krabby needs help.

Ash approached the weakened Krabby and knelt down to his level. Serena and Pikachu were by his side.

"Krabby, are you okay?" Ash asked in panic.

Krabby gave a weak response as the water took its toll on him.

"Let me speak to Krabby," Rotom Dex said as it went up to Krabby.

Rotom Dex spoke with Krabby and then turned back to Ash and Serena to translate.

"Krabby says that this shoreline is his home. Usually he likes to take a nice dip in the water, but lately the water has become dirty and it has taken a toll on my body," Rotom Dex sadly told the group.

Everybody hung their heads down. Just as they expected, it was this polluted water that was causing Krabby to be sick. Just what was causing this pollution?

Ash reached into his backpack and got out an Antidote. He sprayed it on Krabby to cure him of the poison. Krabby was not feeling poisonous effects right now, but he still needed medical attention.

"Serena, we're going to need to get this Krabby to a Pokémon Center right away," Ash told Serena.

"I'm afraid the closest Pokémon Center is in Lavender Town, and we just left there," Rotom Dex confirmed as it registered notable Pokémon Centers on its data.

"Then we're going to have to head back to Lavender Town," Ash responded.

Serena would have to agree with him. They needed to help a Pokémon in need. This Krabby was willing to accept help from this human who just found him. Ash figured it would be best to put Krabby into a Pokeball meaning he would have to capture him. Krabby was already weakened, but he needed to make sure Krabby was caught so maybe not use a regular Pokeball. He could use his Ultra Ball, but he might want to save it for another time. Ash knew the perfect solution would be to use one of his Great Balls.

"In the meantime, I'll put you in this Great Ball. Hopefully you'll be able to rest up in there and not suffer more pain. Plus, it will be easier to get you to a Pokémon Center," Ash told Krabby as he bopped the Great Ball on him.

Krabby was sucked into the Great Ball and the ball wiggled around until it dinged. The Great Ball teleported away once the capture was made. Ash needed that Krabby back right away.

" _Don't worry Krabby, everything will be just fine,"_ Ash thought to himself as he had a determined look on his face.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Center**_

Having to get Krabby help, Ash and Serena return to Lavender Town. Ash uses Rotom Dex's swap feature to switch out one of his Pokémon for Krabby. He choose to send Scyther back to the lab for the time being to make room for Krabby.

In less than an hour because of the running, Ash and Serena arrived at the Pokémon Center. Ash was looking desperate as he dashed right up to the front desk.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash cried as he released Krabby, "I found this Krabby on the shoreline. It got sick from the polluted water."

Nurse Joy gasped when she heard that and saw Krabby. This Krabby sure looked sick.

"You said you found this Krabby on the shoreline? Exactly where?" Nurse Joy asked frantically.

"The coastline south of Lavender Town," Serena answered.

Nurse Joy had a worried look on her face. They found this Krabby in polluted water.

"If this Krabby was found in polluted water, who knows what other Pokémon could be in there," Nurse Joy said in worry, "I'll get in touch with the police and have them look into it. In the meantime, I'll take care of this Krabby."

"Thank you," Ash said.

Nurse Joy took Krabby into her care and once she was gone, she made a call to the Lavender Town police force to investigate the waters south of Lavender Town for what could be the cause of the pollution, and any other Pokémon that are in those waters.

* * *

 _ **4 hours later**_

The police force were arriving with many more Pokémon in their possession. As Ash and Serena have reported, there has been a disturbance in the waters around Lavender Town. Many Pokémon such as Magikarp, Horsea, and Tentacool along with more Krabby.

Ash and Serena along with other people in the Pokémon Center were completely shocked with how many Pokémon were turning up. If it weren't for Ash and Serena, these Pokémon would've never been rescued and probably would end up dead. The two trainers, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all stood there hoping Krabby and the other Pokémon were alright.

"So, you were the two trainers who came across the polluted water?" the officer asked looking at Ash and Serena.

"They most certainly are! Their names are," Rotom Dex spoke until Ash interrupted.

"Rotom Dex, let me talk," Ash told Rotom Dex in which the case it stopped talking, "Yes, me and my girlfriend came across the polluted water and rescued that Krabby."

"Well I want to say thank you for saying something, if you haven't notified anyone these Pokémon would probably be dead," the officer said praising them.

Nurse Joy was thankful for Ash and Serena. The other day they helped resolve the situation in Pokémon Tower, and now they just helped alerted everyone about the tainted ocean water.

"All of the Pokémon who were affected by the water have either rotting skin or possibly flesh-eating bacteria. We're going to work around the clock to make sure these Pokémon are treated back to full health," Nurse Joy told the group.

It was a relief that the group was able to get the Pokémon here in time. There was still one other question. What was the cause of the pollution?

"We also have investigated the waters around Lavender Town," the officer told everyone as he began to explain, "North of Lavender Town there is the main power plant of the Kanto Region where they distribute electricity throughout the region. The power plant also runs on hydroelectric energy and they make sure the water is properly filtered so that clean water comes in properly and comes out properly too."

So that ocean water is what helps run the power plant and they also try to keep the water fresh. Something had to had been up since the water nearby has been dirty.

"Right now, it seems that the water filtering is all messed up. We tried calling the power plant the last couple of days, but no one has been answering," the officer explained.

"That's not good to hear. Do they realize what's happening to the water?" Rotom Dex asked.

"That's another thing, they should but haven't done anything about it," the officer answered.

This really got their attention. The power plant hasn't been doing anything about the water filtering, and the people who work there know that they have to do everything to keep that water clean.

Then all of a sudden, the lights go out and everyone gasped.

"What just happened?" Serena asked frantically.

"The power went out!" the officer responded.

"I know, but how?" Serena asked still acting frantic.

Nurse Joy was acting all frantic as well as the backup generator wasn't operating. Knowing that she needed these the power to help the Pokémon with their recovery, this was bad for all of those Pokémon.

"This is very bad," Nurse Joy cried, "The power can't go out at a time like this."

"Don't you have a backup generator?" Ash asked.

"I do, but it isn't operating for some reason," Nurse Joy said in worry.

"There's only one possible solution, because of the messed-up filters the polluted water must be finding its way into the waterways of the power plant. All of that sludge could be messing up the generators," the officer explained.

"No, this can't be. This can't be, all of these Pokémon need immediate medical attention and the power goes out now! All of them could be hanging on for dear life, and I don't know what to do," Nurse Joy cried as she buried her face and tears came out.

Everyone knew the situation got bad. This Pokémon Center was now completely dead until the situation is resolved. The Pokémon's lives were at stake now. If this power outage affected all of Lavender Town, then the police weren't going to be able to reach out to other cities.

"Can you call someone?" Ash asked the officers.

"We can communicate to other officers and our station with the walkie talkies, but no contact anywhere else," the officer answered.

"Then use this," Ash said as he pulled out his Pokegear and handed it to the police, "Use this to call someone for outside help."

"Thanks," the officer replied.

Well this could solve the situation for outside help and maybe give the Pokémon a safe transfer. However, it didn't resolve the situation with Lavender's Town power outage or the dirty water.

"Thank you very much," the officer said as he handed Ash's Pokegear back to him and turned to Nurse Joy, "Nurse Joy, do whatever you can to keep these Pokémon alright. We've called the Saffron City Pokémon Center and they're going to send ambulances over to help transfer the Pokémon out of here manually."

"Thank you. I'll do my best to make sure these Pokémon can make it," Nurse Joy calmly said.

"As for us, we'll continue to investigate the waters and we'll start calling for help to see if we can get in contact with the power plant so we can figure out what's wrong," the officer told everyone, "Just remain calm and help these Pokémon Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy nodded her head. She would do her best to make sure the Pokémon can pull through until the medics arrive to transfer them.

* * *

 _ **30 minutes later**_

Ash and Serena sat on the couch of the darkened Pokémon Center. Ash handed the officers his Pokegear again so they can call in other forces to see what's going on at the Kanto Power Plant.

Ash sat there grimacing at the dark Pokémon Center. He just saved that Krabby, and now his life was on the line. Sure, the police were going to look into it and get this resolved, but how long would that take? Serena could see Ash looking at the door leading to the back. Here he was sitting there doing nothing while Krabby and all the other Pokémon had to wait.

"Ash, are you alright?" Serena asked.

Ash turned to Serena and had a determined look on her face. Serena knew what that face meant, and she was willing to take his side.

"Serena, I'm suggesting we wait on our gym battle and contest. I'm taking a detour north to the power plant," Ash declared.

"You're what!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"All of those Pokémon are in danger and I'm sitting here doing nothing. I know the police say they're taking action, but I can't help myself just being a sitting Psyduck," Ash told everyone.

Serena and Pikachu could hear Ash out. Pikachu was a Pokémon himself and he could imagined if he was one of the Pokémon on the operating tables trying to avoid death. Serena loved Pokémon as much as Ash and she couldn't stand sitting there not doing anything. If it weren't for Ash on that first day she met him, she wouldn't have the courage she has now. Plus, she could consider this an act of community service for giving Team Rocket their ghost Pokémon back.

"If you're going, then I'm going too," Serena declared.

"I'll join you guys too. As your Pokedex and friend, I have to make sure you two are alright," Rotom Dex told the group.

Ash and Serena stood up from the couch and Ash pumped his fist.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go," Ash declared.

"I'll devise us a trail to the power plant," Rotom Dex told the group.

Nurse Joy looked outside and heard what Ash and Serena were going to do. She knew that had to be brave of them to help out.

"Be careful you guys," Nurse Joy quietly said.

* * *

 _ **Outside Lavender Town**_

It was starting to get dark as they left Lavender Town, but Ash didn't care as he wanted to get to the Kanto Power Plant quickly as possible. Rotom Dex was able to map out a path towards the power plant. They would have to go through Rock Tunnel and the power plant would be on the other side.

"Did we really have to go when it was about to get dark?" Serena questioned.

"We have no time to lose Serena," Ash answered acting a bit stubborn.

"You know Ash, because Krabby is technically on your team right now and he's back at the Pokémon Center, you really have put yourself in a huge disadvantage because you only have five Pokémon with you," Serena pointed out.

Serena was right. Because Ash caught Krabby and left it back at the Pokémon Center when he was currently carrying him, he was now with just five Pokémon. Four due to Frogadier's strange behavior. Serena had all six of hers, five technically because of Braixen.

"I didn't realize that," Ash muttered as he kept going forward, "But it's okay, I got plenty of other Pokémon, not to forget I have Pikachu."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied happily.

The two were heading down the path and then they come across what appears to be an entrance to a cave. It almost reminded them of Mt. Moon only there weren't a whole bunch of Zubats coming out.

"This must be the entrance to Rock Tunnel," Serena said as she placed her hand over her heart.

"We'll have to go through this tunnel to reach the power plant," Rotom Dex told Ash and Serena.

Rotom Dex increased the brightness on its screen as it would act as a flashlight. Ash was ready to go in with Serena holding his hand. Ash smiled at Serena's gesture and the two walked in.

Somewhere out in the distance, a being with keen eyes watched the two enter the cave. Whoever this being was, it knew that those two kids were going to draw interest to him. They had something.

* * *

 _ **Rock Tunnel**_

Just as expected, the cave was completely dark. Rotom Dex's flashlight ability was really a true help for the group. As they were walking they were coming across a bunch of Zubats, along with some Geodude and Machop. There was even an Onix roaming around the cave.

"Ash, I'm scared," Serena said holding onto Ash tight.

"It'll be alright Serena," Ash reassured Serena.

"You know what's really scary. Possibly walking into here like it's a video game and about every step a Zubat comes in to battle," Rotom Dex told the group.

Ash and Serena sweat dropped at what Rotom Dex said. What the hell did he mean by that? Then there was some sort of slimy sound coming further down the cave. This sound caught their attention. What was it?

"I wonder what that sound is?" Serena questioned.

"It might not be anything important," Rotom Dex answered, "Let's keep going."

However, the sound of that slime was getting louder by the second.

"No Rotom Dex, I want to see what that is," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"But what about the power plant?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"We don't know if this could be a dangerous road-block or not, but it wouldn't hurt to look," Ash told Rotom Dex.

"Most certainly," Rotom Dex replied as it zoomed in on the area.

With the night vision mode activated, Rotom Dex was able to find out who was making that sound. Rotom Dex turned around and had a completely surprised look on its face.

"What was it?" Ash asked.

"It's a group of Grimer," Rotom Dex uttered.

Rotom Dex was absolutely surprised when it saw the Grimer. It appeared that there were eight Grimer gathered in a bunch, but why?

"Grimer?" Serena questioned in fear.

"Yeah, but according to my data Grimers do not inhabit in Rock Tunnel," Rotom Dex said in fear.

"Then why are they here?" Ash questioned.

"I don't know," Rotom Dex answered.

The Grimer noticed the two trainers, Rotom Dex, and Pikachu. All of those Grimer were glaring at them wondering what their business was. They weren't supposed to be in this area.

"Grimer!" one of the Grimer cried.

Ash and Serena turned around to see that the Grimer have caught their attention. The Grimer angrily locked eyes with the Pokémon trainer and Pokémon coordinator.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ash asked, "Rotom Dex told me that you don't live here."

"Grimer!" the Grimer cried.

All of the Grimer began to fire sludge attacks at the group. What was their deal? All Ash did was ask a question and now these Grimers are out for them. Well Ash had no choice but to fight.

"Pikachu use Shock Wave on all those Grimer!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu gathered electricity in his body and unleashed it all onto the Grimer. The eight Grimer were electrocuted by that powerful Pikachu, and once Pikachu finished with his attack, they all collapsed and fainted.

"I'm sorry," Ash uttered to the fallen Grimer.

"Ash look!" Serena exclaimed pointing at the fallen Grimer.

Serena may have found something in between the Grimer bunch. It almost looks like it could be some sort of hole. Did they bury something there or did they have some sort of hideout?

"Rotom Dex, check out that hole," Serena ordered the floating Pokedex.

"Most certainly," Rotom Dex responded giving a salute as it floated towards the hole.

Rotom Dex was floating over the hole and had its night vision acting once more. Rotom Dex was shocked to see that further down the hole, there was some water running through at the bottom.

"Ash, Serena, I think these Grimer may have found a hole that lead to some sort of hidden river," Rotom Dex told the group.

Ash and Serena were looking at each other and then the Grimer. So, it appears these Grimer were guarding a path to a hidden flow of water. The question was, why? Wait, running water helps the generators at the power plant. Could it be? Ash and Serena needed to make sure

"Can you tell us what the water looks like and how much there is," Serena called out.

"Analyzing water!" Rotom Dex replied as it looked at the water, "My analysis shows that the water is infested with some gunk and that's very low."

"I think I got it, the Grimer were blocking an entrance to a sewer system," Ash said in astonishment.

If the water was dirty and it's a low water-level, this could be a potential shortcut to the sewers. There was only way to find out.

"Rotom Dex, we're going down that hole," Ash called out.

Serena shuddered at the fact she may be entering a dark sewer. It would've been safer to continue through Rock Tunnel, but Ash may be too stubborn to push aside what could be an opportunity.

With that, Ash ran past the Grimer, apologizing to them again, and brought out his Bulbasaur to lower him down. Serena and Pikachu were right on his heels and as soon as Ash was down, he told Bulbasaur to help Serena down along with Pikachu. Rotom Dex floated down with them.

* * *

 _ **Hidden Sewers**_

As soon as Serena hits the ground, Ash calls back his Bulbasaur and tells him he did a great job. Serena and Ash looked around and saw the metal gray walls. This was definitely the sewers. Rotom Dex used its map feature to map out the sewers, and its face lit up when it got the results from the layout.

"You know, if we follow these sewers, this could lead us to the Kanto Power Plant and we can enter from the inside," Rotom Dex said in disbelief.

"That's great!" Ash said in excitement.

"Really, you think it's great that we trek through these disgusting sewers?" Serena questioned.

Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he didn't realize that he was happy about being inside disgusting sewers.

"No, I was more-happy that we can get to the power plant through here," Ash sheepishly said.

The group began to walk through the sewers. Surely the water was completely filthy, but there had to have been a filter somewhere. Right now, the purpose was for Ash and Serena to get into the power plant.

As they followed the sewer path, they started to hear some familiar sounds. Ash and Serena froze in place as those sounds sounded completely familiar. A whole bunch of Grimer were coming their way, and there was a lot more Grimer than before.

"Look at all those Grimer!" Ash cried.

"Muk!" a voice cried out.

Ash and Serena looked in the distance and saw what appeared to be a Grimer, but only much bigger. Despite him also being purple sludge, this so called bigger Grimer had a stern look on his face.

"That's got to be one big Grimer!" Rotom Dex exclaimed.

"That's no Grimer, that's a Muk," Ash uttered.

Rotom Dex heard what Ash said. As its data was proving, it was a Muk. Rotom Dex did an analysis on Muk.

 _#089-Muk: Sludge Pokémon_

 _Smells so awful, it can cause fainting. Through degeneration of its nose, it lost its sense of smell._

Ash knew that Grimer was the evolved form of Muk. This was a huge gang of Grimer and this Muk happened to be the leader of that pack.

"I got a feeling that Muk might be the one running this gang of Grimer," said Ash.

"Muk!" Muk shouted ordering the Grimer to attack.

"Serena, we're going to have to fight our way through!" Ash yelled as the Grimer were coming in.

"I gotcha Ash!" Serena exclaimed as she got out a Pokeball.

"Go Haunter!" Ash yelled out sending out Haunter.

"Go Kadabra!" Serena yelled out sending out Kadabra.

Haunter came out of her Pokeball and so did Kadabra. While this was a dangerous situation, Ash figured this would be a great opportunity to try out his new Haunter as he already looked at some of the moves she can learn on Rotom Dex.

"Haunter use Shadow Punch!" Ash yelled out.

"Kadabra use Confusion!" Serena yelled out.

Haunter started to power up her hands and unleash Shadow Punch taking out one Grimer. Kadabra on the other hand used his Confusion to engulf a whole bunch of Grimer into a blue aura and slam them all to the wall, and the fact that they were poison type Pokémon, this did a lot more damage.

However, Kadabra was vulnerable to the other Grimer gathering around him. The Grimer were starting to use Pound on Kadabra which was now causing him to lose focus.

"Kadabra!" Serena cried out.

"Hurry Haunter use Night Shade!" Ash retorted.

"Ash wait!" Serena called out.

It was too late as Haunter unleashed her Night Shade on some of the Grimer, but she ended up hitting Kadabra too. Kadabra was screaming in pain from the friendly fire.

"Ash, you hit Kadabra!" Serena called out.

"I was trying to hit the Grimer," Ash told Serena.

Serena wanted to argue with Ash, but this wasn't the time. Not to mention she did something worse that he doesn't know about. Kadabra was completely damaged by that attack but was still standing up.

"Come on Kadabra, don't give in!" Serena called out as she then turned to Ash, "Come on Ash, have Haunter do something. Just don't hit Kadabra again."

"Alright Haunter, try using Sucker Punch on the Grimer, but don't hit Kadabra!" Ash called out to Haunter.

Haunter heard Ash very well and began to create a dark fist and hit Grimers one by one with Sucker Punch. There were just too many of them and Kadabra couldn't hold in much longer.

"Hurry Kadabra use Teleport to come back to us!" Serena called out.

Kadabra tried to use Teleport, but was afraid that if he did, he would bring some of the Grimer with him. Not to mention Kadabra couldn't keep his focus. There was only one thing left to do.

"Rotom Dex, we're going to need a Roto Lotto," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Most certainly," Rotom Dex responded.

Kadabra was getting weakened by all the pounds from the Grimer. Then he realized something. He was too busy trying to break free from the Grimer that he forgot about something he could do to keep up.

"Roto Lotto…what," Rotom Dex said as it interrupted the Roto Lotto process.

Kadabra was starting to engulf himself in a white aura healing himself which caused the Grimer to stop in surprise. Of course, Serena didn't notice this before. Kadabra was using Recover to heal himself. Kadabra was regaining his strength.

"Kadabra is using Recover," Serena said in amazement.

The Grimer were a bit surprised by Kadabra's efforts, and then came another surprise. Kadabra unleashed a powerful psychic wave across the area sending all of the Grimer flying back which surprised Muk.

"Kadabra, was that Psyshock?" Serena questioned in amazement.

Serena remembers that attack as Braixen knows it. Wait, now wasn't the time to think about that. The Grimer were completely caught off guard and now was their chance to attack.

"Ash, now's our chance!" Serena called out to Ash, "Kadabra use Psyshock once more!"

"Right!" Ash replied, "Haunter use Night Shade!"

Both Pokémon fired off their attacks. Kadabra's Psyshock was doing serious damage to the Grimer while Haunter's Night Shade wasn't doing as much damage, but enough to take out the Grimer.

Ash stood there looking at Serena's Kadabra. It was truly a powerful Pokémon, and the one Sabrina has was powerful too. He could learn from her Kadabra on how to beat Sabrina when he returns to Saffron City.

The remaining Grimer looked at them in horror as most of their comrades have fallen. Muk ordered the Grimer to flee which they did. All of the Grimer were out of sight, but not before the leader Muk looked at Ash and pointed at him before he took off.

" _What was that about?"_ Ash thought to himself.

Why did the Muk point towards Ash? Was he going to come back for revenge with stronger reinforcements? Was it a fact he didn't like him? It was confusing. Either way, the path was cleared for Ash and Serena to keep going.

"Glad that's over," Serena muttered.

"Yeah," Ash said smiling at Kadabra who gave an appraisal look, "You know what's great about Pokémon, is that we can keep learning new things about them."

"I know, I didn't realize Kadabra knew Recover and Psyshock," Serena said, "It's amazing to see how much he's grown since I caught him as an Abra."

Serena reached out for Kadabra's Pokeball and called him back. Serena then looked down at her Kadabra's Pokeball.

"Thank you Kadabra," Serena said to Kadabra.

"Return Haunter," Ash called out returning Haunter, "You did great Haunter, take a nice long rest."

After returning their Pokémon, Ash and Serena looked down the sewer path. There was nothing there right now. It looks like Ash and Serena were in the clear right now.

"We have to keep going," Ash reassured Serena.

Serena nodded her head as they kept running through the sewers. About two minutes later, they came across a manhole that would lead them up, and thankfully they didn't run into anyone else. Rotom Dex used its map feature and pinpoints that they're underneath their destination.

"We are directly underneath the Kanto Power Plant!" Rotom Dex announced, "This manhole will lead us inside."

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu look up. That manhole leads them inside the Kanto Power Plant. Hopefully the group can uncover the mystery of the polluted water and the sudden power outage in Lavender Town. Ash really wants to bring closure to Krabby and all of those other Pokémon who were affected.

"I'll go first," said Ash as he ascended up the ladder.

Pikachu got on Serena's shoulder and proceeded up the ladder with Rotom Dex following them. As they were heading up the ladder, the leader Muk was watching them. He and his gang were assigned by Team Rocket to take out any intruders that were coming in through any entrance. Muk couldn't help but take an interest in those kids.

* * *

 _ **Kanto Power Plant**_

As soon as everyone got in, Serena closed up the manhole and they all stood up. The group looked around and could tell that they were in the Kanto Power Plant. Ash looked around and could see that this place looks familiar. Where has he seen a place like this before?

Serena on the other hand was shocked to notice that the lights were still on. So, they didn't need Rotom Dex's flashlight feature anymore.

"Ash, something is strange about this place," Serena said in shock.

Serena was looking at Ash, but it looked like he wasn't paying attention. Something about this place was bothering Ash. He was almost like his Frogadier.

" _This place looks familiar,"_ Ash thought to himself.

Everything about this place really surprised Ash. The walls were the same color, there were electric currents running along the wall. This was the place Ash saw in his dream.

" _This must be the place I was in my dream. Me and Serena were here fighting Team Rocket…I think I know what's going on,"_ Ash thought to himself.

"Ash!" Serena called out.

"Oh, sorry," Ash replied as he looked back at his girlfriend, "What were you saying?"

"What I was trying to say to you Ash is something about this place seems strange. The lights are still on," Serena told Ash.

Pikachu and Rotom Dex looked around and saw an empty waterway. There was no water coming through here, that had to be a surprise.

"And come to the think of it, the waterway is empty," Rotom Dex told Ash.

Ash was now in a whirl of thoughts as he got on his knees. Not only did this place look familiar, but there were things going on that weren't right. Like for instance, why were there a gang of Grimer here?

Meanwhile, one of the rockets spotted Ash and Serena. The rocket looked them up on the data and learned it was them. The two trainers on Team Rocket's blacklist. The rocket ran out to alert the others.

"Ash, I think we now know that those Grimer may be responsible for polluting the water," Serena told Ash, "But how does this explain the power outage?"

Ash was in a loss of words right now. The building looked completely familiar to the one in his dream. The other detail in his dream was that Ash and Serena were going up against a bunch of rockets…of wait. There was a water pollution crisis, a power outage in a very important power plant. Maybe that dream was telling Ash something, but it may have helped him discovered who was behind this.

"Team Rocket," Ash muttered.

Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were all looking at Ash in confusion. Did he just say Team Rocket? Serena knelt down towards Ash.

"What?" Serena asked.

"Team Rocket is behind this," Ash uttered again.

They were looking at Ash in confusion, but they didn't know his point of view. The dream he had was them fighting Team Rocket grunts in some sort of factory, and one of the most terrifying moments of his dream was Frogadier not fighting alongside Ash because of his sudden mortified behavior, and just when they were about to die, a sudden light came out of nowhere.

Frogadier's back issues, his sudden extreme tenses, the humiliating loss which happened to be to Sabrina, now this building. Was that dream telling Ash something?

"How do you know Team Rocket is behind this?" Serena asked.

"I don't know how he knows, but he guessed correct," a voice said from behind.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all looked behind and their faces were lit up with horror. There were eight men in black uniforms with red Rs on their uniforms. All of them held out a rifle and pointed it at the group.

"Team Rocket," both Ash and Serena uttered in union.

Ash completely forgot about the dream right now and realized that he was surrounded by rockets holding guns. It looks like they were ready to shoot them.

"That's right," one of the rockets confirmed.

"So, you're the ones behind the power outage and the polluted water," Serena said in fear.

"That's right, and no one is going to know," the rocket said with venom in his voice.

The Pallet Town couple's eyes widened in horror as the rockets pointed their guns at the kids, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex. It looks like their Pokémon journey, their dreams, all of it comes to an end here by the forces of evil.

"I guess this is the end! I love you all," Rotom Dex said as it showed a crying face.

The two hugged each other for support as they refused to let each other go. Pikachu also joined them in the hug as he got in the middle with Rotom Dex using its stubby arms to try and hug Ash and Serena too. However, its arms were too short and stubby, so it ended up joining Pikachu in the middle of the hug.

"Ash Ketchum, I love you," Serena said as she was crying.

"Serena Gabena, I love you too," Ash said as he was crying as well.

"Pikachu," Pikachu sadly said as he was in the middle of the hug.

The two were hugging each other as hard as possible knowing what was coming their way. Then without further delay….

BANG!

* * *

 **Talk about an extremely intense cliffhanger…**

 **You'll know their fates immediately at the start of the next chapter.**

 **So later than the anime, Ash catches Krabby but will keep it at the Pokémon Center for medical attention until he's cleared to go. Looks like the canon Muk has arrived too.**

 **So, what's going to happen next? Stayed tuned and find out.**

 **Chapter 42: Kanto Power Play Part 2**


	45. Kanto Power Play Part 2

**Surprised that my last chapter was shorter than I expected. Anyway, here is the second part of the Kanto Power Plant along with the fates of Ash and Serena. Also, a certain someone is going to pay a visit to the power plant.**

 **I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 _ **Kanto Power Plant-Hallway**_

BANG!

Ash and Serena both grimaced when they were about to be shot. Then all of sudden to their surprise, the rockets actually had their guns pointed upwards as the shots were fired in the air.

They all looked in confusion wondering what the deal with that was. Shouldn't they have shot them? The rockets then pointed their guns back at Ash and Serena in which they regained their nervous states.

"Those were the warning shots, if you don't cooperate then the next shots will proceed into your fleshes," the rocket declared.

"Now if you don't want to be shot, you will hand over the following things," another rocket told Ash and Serena, "Your Pokémon, those backpacks you have along with anything in your pockets, and that floating red television set."

"I'm not a television set, I'm," Rotom Dex argued as the rocket fired another shot in the air which cut it off.

"Shut it and do what we say!" the rocket yelled.

All of the rockets were now glaring at the group as there was no way out. Pikachu knew the situation was hopeless too and sadly looked at Ash and Serena. If there was any chance of getting out of here alive, they were going to have to give in.

Without any further opposition, Ash and Serena unclipped their Pokeballs and surrendered them to the rockets, and then they removed their backpacks and handed them over as well. Ash and Serena also surrendered their Pokegears along with their trainer cards and Serena's ribbon case with the ribbons inside and her contest pass. Pikachu then hung his head and walked over to the rockets where one of them got a hold of them while another grabbed Rotom Dex.

Thankfully Ash didn't have to give up his badges since they were pinned in his jacket. Serena wish she could say the same for her contest ribbons, but the rockets wanted to make sure they were completely defenseless. Ash and Serena were now standing up with their hands up in the air.

"Okay, you have everything. Now can you please put those guns away," Serena muttered.

"Not just yet, we're waiting for the admins to arrive," one of the rockets told them.

"Admins?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, they were put in charge here in the power plant," one of the rockets confirmed.

Then right on que, two people walked into the room. It was Cassidy and Butch confronting the eight rockets along with the captured Ash and Serena.

"I heard gunshots, what's going on?" Cassidy questioned.

"Cassidy, we captured these intruders," one of the rockets reported presenting Ash and Serena, "We've already seized their Pokémon along with anything else they possess."

Cassidy smirked when she saw Ash and Serena with their hands up. The two pests that have been getting in Team Rocket's way have been snooping around the power plant, and they got them in their mercy.

"Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, I wasn't expecting to see you two again," Cassidy said in a sadistic tone, "Now sit back and enjoy as we prepare for trouble."

"And make it double!" Butch told the two trainers.

Ash and Serena couldn't believe they were going to be hearing this again. As they thought before, Jessie and James did it better.

"To infect the world with devastation!" Cassidy recited.

"To blight our people in every nation!" Butch recited.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!" Cassidy recited.

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!" Butch recited.

"Cassidy!" Cassidy recited as she introduced herself.

"Butch!" Butch recited as he introduced himself.

"We're Team Rocket circling the Earth day and night!" Cassidy recited.

"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!" Butch recited.

Ash and Serena growled at the two rockets along with Pikachu. However, they were completely helpless with all of those guns.

"Hello again you two," Butch greeted in a menacing tone.

"Hello Cassidy, hello Bobby," Serena spat.

"It's Butch!" Bobby yelled as Butch turned to the screen, "And the same goes for you too, it's Butch!"

The rockets who had their belongings moved away from the two while the other rockets who didn't have anything of theirs continued to point their guns at Ash and Serena. Cassidy and Butch approached the two with complete authority.

"Alright, enough talk. We'll take you both to your prisons," Cassidy told the group.

"This power plant has a dungeon?" Rotom Dex questioned.

"No, it doesn't! I mean to say we'll be taking them to a room where we're locking the workers," Butch answered.

So, it looks like Ash and Serena were going to be locked up with the rest of the workers. Without further delay, Cassidy and Butch got in front of the group and lead the way with Ash and Serena following them with their hands up.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Ash and Serena continued to walk down the hallway. That dream Ash had got him to guess correct that this was Team Rocket's work, but the only things that were missing were the battles with the rockets, Frogadier not fighting, and that blinding light that woke him up. Nothing in the dream told him he and Serena were going to be captured.

As they continued walking, there was still one thing Ash did not understand that the dream give an answer to. What was Team Rocket doing here in the first place?

"So, what's Team Rocket up to this time?" Ash questioned with complete disgust.

"Heh, you'll see in a minute," Cassidy answered with a smirk as they walked through another door.

As they entered through the door, Ash and Serena looked over to the side and saw a couple of giant turbines. Along the side they saw Magnemite, Magneton, and one Magnezone. Ash and Serena remember seeing a Magnemite and a Magneton as Serena was facing them in one of her contests. However, they didn't recognize the Magnezone.

"Can I do an analysis on that Pokémon," Rotom Dex asked pointing to the Magnezone, "Ash and Serena have never seen it before."

"Sure, go ahead. Make it quick though," Butch answered in a disgusted mutter.

"Thank you," Rotom Dex kindly said as it did an analysis on Magnezone.

 _#462-Magnezone: Magnet Area Pokémon_

 _There are still people who believe that this Pokémon came from outer space. It emanates a powerful magnetic field._

Rotom Dex's data confirms that Magnezone is the evolved form of Magneton. As they were looking at the generators, they were seeing Magnemite and Magneton redirecting electricity with Magnezone watching over them considering it was the strongest Pokémon in the room.

"So, what are you trying to do here?" Ash questioned as he was being led down by the rockets.

Cassidy turned over to Ash and gave him and Serena a glaring look.

"You really want to know, do you?" Cassidy questioned as she started to talk, "We're using this power plant to redirect electricity towards our base and…I don't want to reveal the other place."

"Why not?" Serena asked.

"If you by any chance get out of here, and we will make sure that doesn't happen, we don't want anyone blabbing," Butch answered.

That really got Ash and Serena confused. Why would they not reveal the other place they're directing electricity too?

"Those Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone are in charge of making sure that the flow of electricity is being changed which of course will cause power outages in other places, but slowly," Butch explained.

"Since this power plant runs also has a case of running on hydroelectric energy, Petrel gave us a gang of Grimer to patrol the sewers along with a Muk to act as the leader. In order to give them a satisfying environment, we shut off the filters so they can thrive in there and be on guard if anyone tries coming in," Cassidy explained.

So, there it was. They were the ones behind the power outage in Lavender Town and the water pollution. They just want the electricity for themselves, and soon the power grids in Kanto would suffer just like Lavender Town. Ash and Serena hated the fact of what they did to the water and how those Pokémon got affected, especially Krabby.

"Do you realize you're polluting the water and causing power outages," Ash angrily ranted, "There's a lot of sick Pokémon that come from that polluted water."

"Yeah, not to mention those sick Pokémon in the Lavender Town Pokémon could actually die because of you!" Serena yelled.

"Ha, nice!" Butch laughed.

The other rockets were pleased on hearing about that. Did Team Rocket really enjoy doing this to Pokémon? What kind of twisted organization is this? Cassidy looked and saw Ash and Serena were about ready to tackle her to the ground, but the rockets brought their guns closer to them to make them aware of what would happen.

"Listen kids, this is a business, and if those Pokémon can't be aware of the pollution, it's on them not us," Cassidy told Ash and Serena.

"You're disgusting!" Ash yelled.

"So are you for getting in our way," Cassidy spat.

Ash and Serena were still being led down the corridor as they left the main generator room. The two trainers looked with anger and worry. Team Rocket must be forcing these Pokémon to control the electric flow which could greatly affect Kanto. Not only were the Pokémon in the Lavender Town Pokémon Center in danger, but potentially all the other Pokémon and possibly people in all of Kanto.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Ash and Serena were now lead to a room with a metal door. Cassidy walked in guiding the group and inside they saw something that shocked them all. It was all the workers in the power plant tied up and slumped to the wall. It almost looked like these guys haven't eaten or drank anything in days.

"So, this is where all the workers ended up," Ash muttered.

"That's right, once we broke in, they had to do what we say," Butch darkly told them, "Now get to the wall."

With the rockets still pointing the guns at them. Ash and Serena slowly backed up towards the wall and sat down. The rockets began tying them up and made sure the know was triple knotted. The rockets informed Cassidy and Butch that they were now subdued.

"Pikachu," Pikachu sadly muttered.

"Shut up!" one the rockets yelled punching Pikachu in the face.

Ash and Serena both grimaced at that scene. They couldn't bear to see Pikachu get punched like that.

"Don't worry Pikachu, we'll think of something!" Serena called out.

"No, you won't!" Butch retorted as he pointed at them, "Now sit here and die with the rest of them."

With that Cassidy and Butch walked out of the room with the rockets following them. They had Pikachu and Rotom Dex with them along with the rest of their Pokémon and there was nothing Ash and Serena could do.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Rotom Dex!" Serena cried.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried.

"Ash, Serena!" Rotom Dex cried.

Then the rockets left the room closing the door right behind them. Just like that, they were now out of sight. Ash and Serena were now sitting in the room with the rest of the workers and nothing but tears coming from their eyes. They were left here to die, and their Pokémon were taken away. Frogadier and Braixen were a mess already, and now they could become an even bigger one with whatever Team Rocket has in store for them.

"I'm sorry I let you down you guys," Ash stuttered to himself, "We'll get you guys out and stop Team Rocket."

"Don't bother," one of the workers muttered.

Ash and Serena held in their tears and turned their heads to see one of the workers who wasn't at full health. Boy was he in horrible condition as if he hasn't eaten or drank anything in days.

"Are you saying it's hopeless?" Ash questioned.

"It is, every hour Team Rocket sends someone in to do check ins to make sure no one is trying anything. Two of our loyal workers have tried to move around to see if they can get help, and before you know it, Team Rocket was on to them and they killed them right on the spot," one of the workers explained gravely.

Ash couldn't believe it. These workers were just going to give up. Do they realize that people in Kanto along with the lives of Pokémon are in danger? If they don't act soon, Kanto could be in a total blackout and there could be no functioning Pokémon Center anywhere.

"Just because those guys failed doesn't mean we're going to fail too. We have to find a way to get out of here and regain control of the power plant." Ash declared.

Serena knew what Ash wanted to do. She wanted to think of a way to help to help stop Team Rocket too. As Serena knew to herself she wanted to make up for giving up the ghost Pokémon.

"Ash is right, he always taught us to never give up until the end and I've been following that motto since I met him. Just because we're tied up and the rockets are monitoring us doesn't mean the situation is hopeless. We have to figure out what we can do and stop Team Rocket together," Serena declared.

Ash was impressed with Serena. He knew that her Pokémon were in danger too along with his. Come to think of it, their Pokémon were probably in Team Rocket's possession too. However, the workers had their spirits broken already.

"Forget it kid, you're going to die in here no matter what. If you try anything, then your death will come quicker," the worker told Ash, "So what we're saying is, this is the end."

Ash was feeling somewhat bitter with their attitude. So, no one wanted to step up and stop Team Rocket. They just wanted to sit there and do whatever they want. Ash does realize that in addition to those Pokémon and Krabby, there was also them as well. What are their families thinking of them right now?

"Do what you want, but I will not give up," Ash told everyone, "There are a lot of sick Pokémon in the Pokémon Center who need the power back on. Not to mention the water is contaminated which is destroying Pokémon's homes and getting them sick. I will stop Team Rocket one way or another."

Ash was not going to back down in stopping Team Rocket, but he and Serena were going to need to think carefully. The only question remaining was how were they going to escape? What Ash and Serena didn't know was that underneath a great that was next to them, Muk was eavesdropping and heard what Ash said.

" _Despite this boy being captured, he's got a great spirit,"_ Muk thought to himself.

After seeing the strength and spirit of that boy, Muk wishes he could help Ash too. The only question, how?

* * *

 _ **Power Plant-Another Room**_

The rockets were carrying Pikachu and Rotom Dex to another room with their trainer's Pokémon. Rotom Dex was immediately shut off after leaving Ash and Serena behind. Pikachu didn't try shocking the rockets because he knew what would happen to him along with everyone else.

The rockets got up some rope and started tying up Pikachu while placing Ash's and Serena's Pokémon on a nearby counter. All of the rockets snarled at them and then proceeded to punch Pikachu in the head. The electric mouse didn't bother attacking as he was knocked out.

The rockets left the room and returned to business with Pikachu out cold.

* * *

 _ **20 minutes later**_

Pikachu awoke in a daze. He took around to see that there was no one in the room. Pikachu was all alone. Pikachu wanted to turn to Rotom Dex, but he could see that the floating Pokedex was shut off. The Rotom inside couldn't move unless it was manually removed.

"So, Team Rocket got us," Pikachu muttered to the shut off Rotom Dex.

It was sad for Pikachu not to get a response from Rotom Dex. He was all alone tied up. Pikachu hopes that Ash and Serena can come up with something. Pikachu wasn't aware that someone was inside the grate on the floor, but that someone was looking at Pikachu.

"Hey," the someone called out.

Pikachu was alarmed to hear that voice. Where was it coming from? It wasn't Rotom Dex since it was shut off. The voice was calling out to Pikachu again which caused the yellow rodent to look around.

"Who's there?" Pikachu frantically asked.

"Down here," the voice answered which caused Pikachu to look down.

Pikachu saw the floor and saw nothing, but there was a grate in front of Pikachu. He looked down at the grate and saw a Muk. Pikachu gave the Muk a questioning look. What was he doing here?

"Are you that Muk we encountered from the sewers?" Pikachu asked.

"If you mean the leader of those Grimers that attacked your friends, then yes I am," Muk confirmed.

This got Pikachu's attention. This was the same Muk who lead all of those Grimer to attack Ash and Serena. Why does Muk want to talk with Pikachu? Does he want to mock him or something?

"What are you here for, to make fun of me for my downfall?" Pikachu questioned.

"No, I just wanted to say that you and you're friends are pretty strong," Muk answered.

"Really?" Pikachu questioned which caused the yellow mouse to create a curious look.

"Yeah, the fact that you overpowered my gang to get by proves that you kids are pretty strong, especially that boy," Muk confirmed.

This was a surprise for Pikachu. Muk wasn't mocking him or getting angry at him for beating his gang, he was giving his respect towards Pikachu for how their Pokémon handled his gang.

"So, tell me…Pikachu I believe you are, is that correct?" Muk asked.

"Correct," Pikachu responded nodding his head.

"How do you guys become as strong as you are?" Muk asked in curiosity, "Because whatever you did, it worked."

Pikachu went from having a curious look to showing a smile towards Muk. If Muk heard what Pikachu said, he would either deny it or believe it and maybe turn on Team Rocket.

"All it takes is a lot of trust and love between me and the Pokémon along with Ash and Serena," Pikachu answered.

"Ash and Serena?" Muk questioned as he didn't know the trainer's names.

"That's their names. The boy's name is Ash and the girl's name is Serena," Pikachu lectured kindly, "They always treat me and the rest of the Pokémon not just like our players on their roster, they treat us as our friends and companions not to forget teammates."

Thoughts were running through the gang leader's head. These Pokémon were strong because they were treated like their friends? Muk looked back and could recall his gang of Grimer. Sure, he might have been the leader of that gang, but it seems they only listen to him because he's the strongest in their line. He never had any friendly encounters with those Grimer, Team Rocket just caught them and since he was the top Muk, Petrel made him the leader of all those Grimers.

The truth was Muk never really had any friends. The only reason he was in charge of those Grimer was because he was strong, but he didn't carry the true leadership qualities, except for when to retreat maybe.

"The one person I gained the most respect for was that Ash boy. He found the determination and abilities to get past my fellow Grimers, and I even saw him when he was captured. While the situation looks hopeless for him, he was bound not to quit," Muk explained.

"That's Ash for you. He taught us never give up until the end, and no one took those words to heart more than his girlfriend," Pikachu happily said.

"Is that girlfriend you're talking about the girl that's with him?" Muk asked.

"Definitely," Pikachu confirmed, "And I can't let Ash fail now."

Muk could tell Pikachu was desperate. Pikachu has a feeling Muk and the other Grimer don't know about what's happening outside.

"Right now, in Lavender Town there's a power outage and a whole bunch of sick Pokémon are in their Pokémon Center. Those sick Pokémon came from polluted water nearby Lavender Town which I assume has come from near this power plant," Pikachu explained with a heavy sigh.

Muk's heart was being touched with those words. Pokémon's lives were on the line thanks to the polluted water that he and his gang caused, and now the power went out. Muk was only performing his duties because they were Team Rocket's orders. Muk took the time to think about everything that's going on, and starts to realize does Team Rocket even realize what they're doing, or do they care?

"Ash and Serena are trying to stop Team Rocket, but they've been captured by these thugs and had their Pokémon taken away. If nobody can do anything then who knows what will happen to them and their Pokémon, including myself. I don't know what to do," Pikachu said.

Muk knew how desperate Pikachu wanted to stop Team Rocket. He knew that he along with his human friends were now completely helpless. Muk caused this problem with the Pokémon, he wants to fix it now.

"I'll help you," Muk replied.

"What?" Pikachu questioned.

"I'll help you. I already got those Pokémon sick from that water because of Team Rocket's orders, so I think it's time for me to make up for it," Muk said with determination.

This surprised Pikachu. Just a little while ago this Muk along with the gang of Grimer tried attacking Pikachu's party, now he's willing to help Pikachu out. Boy were Ash and Serena going to be surprised to know that Muk was going to help them.

"You're really going to help us?" Pikachu asked in shock.

"Yes, and I can get the other Grimer to help too," Muk confirmed as he then looked back, "I don't know if I can consider those Grimer my friends, but I'll get to that once we're done."

"Thank you Muk," Pikachu happily said.

"Hold on, there's something I want in return," Muk responded.

Well, Pikachu's look went from completely joyful to curious again. It looks like this Muk was up to something.

"What do you want?" Pikachu questioned.

"That Ash boy, I haven't had a chance to fight him since I was too busy watching my comrades fighting him," Muk replied, "I want to challenge him to a battle once this is over. I want to see what he's capable of."

Now Pikachu was feeling positive again. Once this was over with, Muk was going to challenge Ash to a battle.

"Deal!" Pikachu exclaimed.

Now the two were ready to fight back. Muk smirked and then looked down in front of Pikachu as he did have an idea, but it might cause some damage.

"Alright, I have an idea. It's going to take some time unfortunately, which is not good for the Pokémon, but it just might work to at least give you all a chance to fight back against those guys," Muk told Pikachu.

"What is it?" Pikachu asked.

Muk looked down and gave out a huge sigh.

"Are you willing to go with this? If not, I can try and think of something else," Muk told Pikachu.

"As long as you don't kill me, I'm good with whatever you're doing," Pikachu told Muk.

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to kill you, I was more likely going to have you come down with a cold," Muk confirmed.

"A cold?" Pikachu questioned, "Why the heck do you want to give me a cold? What does this have to do with fighting back?"

Muk took a deep breath and began to talk with Pikachu about why he would want him to have a cold? What does having a cold have to do with an escape. Team Rocket doesn't care about a Pokémon's well-being at all, because they're no good terrorists who want what they want. There has to be something behind this.

"Pikachu, while I was patrolling the sewers down here, I have learned about the Magnemite evolutionary chain," said Muk, "There's something about Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone you may want to know about and why having a cold would benefit you."

Pikachu had no idea what Muk was thinking, but he has been around these Pokémon long enough to learn about them. Despite being a gang leader, Muk has shown to have some street smarts.

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

It was the next day at noon. Pikachu and the others came into the Power Plant sometime in the evening. During the night Muk brought the Grimer to unleash a stench that would keep Pikachu up, and with the air conditioning running in the room, Pikachu would begin to get cold.

Pikachu could feel some uneasiness in his immunes. He couldn't believe that he went with this, but Muk told him something.

* * *

 _ **Power Plant-Main Generator Room**_

All of the Magnemite and Magneton continued to control the flow of electricity. They've already caused a complete blackout in Lavender Town and there was starting to be some flickering in the eastern suburbs of Saffron City. The Pokémon however that none of those effects were taking part on the Silph Company as that's where they're transferring most of their electricity.

" _What is that?"_ Magnezone questioned itself.

While they were working, Magnezone was starting to feel something as if there was something in this power plant that caught his attention. The leader Magnezone would want to check it out, but if the rockets find it, then they'll kill everyone in the power plant. There was one alternative though.

Magnezone went up closely to the Pokémon and the lead Magnezone approached one of the Magnemite, but not getting too close to have anyone think something was up, but close enough to get its attention. The Magnemite noticed the Magnezone's expression. What did Magnezone want? Did it realize what would happen if they went against these crooks?

"Listen closely, I've been feeling something strange in here. Can you feel it?" Magnezone asked.

Magnemite took its focus off the generator and started to put its senses around the power plant. Magnemite would then feel a strange sense of extra electricity. Where was it coming from?

"I can feel it boss," Magnemite confirmed.

"Good, now listen. I want you to wander away and sneak around the power plant to investigate. Be careful when you try getting there and don't let those terrorists spot you," Magnezone ordered the Magnemite.

"Why can't you go after it?" Magnemite asked.

"Because I'm the only Magnezone here and if those terrorists find out I'm not in here, everyone will die," Magnezone answered, "That's why I'm sending you, they won't notice a missing Magnemite."

"Understand boss," Magnemite replied as it gave a salute (Even though it didn't have arms for a salute)

With that, Magnemite floated out of the room in search for that strange electric source. This wasn't professional for Magnemite, but maybe the temptation was getting to Magnezone.

* * *

 _ **Power Plant-Hallway**_

Magnemite floated around the hallway finding that source of electricity. The Magnet Pokémon made sure to hide when a rocket was coming by. Magnemite could pick it up just like Magnezone did. Magnemite really wanted to get to that as soon as possible.

Then Magnemite could pick up the electricity. Magnezone didn't completely confirm it, but that electric source were indeed electromagnetic waves. Magnemite concentrated so it could try and figure out where it was coming from. Then after a minute, Magnemite could feel something from a room down the hallway.

"This must be the strange feeling the boss was talking about," Magnemite said in a whisper so no one could hear, "Of course, it's electromagnetic waves."

Magnemite looked around to make sure no rockets were coming in to patrol the area. The coast was clear and Magnemite made a beeline to the room. Just as Magnemite expected, there was a door in the way. Probably locked. Magnemite looked around and saw an opening to a vent. Magnemite floated up and entered the vent.

Thanks to those electromagnetic waves, Magnemite didn't need to get lost in here as the source of electricity would pull it in. Then the Magnet Pokémon looked outside the vent and saw what it was. It was Pikachu with a cold. That's where the extra electricity was coming from.

"A Pikachu?" Magnemite questioned as it took a closer look, "Ah, it has a cold. That's why Magnezone and I have been so interested."

Pikachu has been laying there with a cold for the last few hours with Muk watching him. Muk knew that when Pikachu gets a cold, it would produce electromagnetic waves which attract the Magnemite line.

Magnemite used Tackle to break down the vent and float over towards Pikachu. Magnemite floated over towards Pikachu with interest and saw that Pikachu had red running across the top of his head indicating a fever. Muk's gang helped get him this fever in order to attract a Magnemite.

"Excuse me," Magnemite responded.

Pikachu looked up and saw Magnemite floating in front of him. Pikachu was alarmed to notice a Magnemite in front of him. This was what they needed.

"Yes," Pikachu replied.

"I'm sorry to intrude on you like this, but it seems you have been producing some electromagnetic waves which drew me here," Magnemite stated, "I would've have the boss check this out, but the boss ordered me to come here so those terrorists don't recall one of us missing."

"This is what we were hoping for," Pikachu told Magnemite.

"Wait, what?" Magnemite questioned.

"Yeah, it was Muk and his gang who got me sick," Pikachu confirmed looking down at the grate, "I learned that if I have a cold, extra electricity would come out which would attract you."

Magnemite was surprised to hear what Pikachu was saying. Magnemite looked down and saw the gang leader Muk who nodded his head. Magnemite couldn't believe it, that Muk helped get him a cold, but how? First they have his gang run through the sewers to mess up the water preventing the hydroelectric energy from coming in, now he was helping him.

"I agreed to take this course of action so we can attract one of your kind, and that I can help my friends. We've been captured by Team Rocket and my friends are now being prisoner in another room," Pikachu explained, "If we can free them and give them their Pokémon back, we can fight back against these rockets and help get the power plant out of their control."

So, this was the plan. Magnemite was amazed that Pikachu was given a cold as a form of SOS to the Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone.

"If we don't stop these guys, the polluted water will go further which will affect more Pokémon, and the Pokémon at the Pokémon Center could die, or worse, this could progress further into Kanto and put more people and Pokémon in danger," Muk explained.

It looks like Magnemite can understand that the Pikachu and Muk are at an understanding. Muk was now realizing the damage that has been caused under the oath of these evil beings. They wanted to stop them.

Pikachu looked over at the shut off Rotom Dex. Magnemite wouldn't be able to free Pikachu, but Rotom Dex could if someone could turn it on.

"Hey Magnemite, float over to that red device and turn it on," Pikachu instructed, "Once Rotom Dex is on, then it can come over and free me. The reason Rotom Dex can free me but you can't is because Rotom Dex has arms productive enough to free me, and those magnets won't get me untied. However, you can use those to turn on Rotom Dex."

Magnemite listened to Pikachu and floated on over to Rotom Dex. Magnemite used its magnet to flip Rotom Dex and find the power button. Magnemite carefully used the edge of its magnet to turn on Rotom Dex. Within seconds, the screen was lighting up and a face appeared on the screen. Rotom Dex was back on.

"Huh, where am I," Rotom Dex said as it was floating once more wondering where they were.

"Rotom Dex," Pikachu called out which got Rotom Dex's attention, "Come over and untie me. But be careful."

"Right away," Rotom Dex responded.

The floating Pokedex came towards Pikachu, and it could notice Pikachu's extra electricity coming out of his cheeks. This is what Pikachu meant by be careful.

"What happened to you Pikachu? It looks like you ate a car battery," Rotom Dex said as he was untying Pikachu.

"We've been stuck here all night and Muk and his gang helped get me this cold," Pikachu answered.

"So that sewer gang was at it again," Rotom Dex pouted.

"No, that wasn't it. Muk and Grimer used their odor along with the air conditioning to keep me awake and give me this cold so I could draw electromagnetic waves to draw in one of the Magnemites," Pikachu explained as he finally stood up.

"True, it got our bosses attention, but choose me to come here so they didn't expect anything," Magnemite confirmed.

Pikachu leaped off the table and Rotom Dex was able to pick up the Pokeballs. Due to the lack of strength from Pikachu (Even if he was fully healthy) and Rotom Dex who didn't have muscles, along with Magnemite who had no arms at all, they decided to leave the backpacks behind and would have Ash and Serena come for them later.

"We can get Ash's and Serena's things later, right now it's the Pokémon that they need," Pikachu told everyone, "Rotom Dex, let's go!"

"You sure you can lead the way in your condition?" Rotom Dex asked.

"I might have a cold, but I can move around, besides my will to protect Ash and Serena will always overpower any cold I have," Pikachu confirmed, "Also, Muk told me I just have to let this electricity come out of me and I should feel good as new. Speaking of which."

Pikachu ran over to the grate and looked down at Muk along with the rest of the Grimer and smiled weakly at them.

"Thanks again Muk for actually coming through for us, if there's anything you can do feel free to jump in. Once were done, you can have your battle with Ash," Pikachu happily said.

"No problem Pikachu, it's the least I can do to make up for what has happened," Muk responded kindly giving a thumbs up.

Pikachu gave a thumbs up right back and then made a beeline for the door with Rotom Dex and Magnemite following him.

"Magnemite you go back to your post and tell your boss that we thank him for the help," Pikachu told Magnemite, "Me and Rotom Dex know where our friends are being held."

"Will do," Magnemite responded giving somewhat of a salute.

With that, Pikachu and Rotom Dex made a run down the hall with Rotom Dex holding the Pokeballs. Magnemite floated right back to his post having to fight off the extra electricity coming from Pikachu's cold. Magnemite did his part, now it hopes Pikachu and Rotom Dex can do their part too.

* * *

 _ **Back with Ash and Serena**_

It was already past noon as Ash and Serena have been prisoner for almost 18 hours. This was going to be a burden to their schedule as Serena wonders if she'll make it in time for her next contest, depending on if they ever get out. Right now, it wasn't time to worry about gym battles and contests, it was about getting out of here and stopping Team Rocket.

Rockets have been making their rounds every hour to make sure no one made any moves. Ash and Serena sat still the whole time to make sure that the rockets weren't on to them. After all they would kill them in an instant. For almost the past day, Ash and Serena were trying to figure out a way out but found nothing. Team Rocket really plugged up all the loopholes.

These two were not going to give up though. Then the door opened with four rockets coming in with a barrel and a fire hose attacked from the fire emergency set.

"Mealtime!" one of the rockets yelled.

The two rockets holding the barrel tossed the contents out revealing nothing but bread and then the other rocket sprayed water at them hoping they would drink it. Apparently, this is how Team Rocket fed their prisoners, by throwing out bread and using the hose as their source of water. Disgusting, even prisons treat their prisoners better than this!

Ash and Serena were drenched by the hose and didn't get a drink from the hose. These two were not at full health and it would only be a matter of time before they die from the lack of food and water.

"We didn't get any water in our mouths," Serena commented.

"Then drink whatever water there is on the floor," one of the rockets barked.

This was inhuman, now they expect them to lick water off the floor like they were some sort of Lillipups (Dogs). Also, the fact that they just toss bread out for everyone to fight over, this was a living nightmare. Team Rocket were not humans at all.

"This is disgusting how you treat us," Ash growled.

"Well this is what you get for getting in Team Rocket's way, the life of a fucking prisoner!" the rocket screamed.

"Now you kids are going to sit here and continued to be treated like Pokémon! Because Team Rocket can do whatever the fuck they want, and you will be living like this for the rest of your miserable Arceus damn lives and you will love every bit of it!" another rocket screamed.

Then in less than a second, a stray Shock Wave came in and electrocuted all the rockets and knocked them all unconscious. Ash and Serena were relieved that someone did that to them, because they deserved it. Then to their surprise, Ash and Serena saw who it was that delivered the Shock Wave and their faces lit up with joy.

It was Pikachu with Rotom Dex on his side holding the belt that contained their Pokémon. The young Pallet Town couple were ecstatic to see that Pikachu and Rotom Dex escaped, but how?

"Pikachu, Rotom Dex!" Ash exclaimed as he went over to give Pikachu a hug.

However, when Ash hugged Pikachu, he ended up being electrocuted. Ash was a little caught off guard with the sudden shock he got from Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu muttered saying sorry.

"Ash, are you okay!?" Serena asked out loud in complete concern.

"About that shock Ash just got, Pikachu ended up getting a little fever which attracted a Magnemite to help rescue us," Rotom Dex confirmed.

"Pikachu got sick!" Serena exclaimed in worry.

"I'm getting to that," Rotom Dex told Serena.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

After Rotom Dex explained about Muk's plan to attract help and rescue everyone, Ash and Serena could understand the logic behind this. Rotom Dex even explained this in Magnemite's Pokedex entry and why Muk thought this would be the best option. Pikachu agreed to take part in this. Ash was pretty surprised with what he just heard not just with Pikachu agreeing to take the cold, but also Muk lending a hand in rescuing them.

"It's hard to know if I should thank Muk or not," Ash said to himself rubbing his head.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied saying he rather take one for the team.

"Pikachu says he's fine with this," Rotom Dex replied translating what Pikachu said.

Then the workers were noticing the rockets were getting up as they seemed to recover from Pikachu's Shock Wave. Darn it, Ash and Serena were too busy catching up that they didn't make sure these rockets were monitored.

"We got to alert Cassidy and Bitch," one of the rockets said weakly.

"No, you won't, Pikachu can you give them another Shock Wave," Ash told Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

One of the rockets was pulling out a gun, but before he could pull the trigger, Pikachu's Shock Wave electrocuted them knocking the rockets out once again. Pikachu was feeling more relieved every time he lets out an electric attack.

"Way to go Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed praising Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

Serena then looked at the unconscious rockets and right back at the workers. Ash and Serena were now free, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the rest of the rockets found out about their breakout. Serena got out one of her Pokeballs.

"Hey Ash, before we make a run for it, let's leave a Pokémon here to protect the workers," Serena said holding a Pokeball.

"Good idea," Ash replied as he got a Pokeball.

Serena released her Pokémon which happens to be her Kadabra while Ash sends out his Haunter. These workers didn't have the essentials to protect themselves in case any of the rockets were to come in, so leaving a Pokémon with them was a wise choice.

"You guys stay here, we'll stop Team Rocket," Ash declared pumping his fists.

"Well, it looks like there is hope after all. You two might be kids, but something tells me you'll be able to turn the tide on Team Rocket," one of the workers called out.

"We didn't want to give up, and neither did our Pokémon," Serena declared as she turned to Kadabra, "Kadabra, I need you to stay here and protect these workers in case anyone from Team Rocket comes in."

"You too Haunter. Me and Serena got more Pokémon that can help us out," Ash told Haunter.

Haunter and Kadabra both nodded their heads in confirmation. Until Team Rocket is stopped, these workers need to be defended.

"Let's get to the main generator. That has to be where the source of the problem is for the electricity and the water," said Ash.

"Right," Serena confirmed nodding her head, "Rotom Dex, do you think you can give us a route to the main generator?"

"I'm more of an overworld map feature kind of Pokedex, but I can see what I can do," Rotom Dex answered, "Besides, don't you know how to get there?"

"Well sort of. We just want to be safe that's all," Serena told Rotom Dex.

"Most certainly, but in the meantime you need to stop Team Rocket," Rotom Dex replied.

Ash and Serena nodded their heads. They left the room leaving Kadabra, Haunter, and the workers behind. As they were heading out, Ash and Serena were not aware that a rocket has spotted them with Pikachu and Rotom Dex. The grunt growled and got out his communicator device to call Cassidy and Butch.

"Cassidy, Beef," the grunt responded.

"It's Butch!" Butch yelled out, "What are you calling for?"

"The two vermin have escaped! Not to mention they ended up recovering their Pokémon!" the grunt shouted.

"What!" Cassidy and Butch exclaimed in union.

"What the hell happened!?" Cassidy angrily questioned.

"I have no idea what shit took place that allowed this to happen, but right now those pieces of shit are heading for the main generator!" the grunt yelled.

"Don't worry soldier, we'll alert the others," Cassidy responded.

* * *

 _ **2 minutes later**_

Ash and Serena did have time to get to the room where Pikachu and Rotom Dex were being held to get their belongings. It wasn't completely out of the way of where they were going, but Ash and Serena would like to make sure no one got their belongings. They looked inside to see that they still had all of their things such as their Moon Stones, their fossils, and of course that mysterious GS Ball. Serena looked in her ribbon case and saw that she still had her two ribbons.

But that was it for inventory checking, right now they needed to stop Team Rocket and save the Pokémon in Lavender Town. Ash knew that Krabby was counting on him, and he wasn't going to let him down.

"Attention all units, we have two escaped prisoners! Kill them on sight!" Cassidy announced on the intercom.

Ash and Serena heard that voice on the intercom. It was clear that the voice belonged to Cassidy. No surprise that Team Rocket knew about their escape, but now they didn't need to hide. However, the rockets were now out to kill them if they see them.

"I guess they now know that were running around here," Serena said as she was running alongside Ash.

"Yeah, get ready to attack," Ash ordered Serena.

Ash and Serena were running through the corridor trying to get to the main generator with Pikachu and Rotom Dex were right behind them. As Ash saw the electric currents running on the walls, he was starting to know that this was truly looking familiar. He would remain cautious.

Then they were all halted by four rockets, and thankfully they didn't have guns, but they did have Pokeballs. It should not be a surprise these rockets were going to kill them.

"Kill them!" one of the rockets shouted.

The four rockets each sent out a Pokémon. There was a Raticate, a Golbat, an Arbok, and a Weezing. They ordered all of their Pokémon to attack Ash and Serena. Serena was about to grab Squirtle's Pokeball, but Ash put his hand up telling her to stop.

"Don't worry Serena, Pikachu says he's got this," Ash told Serena as he was looking at Pikachu who was ready to shock someone, "Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu charged up his cheeks and unleashed a Thunderbolt knocking out all four Pokémon and the rockets along with them. Pikachu was feeling a little better after letting out that Thunderbolt, but he still had some extra electricity inside of him.

"Good job Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed giving a thumbs up.

"Pika," Pikachu replied.

With those rockets out of the way, Ash and Serena ran through the automatic doors. As they went through the doors, Muk saw the group and smiled at them. This kid had every right to beat his gang, but could he beat him. That question would be answered soon.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Center**_

Nurse Joy was shaking in what appeared to be hopelessness. While other Pokémon were quickly getting transported to the Saffron City Pokémon Center, the Pokémon in the Lavender Town Pokémon Center were now taking a turn for the worse. Just about two hours ago, her worst fears became a reality. A Horsea ended up biting the dust. They had to put the Horsea in a black garbage bag to indicate a dead Pokémon was inside. Just about an hour later, a Goldeen ended up dying from the infections of the toxic water.

Nurse Joy just wanted to cry her eyes out as she couldn't help them. Why did this power outage have to take place? Two Pokémon are already dead, and it could still be counting if something isn't done. The Krabby that Ash rescued was still alive, but he wouldn't have much time left before he dies.

Krabby was laying there wondering where Ash was. Krabby ended up hearing that he and Serena were going to the power plant to investigate and hoping to get the power running. He hasn't seen him since yesterday. Krabby was wondering if anything has happened to him and that girl.

"Things are getting worse here, I hope somebody does something soon so this nice nurse can give us the help we need," Krabby said quietly.

Nurse Joy was shaking with tears in her eyes. She was completely helpless. There was nothing she could do until the power was running again.

"I can't stand watching this anymore," Nurse Joy quietly sobbed, "I hope something happens soon. Please let something happen."

Nurse Joy was now praying to Arceus that something would come to her aid soon. If the power didn't come back on soon, there could be more dead Pokémon. Nurse Joy now really hoped Ash and Serena could get the power running again.

* * *

 _ **Power Plant-Main Generator Room**_

After a mad dash, Ash and Serena arrived at the main generator. As the two looked up, they could see all the Magnemite and Magneton controlling the flow of electricity. Magnezone looked down with a glimmer of hope within itself knowing that help has finally arrived.

As expected, those Pokémon weren't the only ones in the room as there were plenty more rockets inside with glares coming at Ash and Serena. Cassidy and Butch were right in front of the generator giving vicious looks at the group.

"We should've known you were coming," Cassidy uttered.

"It stops here Cassidy and Bill!" Rotom Dex yelled out.

"It's Butch!" Butch screamed.

Ash and Serena glared at the two rocket admins while Cassidy and Butch glared back. Cassidy and Butch each pulled out a Pokeball while Ash pulled out his blue Pokeball containing Frogadier. Serena got out a Pokeball, but she then noticed that blue Pokeball that Ash was holding. Serena looked completely worried.

"Ash, I don't think you should be sending out Frogadier for a situation like this," Serena said shakily, "Remember what's been going on with him since losing in the Saffron Gym. Not only is his back nagging, but more importantly he's not going to battle with that behavior."

Ash was looking at his blue Pokeball. Sure, Frogadier has been not battling for some unknown reason, but Ash knew that if he was in trouble, Frogadier would always jump out at the opportunity to protect Ash. Ash had a feeling that this is what Frogadier would do right about now.

"Don't worry Serena, despite what's going on lately, Frogadier will fight for me like he always has," Ash told Serena confidently, "Come on out Frogadier!"

Frogadier materialized out of the Pokeball standing in front of the rockets. Despite having a nagging back issue, Frogadier was fit to battle. However, just as Serena feared, Frogadier was still standing there looking terrified.

"Go Raticate!" Cassidy yelled sending out her Raticate.

"Go Primeape!" Butch yelled out sending out his Primeape.

Raticate and Primeape came out of their Pokeballs. Serena had a bad feeling Frogadier was not going to battle as she looked at him knowing he was the same. Serena didn't want to waste anymore time as she got out one of her Pokeballs.

"Go Squirtle!" Serena yelled out sending out Squirtle.

Squirtle was now in his fighting stance while Frogadier stood there like a statue. Ash figured that Frogadier would get out of his senses and fight for his trainer.

"Alright men, send out your Pokémon and murder them!" Cassidy commanded to the rest of the rockets.

"I don't think so! Frogadier jump up and use Ice Beam on the rockets so we can freeze them!" Ash called out.

"Squirtle use Water Gun!" Serena retorted.

Soon, all of the rockets released their Pokémon and the group was completely surrounded. The Magnemite and Magneton along with Magnezone wanted to help too, but the rockets had some of their Pokémon keep them subdued so they continue their assignments. Squirtle was unleashing a Water Gun at the Pokémon coming towards them.

Ash was wondering what was taking Frogadier so long. Ash should've realized this, but once again Frogadier didn't budge. He was told to use Ice Beam on the rockets, and all Frogadier was doing was just standing there.

"Frogadier, didn't you hear me," Ash called out now feeling a little worried, "Why aren't you attacking?"

It was true Frogadier had a nagging back and suffered a confidence blow against Sabrina, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight the rockets. However, Frogadier just wouldn't budge as he looks like he is completely disturbed. Was he scared? He shouldn't be scared of Team Rocket, especially since he took these goons on before.

"Frogadier," Ash whimpered.

Frogadier was just standing there looking off. Did he want to fight for Ash? Did he want to take out Team Rocket? If he did, why isn't he attacking? Something was definitely wrong, not to mention Braixen has been in the same predicament for some time.

"Ash, use a different Pokémon!" Serena yelled.

Serena made a good point, as long as Frogadier was in this predicament, he wasn't going to fight back. It was foolish of him to think Frogadier was going to come out of it and fight back. With Ash watching Squirtle struggling against the rockets, Ash grimaced while looking at Frogadier and got out his Pokeball.

"Frogadier return!" Ash cried out calling back Frogadier and switching out for another Pokémon, "Go Charmeleon!"

Ash released Charmeleon and once he came out, Ash ordered him to use Flamethrower. Charmeleon and Squirtle were all carrying their own weight fighting off a whole bunch of Pokémon. Serena didn't feel any relief but was happy that Ash finally got Frogadier out of there.

All of their Pokémon were doing what they can to fight off the rocket's Pokémon. Charmeleon was knocking some out with Flamethrower while Squirtle was knocking a couple of Pokémon out with his Water Gun. Then Raticate and Primeape came in and knocked Charmeleon and Squirtle back. Ash and Serena backed up to the wall.

"Charmeleon use Dragon Claw!" Ash hollered.

"Squirtle use Aqua Tail!" Serena yelled out.

Charmeleon's hand showed a purple like aura and he proceeded to slash Raticate with Dragon Claw. Squirtle's tail started to be engulfed in water and he smacked Primeape to the wall. Both Pokémon were knocked out.

"This is tauros shit Butch!" Cassidy yelled.

"It's Butch not…wait you got my name right," Butch responded.

While Cassidy and Butch had their Pokémon knocked out, the rockets still had their Pokémon. Charmeleon and Squirtle went back to attacking all of the rockets Pokémon. Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone could only watch as the rockets were keeping them in check. Some of them wanted to hover around Pikachu, but they couldn't budge.

Magnezone on the other hand felt like there was another major source of electricity coming nearby. But Pikachu was in here, where could there have been another major source of electricity?

Meanwhile, the two Pokémon were starting to get worn out. Ash and Serena were probably insisting on sending out more Pokémon. However, Rotom Dex had enough. The floating Pokedex butted in.

"Rotom Dex what are you doing?!" Ash hollered.

"Roto Lotto activate!" Rotom Dex yelled out activating his Roto Lotto.

They didn't recall on Rotom Dex to activate its Roto Lotto feature, but it did anyway. Rotom Dex's slot machine was showing a blue winged sneaker, a multiply sign, and the number three.

"Speed times three!" Rotom Dex yelled out as it pointed towards Squirtle.

Well this was not what Rotom Dex wanted, but at least it was a power-up of some sort. Since Squirtle seemed to have lower speed, Rotom Dex figured it would be best to send it right at Squirtle.

"Hey Serena, Squirtle is three times faster right now!" Rotom Dex yelled out in an unsure tone.

Serena was hoping for a power boost to take Pokémon out faster, not a speed increase. Well at least Squirtle wasn't going to be weakened. There was one more Serena could have Squirtle use.

"Squirtle use Aqua Jet all around!" Serena yelled out.

Squirtle heard what Serena said and started to engulf himself into a body of water. With the increased speed, Squirtle started to fly all over the room with Aqua Jet taking out more and more Pokémon. At least the speed increase did them some good. However, there were still too many Pokémon, and these Pokémon were tough.

After about two minutes, the speed effect finally wore off Squirtle and Aqua Jet was back at its normal fast speed and then he finally hit the ground.

"Squirtle!" Serena cried out.

Charmeleon couldn't handle much more as the Flame Pokémon went down with a limb.

"Charmeleon!" Ash cried out.

Both Ash and Serena called back their Pokémon to prevent them from getting further damage. Pikachu grimaced at the situation. He was unaware that he was transferring some of his electromagnetic wave electricity to his cheeks. The rockets Pokémon were now looking at Ash and Serena and were ready to go in for the kill.

Ash only had two useable Pokémon in Pidgeotto and Primeape as Frogadier couldn't battle, Charmeleon was out cold, Haunter was protecting the workers (and maybe entertaining them), and Krabby who was at the Pokémon Center was taking up one of his Pokémon slots.

Serena was also only with two useable Pokémon. Braixen was in the same state as Frogadier for unknown reasons, Squirtle out knocked out, Kadabra was protecting the workers with Haunter, and Slowpoke…well he has kind of been unaware of where he is, or who he is with. That left Serena with Beedrill and Pinsir. Serena sure wished she had Gyarados with her as she could wipe the floor with these rockets, even though she wasn't in a body of water. Serena might consider switching one of her Pokémon out for her soon, if she ever gets out of this.

Pikachu on the other hand didn't want Ash and Serena to die. He didn't catch a cold as a way to attract a Magnemite to have it help him break out of Team Rocket's grip just so they would get killed. Frogadier was still in that disturbed trance, and probably Braixen too, their best fighters were knocked out, and Roto Lotto was used up. Pikachu could feel more and more electricity coming into his cheeks. The Magnemite were getting very interested, but they couldn't move. Pikachu felt like he was ready to explode.

Ash got Primeape's Pokeball and Serena got Pinsir's Pokeball. They were about to send their Pokémon out until they saw a light behind them. It was Pikachu gathering a lot of electricity.

"Pikachu?" Ash questioned.

Then all of a sudden, Pikachu exploded letting all of his electricity explode out of his body and shocking all of the Pokémon in the room. All of the Pokémon were screaming in pain by the powerful electric attack.

"What's going on with Pikachu?" Serena asked in shock.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think Pikachu is using Thunder," Rotom Dex answered as he was watching Pikachu.

"Thunder!?" Ash questioned.

"Well, that or he's letting a lot of electricity out of his system. This could be the effects of the cold he has," Rotom Dex explained.

Ash's eyes widened when he saw Pikachu unleash all of that electricity. There was no way Pikachu could have learned Thunder. Sure, he was a strong Pikachu, but he couldn't have learned one of the most powerful electric attacks so soon. It had to have been the cold.

Soon all of the Pokémon dropped like flies and fell into defeat. The head Magnezone was absolutely amazed with what it just saw from that Pikachu. Magnezone was the most powerful electric Pokémon in the power plant, but boy did Pikachu's electric outburst really got it shocked.

"Rotom Dex, I don't think Pikachu learned Thunder," Ash uttered.

Pikachu was actually feeling a whole lot better now thanks to letting that out of his system. The rockets were all shocked at what that Pikachu just did, but Cassidy and Butch only felt one thing. Anger.

"How, how did that Pikachu do it. It's not supposed to be that powerful," Cassidy uttered in anger.

"Letting those kids run around with Pokémon like that is a menace to Team Rocket," Butch darkly said as he got out his rifle, "We won't allow this!"

The good mood was completely short lived as all of the rockets got their guns out. Serena sure wished she had Kadabra with her to take care of those guns. If Braixen wasn't feeling mortified, she could help them with that. But right now, it looks like the end was coming for Ash and Serena.

" _No, we won't let it end like this,"_ Magnezone thought to itself.

Magnezone turned over to the Magnemite and Magneton. These rockets were going to kill these kids no matter what. There was no choice now. Magnezone was prepared to have its workmates fight back. All of the Pokémon were looking at their boss and were now preparing to gather electricity as they were all going to attack with Thunderbolt.

Ash and Serena ran up towards Pikachu and gathered him in a hug with Rotom Dex floating to their side. They refused to let it end like this. They did not want to get shot by this sad excuse of an organization. They commit crimes, they treat Pokémon like merchandise, and the fact that they enjoy the state the Pokémon are in from that polluted water, this was just sickening.

"We will not let you get away with this," Ash uttered.

"Well too late twerps! We are going to get away with this!" Cassidy yelled.

"You bastards have interfered with Team Rocket for the last time!" Butch yelled.

All of the rockets raised their guns while all of the Magnemite and Magneton gathered their electricity. Now that all of the rockets who were eying them were focused on Ash and Serena as they were going to strike.

The only thing Ash and Serena would like right now is a last-minute idea or a miracle. Anything to stop this horrible organization. As they gathered around with Pikachu in their arms, they just stood there and hoped for something.

"Die!" Cassidy screeched.

The rockets all were about to pull the trigger and the Magnezone's team were about to shock the rockets from behind when suddenly…

BANG!

A massive burst of electricity came in from the ceiling and went wild in the room. Magnezone along with the other Pokémon held back their attacks as they saw the sudden electricity that came out of nowhere. This couldn't be the work of that Pikachu again, no way.

Ash and Serena took cover and protected Pikachu and Rotom Dex. However, all of the rockets including Cassidy and Butch were being electrocuted.

The electricity was so powerful that there were currents going into their bodies which were transferring to the heart. All of the rockets dropped their guns as some of them fired off by slipped fingers. There were no screams coming from any of the rockets. That proved that this electricity wasn't just powerful, but deadly powerful. It was almost like they were being struck by lightning.

The electricity wasn't hitting Ash and Serena. If anything, it looked more like whoever was sending that electricity out was protecting them.

Meanwhile in the sewers, Muk and his gang could see the blinding light coming into the dark sewers. Where was this light coming from? Was this the work of that Pikachu he befriended?

Then after about a minute, the electric outrage stopped. Ash and Serena who were covering Pikachu managed to get up, but noticed the room was covered in smoke. The smoke began to clear as the two along with Pikachu and Rotom Dex were completely surprised.

"What just happened?" Serena asked in shock.

"I don't know, but we're not dead," Ash answered in shock.

As they began to look around, they noticed that the generator wasn't harmed at all. But there was something else that completely shocked them. All of the rockets in the room were completely unconscious. What was even more disturbing was that the rockets were not even showing signs of moving.

"Are they okay?" Rotom Dex asked in fear.

Ash noticed everything that happened just now. The fight with Team Rocket, the fact Frogadier came out and was not in the mentally to fight, and now the blinding light which was this sudden burst of electricity. This all played out just like Ash's dream. Of course, his dream was a foreshadowing. But what was it for? Maybe it would give him an answer to Frogadier's sudden behavior.

Not was not the time to be thinking that. Ash walked over to Cassidy and Butch with Serena coming from behind. He looked down and saw that the two rocket admins were completely charred and not moving. Ash bent down and looked at Cassidy's face as she had a look of pure shock on her face with her mouth hung wide open. Ash was shaking her, and she wasn't waking up. He then placed her on the ground and tried to see if there was a pulse…there was none.

Ash then proceeded over to Butch and the look on his face was exactly the same as Cassidy's. Ash was shaking him, and he wasn't responding. Ash then went to the ground and tried to get a pulse…there was no pulse coming from him either. Ash then stood up and looked at Serena as he had a pale look on his face. Serena was shaking with the look Ash was giving her.

"They're dead," Ash uttered.

This was a complete shock. Whatever that electric outburst was actually killed Cassidy and Butch. Ash and Serena looked around and could see all the rockets laying on the ground. It looked like their skins were getting pale. It shouldn't surprise them that all of them were dead.

Magnezone along with the Magnemite and Magneton looked down and around. None of those rockets were getting up. Were all of them dead? Magnezone felt like there was something powerful above it. The Magnet Zone Pokémon looked up and its eye widened as it saw that there was a hole in the ceiling, but it wasn't the hole that surprised it.

Magnezone knew there had to have been another major source of electricity nearby. It alerted the Magnemite and Magneton and they looked up in surprise as well. All of their eyes widened when they saw what was up there.

"Magnezone!" Magnezone cried.

"What the?" Ash stuttered.

"Was that Magnezone?" Serena asked herself as she looked at Magnezone.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all looked at the Magnemite, Magneton, and the lead Magnezone. All of them were looking up at the ceiling and the group noticed the hole in the ceiling. Then, they heard something…wings flapping.

Then something began to descend into the room. It appears the being that was coming in was the one responsible to bringing in all of that electricity.

It was a big yellow spiky bird with a very large beak and huge talons. This bird was very majestic as electricity runs all across its body. The large bird began to slowly descend onto the ground.

"Ash! Is that!" Serena exclaimed shaking in complete shock.

"It is!" Ash exclaimed in an utter.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said in shock.

"Wow…my circuits are tingling like crazy," Rotom Dex stuttered in surprise.

It almost looked like a dream. This wasn't a dream. No, this bird that Ash and Serena were seeing was right in front of them. Very few people have seen this Pokémon, and Ash and Serena are one of the lucky ones to come across this majestic creature. They weren't even sure if Professor Oak has seen it, or hell, Ash wasn't sure if his dad even saw it.

However, for Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, this was truly an honor. It was a special moment seeing what appeared to be a legendary Pokémon on the first day of their journey, now these two Pokémon trainers were now seeing another one.

The legendary bird Zapdos stood in front of them.

* * *

 **Ash and Serena have come across Zapdos!**

 **Since the power plant was north of Lavender Town and it was near Rock Tunnel, it was appropriate for Zapdos to make an appearance here.**

 **Now just for the record, Pikachu did not learn Thunder. That was just Pikachu letting out his extra electromagnetic electricity which was considered extremely powerful. That was due to the effects of the cold.**

 **This chapter does confirm it, Cassidy and Butch have been killed off. I actually have no more uses for them in this story. The intense battle with Team Rocket is over, but the Kanto Power Plant Arc hasn't concluded yet.**

 **Coming up next, Zapdos delivers an important message to Ash and Serena. There will be a whole bunch of foreshadowing with this meeting with Zapdos. After that, then the battle with Muk.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll and see you next time when Zapdos speaks to our heroes.**

 **Chapter 43: Premonitions**


	46. Premonitions

**Before we begin, I like to tell you that the name of this chapter has changed. It was originally going to be called "The Prophecy", but after everything that I've included in this chapter, I decided to rename it "Premonitions" because this chapter is showing many traits of premonitions.**

 **Now there is a sort of prophecy in this chapter, but it's mostly going to be in the beginning parts of this chapter. Keep in mind that it leads to a lot of foreshadowing of what will happen not only later in the Kanto Arc, but beyond into the Johto Arc.**

 **I made the right call splitting the power plant into another chapter because this chapter is pretty long. You'll see many things happening in this chapter, but of course Zapdos is going to set the stage for what will occur in a few chapters from now.**

 **Well enjoy reading this chapter and don't forget to review when you're done. I also should remind you I do not own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Kanto Power Plant-Main Generator Room**_

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex all looked up in amazement. Zapdos was actually in the building, and this legendary bird was the one who electrocuted all of those rockets. There was now one question they wanted to ask, why did Zapdos come here? Was Zapdos here to save them or was it for something else? Either way it got Team Rocket out of the way.

"I don't believe it, that's the legendary Pokémon Zapdos," Ash said in amazement.

Zapdos landed on the ground in front of the generator. Thankfully nothing was damaged in the room when Zapdos let its electricity run wild inside. Zapdos took a look around and saw all the dead rockets including Cassidy and Butch. While Zapdos did feel pity for killing those humans, it was the only form of justice that Zapdos could come up with while protecting Ash, Serena, the workers, and the Pokémon in the power plant.

The Magnemite, Magneton, and the head Magnezone all looked at Zapdos and praised it. This was a legendary Pokémon and it was an electric type as well. How can these Pokémon not have total appreciation for Zapdos?

Zapdos gave a wise look at Ash and Serena. The Electric Pokémon seemed interested in them as he observed them. Zapdos actually was the one who saw Ash and Serena enter Rock Tunnel in order to get here. The question was, why?

" _Are you the one known as Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena?"_ Zapdos asked.

Ash and Serena couldn't believe what they heard. A legendary Pokémon was actually talking to them, on its own free will. Both the future Pokémon Master and future top coordinator approached Zapdos in a look of shock. Rotom Dex was shaking in excitement that it actually was looking at a legendary Pokémon.

"I don't believe it, a legendary Pokémon!" Rotom Dex cried in excitement, "My circuits are going crazy!"

" _Before we begin, go ahead and obtain data on me,"_ Zapdos addressed to Rotom Dex.

Rotom Dex went from excited to completely surprised. It was now given the honor to add information on a legendary Pokémon. Ash and Serena sure wish that Rotom Dex was active on their first day so they can get information on that Pokémon. Rotom Dex with no hesitation began its analysis on Zapdos.

 _#145-Zapdos: Electric Pokémon_

 _This legendary bird Pokémon is said to appear when the sky turns dark and lightning showers down._

Rotom Dex was tingling now that it actually had data on a legendary Pokémon. However, it didn't answer their main question. What was Zapdos doing here?

"Thanks for saving us just now," Serena said giving a courtesy bow.

" _You're welcome. When I sensed that this power plant was taken over by that horrible organization and the electric Pokémon and possibly most of Kanto were in danger, I needed to get back here and stop them."_ Zapdos explained, _"I would've been here earlier, but once I saw you confronting this organization, I would figure to give you all a chance."_

So Zapdos could've stopped this from the beginning. The fact Ash and Serena showed up allowed him to hold back for the time being. Zapdos heard about those two kids from its master, and the two kids he saw fit the description from what its master described them.

" _Despite you kids nearly meeting your end, you have proven that your spirits were not brought down along with your Pokémon,"_ Zapdos said looking down at Pikachu.

Pikachu was feeling better after letting out that electricity, and boy was he filled with total glee. Zapdos seems to be giving praise to Pikachu when in all honesty, he was only able to continue thanks to that Muk. Ash wished he could say the same for Frogadier as he still stood there feeling all terrified with Ash's life on the line.

"All of them, except Frogadier," Ash muttered.

Ash released his Frogadier and the Bubble Frog Pokémon materialized out of his Pokeball. Frogadier was looking at Zapdos, a legendary Pokémon. However, the beauty of this Pokémon wasn't enough to reach out to Frogadier as he continues to stand there looking like a train was about to hit him.

" _What has happened to Frogadier?"_ Zapdos asked.

"Well, Frogadier lost a gym battle badly to the Saffron City Gym Leader Sabrina. He ended up getting minor back spasms from the pounding from Sabrina's Kadabra. However, even when he felt better, he now just stands there looking disturbed like a train is coming his way," Ash explained to Zapdos, "I don't understand why I'm talking to you about this. You just wanted to know about my Pokémon."

"Actually Zapdos," Serena responded as she released her Braixen, "The same thing has been happening to Braixen. I don't know if it's an emotional attachment with Frogadier that brought this effect on her."

Zapdos closed its eyes and processed everything Ash has said. Zapdos then opened its eyes and looked at the disturbed Frogadier and Braixen. Zapdos knew why it was here, and apparently the legendary bird may have the answer.

" _Listen one known as Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena, I may have the answer to why Frogadier and Braixen are acting the way the way they are,"_ Zapdos confirmed.

"Really, what is it?" Ash asked.

" _It seems that you two don't know your Pokémon well enough. Trust and love is what creates a powerful bond between humans and Pokémon, but that also means knowing about your Pokémon and trying to feel what they feel,"_ Zapdos explained.

This was going to be the second time Zapdos was going to help Ash and Serena. Maybe Zapdos had the answer for their Pokémon's current predicaments.

" _I'm not going to tell you why they're acting like this, but I will say this. The problem they have lies much deeper than you think. If you can truly hone your skills as Pokémon trainers and feel like you and your Pokémon can become one, you'll start to understand why Frogadier and Braixen are feeling so terrified,"_ Zapdos explained.

Ash couldn't help but wonder where he heard that before. Of course, it made all sense. Back when he still had good connections with his old man, he got to learn a bit about the Kanto Elite Four. One member of the Elite Four who went by the name Lance, a master of dragon Pokémon, was also a Pokémon G-Men.

Red told Ash about some words of wisdom from Lance. Lance says that in order to speak to a Pokémon, you speak to their heart. If you reach their heart, you'll be able to get them to understand the situation and bring a great impact on them. For Ash and Serena, it seems maybe they weren't reaching Frogadier's and Braixen's heart. Whatever was wrong with those two Pokémon, it was really bad.

"I guess we'll give it some time then to figure it out," Ash said.

" _That's a problem, you don't have much time,"_ Zapdos uttered.

"Not much time," Serena said nearly choking up.

" _This is why I came to you. But before I tell you what is going to happen, I want to ask you something. Do you happen to have a gold and silver Pokeball in your possession?"_ Zapdos asked.

A gold and silver Pokeball? Wait a minute, they might recall what Zapdos is talking about. After Ash and Serena escaped the S.S. Anne, they came across a strange looking Pokeball called the GS Ball. They were told to take it and not tell a soul which they have not. That voice told them that they would learn more about in time and to see if they're worthy of holding it.

"Actually, I do," Ash answered as he reached into his backpack.

Ash pulled out the GS Ball and showed it to Zapdos. He wasn't sure if he should be showing this Pokeball to Zapdos. But then again, it is rumored that legendary Pokémon are really wise so maybe they can trust Zapdos. Zapdos took a look at the GS Ball and nodded its head.

" _That is the Pokeball I am talking about, the GS Ball,"_ Zapdos confirmed.

"We found it on the beach after we escaped a shipwreck," Serena told Zapdos, "A voice out of nowhere told us to hang on to it and tell no one about it."

" _I know who that was. That was the one who gave you the GS Ball,"_ Zapdos answered.

" _The one who gave you this special Pokeball was my master,"_ Zapdos answered.

"Your…master?" Ash questioned.

" _Yes, my master was the one who granted you the GS Ball. When my master saw you and those other two escape a shipwreck that seemed improbable to come out of alive, my master wondered if you could be proven worthy of holding on to this special Pokeball,"_ Zapdos told Ash and Serena, _"Afterwards, my master told me along with the other two legendary birds Articuno and Moltres. And when I saw you enter this power plant to stop those and refuse to quit no matter how improbable the situation would be, I had a feeling my master was right about you."_

So that's why Zapdos was so curious about Ash and Serena. Zapdos heard about them from their master after they escaped the S.S. Anne along with Jessie, James, and Meowth. They followed the motto that Ash always keeps saying, never give up until the end. They didn't give up in the shipwreck, and they certainly didn't give up when Team Rocket captured them in the power plant. But one question remains, who was Zapdos's master?

"We never saw your master," Ash told Zapdos, "Maybe we heard your master's voice, but we never saw the one you looked up to."

" _That is because you did not gain the object that grants you the honor to meet my master in person. You have yet to gain that opportunity,"_ Zapdos confirmed, _"However, I will tell you the name of my master. My master, just like me, is a legendary Pokémon that I, Articuno, and Moltres look up to."_

So now they were going to learn about the identity of Zapdos's master. Ash and Serena could wonder who would be the master of this legendary bird along with the other two legendary birds? Zapdos now revealed its master's name.

" _Lugia,"_ Zapdos confirmed.

Lugia, Zapdos's master was the legendary Pokémon Lugia. None of them ever saw the legendary Pokémon that Zapdos calls its master. Maybe Rotom Dex would've spotted Lugia if it was turned on, but Rotom Dex was shut off because they didn't want the Pokedex to suffer major water damage. If it weren't for that, maybe Rotom Dex would've spotted Lugia and caught it on their data.

"Lugia?" Serena questioned.

" _Lugia, the guardian of the seas. Lugia was the one who created me and the other birds which is why we call Lugia our master,"_ Zapdos explained, _"The only ones who can see my master are the ones who carry the Silver Wing."_

The Silver Wing. Zapdos tells them that Ash and Serena can only see Lugia if they have the Silver Wing. It also gave Ash and Serena another reminder of the Pokémon they saw on the first day of their journey. It dropped them a Rainbow Wing and Scared Ash. They still have no clue who that Pokémon was. Ash and Serena wondered if they should ask about that.

"Where can we get a Silver Wing?" Serena asked until she covered her mouth.

That wasn't something she should be saying. Wondering where to get a Silver Wing in order to meet Lugia may have not been an appropriate question to ask. Zapdos looked down and smiled at Serena.

" _Me, Articuno, and Moltres will grant you a Silver Wing so you can have the honor of meeting my master,"_ Zapdos kindly said until its face turned serious, _"If you can prove yourselves worthy."_

"And how's that?" Ash asked.

Zapdos was now looking even more serious than ever. It looks like Ash and Serena were going to need to do something extreme to gain the honor of meeting Lugia.

" _Three major dark forces in the Kanto Region. One is coming, one has already been around, and one is soon going to be born. Our meeting along with the meeting with the other two legendary birds are going to be considered dark premonitions that the final battle with these dark forces draw close,"_ Zapdos explained.

Ash and Serena's eyes widened when they heard that. Three dark forces that will plague the Kanto Region. Not to mention one of them has already been in Kanto for some time and two will arrive soon.

"Three dark forces?" Ash and Serena questioned in shock.

" _Three dark forces,"_ Zapdos confirmed.

Then Zapdos spread its wings out and started to give out a yellow aura. Ash and Serena then were shocked to see something come out of Zapdos. It looked like a yellow fairy. What was that thing? Did all legendary Pokémon have this?

"What is that?" Rotom Dex asked, "I don't recall in my data you having something like that."

" _This is…a fragment of power. There are eight of them all together,"_ Zapdos answered.

A fragment of power? What was this fragment of power for and why was Zapdos holding on to one of them?

" _However, there are only three of them here in the Kanto Region. The other two are held by the other two legendary birds,"_ Zapdos explained, _"I will grant this to you…if you can defeat the dark force that is approaching."_

Everyone was feeling a bit shocked by the power Zapdos was presenting them with. Why would Zapdos be granting them that power, and why are Ash and Serena seemed to be the ones who have to take on this trio of evil?

" _Articuno and Moltres will grant you their fragment of powers when you defeat the other dark forces. Once you have defeated all three dark forces and obtain all three fragments of power, me, Articuno, and Moltres will grant you the Silver Wing,"_ Zapdos told Ash and Serena.

"And what about the other five fragments of power?" Serena asked.

" _When you get the Silver Wing and meet Lugia, it will tell you more about the GS Ball along with the locations of other five fragments of power. Lugia will also tell you why we had to hang on to these fragments of power,"_ Zapdos explained.

So, there was more to these fragment of powers. It seems that if they beat the trio of dark forces, they will grant them the Silver Wing which will allow Ash and Serena to meet Lugia. As Zapdos is saying, there might be something bigger out there to worry about and why those fragments of power are so important.

Zapdos then looked back down and Frogadier and Braixen.

" _Now, as for Frogadier and Braixen. I told you that the two of you don't have much time to help them because your battle with the first dark force is coming. One of the major concepts that plays in this battle is courage. Frogadier and Braixen need to come to their senses if they wish to help you defeat this evil,"_ Zapdos explained.

Ash and Serena looked at Frogadier and Braixen. These two Pokémon don't seem to notice that they're meeting a legendary Pokémon because of their extreme tension. Could it have something to do with this dark force?

"So, we just have to beat this evil and you'll give us that fragment of power?" Rotom Dex asked in astonishment.

" _It's not just about beating this dark force and ridding it from the world, it's also for you and the Pokémon to learn and get stronger…especially for what's coming,"_ Zapdos answered.

"What!" Ash and Serena exclaimed.

" _You'll learn more about that in the near future. Right now, I suggest you two continue your quest and be ready for this dark force,"_ Zapdos informed.

"Do you know who or what this dark force is?" Serena asked.

" _I know what the dark force is, but I'm not going to tell you. But I can give you a hint,"_ Zapdos responded as it gave out a clue, _"If you know your Pokémon well, you might get the answer."_

Know their Pokémon well, what does that mean? Ash and Serena have learned much they can about their Pokémon, but why would that be important? Maybe reaching out to Frogadier and Braixen could lead to the answer.

Ash and Serena were unaware that the workers from the power plant were watching as they were finally freed from Team Rocket's grasp. They looked around to see that all of the rockets were actually dead as no one was giving a pulse. Haunter and Kadabra even emerged from the area. All of the workers who were around were shocked to see the legendary Pokémon Zapdos in the room.

" _I think it is time for me to take you back to Lavender Town and let the people in the power plant restore electricity to those parts of Kanto,_ " Zapdos said with a smile and then turning the smile into a frown, _"I'm sorry about having my powers end up killing these crooks. My electric powers are far beyond any electric Pokémon, and I knew if I zapped them I would kill them. However, I had no choice."_

"It's okay Zapdos, we forgive you," Serena said with complete forgiveness in her tone, "After all, these people choose to live a life with this toxic organization, and they were going to eventually pay the price. They sadly had to suffer in the worst way possible…losing their lives."

Serena grimaced at the scene with all of the dead rockets including Cassidy's and Butch's lifeless bodies. The workers even heard the words coming from Zapdos knowing that it was the one who rid of Team Rocket.

" _It's okay Serena,"_ Zapdos muttered as it noticed something, _"Now before I get your kids out of here, I believe there is one more piece of business that you need to take care of."_

"What's that?" Ash questioned.

" _Look behind you,"_ Zapdos replied.

Ash turned around and his eyes widened at what he was seeing. It was Muk along with the rest of the Grimer. How did he get out of the sewers and ended up coming in here? What was his purpose of coming in here?

"What are they doing here?" Serena asked.

Pikachu and Muk looked at Muk and smiled at him and the rest of the Grimer. Pikachu understood what Zapdos was meaning by one more piece of business.

"That's right, Ash, Muk wants to battle you," Rotom Dex replied.

"You want to battle me?" Ash questioned as he looked at Muk.

The leader of the gang came up front, but he didn't show an angry fierce look, he showed more of a serious look as if he were ready for battle. Muk then looked at the fellow Grimer and all of them were giving approving looks to their leader. But why were they giving those looks?

"Alright Muk, I accept your challenge," Ash responded as he was about to pull out a Pokeball.

"Muk!" Muk called out to Ash pointing to Pikachu.

"Oh, you want to fight Pikachu?" Ash questioned.

"Muk," Muk confirmed.

Muk had to realize that if those Pokémon being with Ash made them strong enough to overpower his gang along with Team Rocket, then he needed to test it on Pikachu, the one Pokémon of Ash's that he just helped.

"Alright then, if that's what you want. Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash called out to Pikachu.

Pikachu went upfront and stared at Muk. The Sludge Pokémon stared back at Pikachu. Muk wanted to see how capable Ash was and after creating an acquaintanceship with Pikachu, he knew that Pikachu would be the Pokémon to prove that.

"Alright Pikachu use Quick Attack!" Ash called out.

Pikachu was coming at Muk with Quick Attack, but Muk would be able to absorb the blow with his sludge like body. Pikachu was sent backwards while Muk unleashed a Sludge attack which hit Pikachu.

"Shake it off and use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled out to Pikachu.

Pikachu began to shake off the sludge and wiped his eyes. Unlike the last time Pikachu dealt with a sludge attack, Pikachu was able to regain his vision and he still could fight. Pikachu then unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt which hit Muk and caused the Sludge Pokémon to cry in pain.

Muk then opened his mouth again, but instead of purple sludge, it was mud as Muk appeared to be using Mud Bomb.

"Pikachu dodge it and hit Muk with Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu began to make a run for it getting away from Muk's Mud Bomb and then coming down at the Sludge Pokémon with an Iron Tail. Muk was able to absorb the blow like last time, but since Iron Tail was stronger, Muk did take some damage.

Muk wasn't going to go down so easily. Ash needed to think of something in order to beat Muk. Then Muk was preparing to throw out more sludge, but they didn't look like bunches of sludge, they looked like Sludge Bombs. One of them hit Pikachu and knocked him down.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

Pikachu looked like he was down, but the Mouse Pokémon was able to get back up on his feet. Muk was impressed as that was one of his more powerful attacks, and Pikachu was able to withstand that. Zapdos on the other hand was studying Ash and Pikachu's battle, and it could tell that this boy along with the Pikachu have a strong will and wouldn't quit. Zapdos has a feeling Lugia might have done right giving Ash and Serena the GS Ball.

"You alright buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered giving a thumbs up.

Ash smiled as he was relieved that Pikachu was alright. On the other hand, he was looking at Muk. What could he do against him? Then it hit him, something he learned from Rotom Dex when Ash and Serena study their Pokémon. There was one thing Pikachu could do that may do a number to Muk.

"Alright Pikachu use Agility!" Ash called out.

Pikachu began to run around the room gaining speed while Muk was now letting out a torrent of sludge from his mouth. Muk was using Sludge Wave and Pikachu was using his Agility to evade the attack. Pikachu kept getting faster and faster while Muk was too slow to move, not to mention he was getting tired.

Ash noticed that Muk was getting exhausted and Pikachu was hitting top speed. Now Ash could send in the finishing blow.

"Pikachu use Electro Ball!" Ash retorted.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out.

Pikachu started to gather electricity and transfer it onto the tip of his tail and form it into a sphere. Muk was too slow and worn out to get out of the way of Pikachu's Electro Ball. Muk's eyes widened in terror and the attack hit him dead on. A massive explosion took place as everyone shielded their eyes.

As the smoke cleared, it was seen that Muk was still standing, but barely. Muk then smiled at Ash and Pikachu and slumped forward in defeat. The Grimer were shocked to see that their leader had lost. Despite losing, Muk was impressed with Ash and Pikachu.

"Great job Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in excitement.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed giving the V-sign.

"Amazing strategy. Since Pikachu was fast and Muk was slow, Ash had Pikachu increase his speed with Agility and then finish Muk off with Electro Ball. Ash figured out that the faster the Pokémon using that attack and the slower the opponent, the more damage Electro Ball will do," Rotom Dex announced.

Ash walked over to Muk to check in on him. Despite opposing him earlier, Ash couldn't help but see how he was doing after helping Pikachu escape earlier.

"How are you doing Muk?" Ash asked.

"Muk," Muk replied weakly.

Muk could see how kind Ash was being towards Muk. Muk probably didn't realize it, but Pikachu already told them about what happened as soon as they escaped from Team Rocket's grip.

"Pikachu told me everything with Rotom Dex translating. I'm glad that you started to see that Team Rocket's actions are not bringing any good to this world," Ash kindly said.

Muk nodded his head and then looked at the Grimer. While these Grimer were able to listen to him and take orders, he wasn't sure if he could consider them his friends. Then again, the Grimer aren't even sure if they share a great connection as well. The only reason they're in this gang with Muk is because of Team Rocket, and Muk being the only evolved Grimer made them think he's the strongest and considered him the leader.

Muk had nothing against the Grimer, but after seeing what Ash and Pikachu did along with Serena and Rotom Dex. He could see that friendship can actually help him become stronger not only in strength, but in character. This would open an opportunity for Muk to open friendly relations with others, like other humans. Hell, aside from him and Serena, Muk will probably start being BFFs with the first human they see.

The Grimer could also take a lead from Muk and do the same thing. Muk could be setting a great example to the Grimer and they could maybe make a group not because vile humans made them, but because they can learn to become friends with the Pokémon they want. Muk gave the confirmation to Ash and Rotom Dex translated.

"Ash, Muk would like to join you," Rotom Dex addressed.

"Really, you want to come with me?" Ash questioned.

"Muk is saying after what I've done to the water, I like to start fresh and make up for my bad deed. It's the least I can do to repay you," Rotom Dex explained, "Also he says that it will give me the opportunity to make new friends and to get stronger."

"Do you really want that Muk?" Ash asked.

"Muk!" Muk exclaimed confirming yes as he gave Ash a hug.

Looks like this gang leading Muk might be extremely friendly. If he is trying to start over and make friends, I guess this is a good way to start.

" _This boy truly is something special. I'm sure Muk will be in great hands with Ash,"_ Zapdos said to himself.

Ash then pulled out a spare Pokeball and Muk looked over to his now former members of his now disbanded gang. Ash let Muk speak to the Grimer to explain what he is going to do. All of the Grimer approve of his decision, but not without him telling them that they should go out and make memories with who they want, not with who they're told to be with. Everyone was going to start anew.

"Alright in that case, welcome to the group Muk!" Ash announced as he tossed the Pokeball at Muk.

Muk bid farewell to the Grimer as he was sucked in. The ball wiggled three times before it dinged to signify that Muk was caught. Ash then walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up. He smiled at it before it started to disappear from his hand. Muk clearly was being sent to Professor Oak's lab and would join Bulbasaur and Scyther.

" _I'll see you soon Muk,"_ Ash thought to himself.

Serena then joined Ash and gave him a huge hug for doing a great job in his battle against Muk and how he managed to gain his trust. Ash couldn't help but blush at the gesture of his girlfriend, despite them all being unaware of the workers who were watching the whole thing.

"You did great Ash, I'm sure Muk will be a great Pokémon for you," Serena said with a smile.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

"Thanks buddy," Ash said.

Ash then realized something he hasn't noticed through his meeting with Zapdos and the battle with Muk. Pikachu was looking 100% again.

"I see you're feeling much better buddy," Ash happily said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu happily responded.

"I guess letting all that electricity out did the trick for Pikachu. Guess that saves him a trip to the Pokémon Center," said Serena.

Ash's face grew pale as he just remembered. Krabby was still at the Pokémon Center in critical condition.

"That's right! I just remembered! We have to get the power back on!" Ash cried out.

"Leave that to us!" one of the workers called out.

Ash and Serena looked up and saw that the workers were up on the upper deck. Haunter floated back to Ash while Kadabra used his psychic powers to help him float to safety. Wait, did that mean they saw Zapdos.

"You kids go ahead and get out of here. We'll have the power plant back running in no time. We'll even make sure to clean out the generators so that the water will properly filter again," another worker called out.

"Thanks again for saving us," another worker exclaimed, "Especially you."

The worker along with the rest of them were looking at Zapdos. It was a great honor to meet with a legendary Pokémon. Ash and Serena looked at Zapdos and back at the workers.

"I'm glad that most of you are alright, I'm sorry about the other workers," Ash gravely said.

"We'll report it to the police and tell them everything that has happened," another worker said.

"Please don't tell anyone about Zapdos," Serena told everyone while taking a look at Zapdos, "If they find out that Zapdos was in here, people could be on the trail looking for it."

"We promise not to mention anything about Zapdos being here. If there is any footage of that Pokémon in our security footage, we'll delete it," another worker told them, "Zapdos is a legendary Pokémon, and it's best we respect its privacy."

Ash and Serena were relieved that everyone in the power plant we're not going to say anything about Zapdos being in here. It was bad enough they had Team Rocket in here, and who knows if they found out about Zapdos. There would be no doubt that Team Rocket would look for clues to hunt it down for themselves.

"Thank you everyone," Serena said giving a bow.

" _Come now, I'll take you out of here and back to civilization,"_ Zapdos told Ash and Serena.

The two were ready to depart from the power plant. After they returned all of their Pokémon, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu hopped on Zapdos while Rotom Dex floated by their side. This was unreal, Ash and Serena were about to ride on a legendary Pokémon. Even though the flight would be short, this was an amazing once in a lifetime experience.

Everyone in the power plant were looking on in disbelief as the legendary bird Zapdos was giving a lift to two Pokémon trainers out of the power plant. The workers, the Grimer, the Magnemite, the Magneton, and the lead Magnezone all looked up in utter awe.

Magnezone along with its team never got the chance to thank Ash and Serena along with Zapdos in saving the power plant. One thing was for sure, the staff were going to contact the police and try to tell a story of what happened without mentioning this legendary bird. No one should know about it except the people in the room.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Professor Oak's Lab**_

It was the middle of the afternoon at Pallet Town. Professor Oak invited Delia, Grace, Jade, and Rose over for tea. Delia even had Mimey go out and play with the Pokémon on the ranch and Grace and Jade had Happy do the same.

Delia was happy to have some company in Mimey. The truth was Delia was becoming lonely and despite purchasing the Mime Jr. from a Team Rocket operation, Mimey was a great addition to the Ketchum household. She treated Mimey like he was her own son watching him eat his meals, cuddling in her arms, and Delia even helps put him to sleep like her own child. What's also amazing is that at times, Mimey helps Delia clean around the house with a little feather duster. If Mimey ever becomes a Mr. Mime, then he could do expand his housekeeping abilities and possibly even help her out in the garden.

Grace and Jade were also happy to be taking home the Happiny they called Happy, even though he was also purchased from Team Rocket's casino. Grace and Jade were raising Happy just like they raised Serena, minus the Rhyhorn racing training. The two have cared for the Playhouse Pokémon ever since they got it from the casino, even treating him like their own child. It might be the effects of them missing their daughter.

"It's great to hear that your baby Pokémon are doing so good," Oak complemented.

"Yeah, ever since we brought them home from Celadon City, I felt like we could be at ease. I mean we do miss our kids dearly, but at least we can keep that void filled by giving more love to someone," Delia kindly said.

"That's great to hear, and I'm proud of you," Oak said as he then turned to Rose, "I'm surprised you didn't get yourself a Pokémon."

"Samuel, I'm fine. I got Daniel at home who I can spend some time with," Rose told Oak.

Now everyone was looking at Leaf with some narrowed eyes. Rose should've known what she said making it sound like she doesn't miss Leaf at all.

"I mean I do miss my Leaf, but I just haven't felt the complete loneness like Delia, Grace, and Jade have," Rose said with a pale look on her face which relaxed when she looked at the three mothers once more, "But I'm happy for you ladies. I'm glad you got those Pokémon."

"Despite the fact that they were being sold by Team Rocket?" Oak questioned.

"Professor Oak, despite ending up getting Pokémon sold by a criminal organization, I was glad to take Happy and give her a nice home," Grace answered kindly.

"Yeah, if they stayed at the casino, they would've likely been dead," Jade added.

Jade made a point. There were many Pokémon who were not healthy inside those cages. While the mothers were worried for their children's safety, they were thankful Ash and Serena were able to put a stop to it.

"Well I believe you will be great parents to those Pokémon, and who knows when Daisy comes by, Mimey and Happy can have a playdate with Cubone," Oak suggested.

"That would be so exciting, I could even have my sister come over with Chu Chu so they can play together," Delia happily said with a hint of praise.

The women were no stranger to the news that Daisy adopted a baby Cubone. She did not mention anything about the run in with Team Rocket or how they were the ones who murdered Cubone's mother. There was enough drama with Team Rocket when the women were in Celadon City.

"I agree Delia, but Daisy believes her main purpose of taking care of that Cubone is so she can gain some experience as a mother. Not to mention both her and Cubone can relate to the fact they both lost their mothers at a young age," Oak explained.

"I think Daisy would be perfect to be Cubone's surrogate mother," said Rose.

"Indeed, she also believes it will help her become a stronger person and it could help her reach out to Gary. I know my grandson has always been so arrogant but might be to the fact that she still is coping over his mother and he's too afraid to show it," Oak explained.

What Professor Oak said was true. Gary has always been arrogant to everyone, but mostly towards Ash. With his father being the Kanto Champion and being away at Pokémon League HQ most of the time along with his grandfather always working at the lab, Gary has been lonely. Gary does fear that the one person he has been able to be with, his twin sister Daisy, could be off doing her own thing and Gary would have no one.

Then all of the thoughts stopped when Professor Oak heard something. It was one of his Pokémon transferring machines which means someone caught another Pokémon.

"Excuse me ladies, but it looks like someone got a new Pokémon," Oak commented as he got up from his chair.

Professor Oak left the room and entered another room where he saw the machine lighting up. Oak smiled as he saw a Pokeball appear in front of him. The data showed at the Pokémon was caught by Ash Ketchum. Oak couldn't have been happier as he just caught a Haunter and Krabby recently that came to his lab for a brief time. Ash swapped them out for Bulbasaur and Scyther, and now Ash just got another Pokémon.

"Well it seems Ash is on a hot run, this is the third Pokémon in less than a few days," Oak happily said as he smiled at the Pokeball, "Let's see what Ash has gotten me this time."

Professor Oak picked up the Pokeball and opened it up to reveal a Muk. Oak was terrified and had to cover his nose due to the awful stench Muk was giving out. When Muk saw Professor Oak, he wanted to start his new leaf right away, and what better than to show affection to the first human he's seeing. That would make Ash happy.

"Good lord, I wonder why Ash would send me a Muk!" Oak exclaimed in terror, "Yuk!"

The ladies were sitting at the table hearing Professor Oak's struggles. The only thing they could do is giggle as they figured that a new Pokémon just arrived and is very affectionate towards the professor in just seconds.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Testing Lab**_

The scientists were prepared to do more testing with the Master Ball. Professor Namba was going to be returning to headquarters soon to check in on Mewtwo. He was hoping that Archer and Petrel could hold the fort down in his absence and call him if something were to come up.

The rocket scientists continued to practice the Master Ball's perfect capture on Lapras. Hector was forced to make sure Lapras was at 100% percent so that the scientists could see if the Master Ball works. While Hector was taking care of her, Lapras wasn't feeling fond of the fact that these people wanted to use her as a test subject.

Hector approached Lapras with the rocket scientists behind them. He had a dark look on his face. Lapras wasn't sure to believe if Hector was betraying her, or that these work people are putting him up to it.

"Laa," Lapras uttered.

"Not now Lapras, we have to make sure that it works this time," Hector told Lapras as he went into thought, _"Please let it work this time."_

Hector couldn't bear to be doing this to Lapras. He felt like he created a great friendship with the Transport Pokémon only now to throw it all away for work. Hector along with the rest of the scientists have been working on the Master Ball day and night with little rest. Team Rocket was not going to let them go until the Master Ball was done and perfected for Mewtwo.

Hector tossed the Master Ball inside of Lapras. The ball wiggled around a couple of times before it dinged. While it did signify that Lapras was caught, it didn't signify that the Master Ball was fully capable of a perfect capture rate.

"Alright, it looks like Lapras has been caught," Hector said looking at the Master Ball.

"Very good, now for the next order of business. Lapras needs to do everything in her power to break out of that Pokeball while at full health. Once she has been captured in the Master Ball, ONE THOUSAND CONSECTUTIVE TIMES, then this should indicate the Master Ball is fully complete," Namba explained.

Well this was just great. Now Hector has to capture Lapras a whole bunch of times more to indicate that the Master Ball is fully capable of capturing a Pokémon at 100%.

"If there should be a breakout, then we will continue to advance the ball until that Lapras is caught a thousand straight times," Namba announced.

As they were continuing the experiments with the Master Ball, Professor Namba got a call from his Pokegear. Namba was hoping it was either the executives, or Cassidy and Butch. However, when he saw the caller ID, it was one of their spies. Why would one of the spies be calling Namba? They usually call the executives, Giovanni, or Ariana. Namba figured since they were with Team Rocket, there was no harm in taking the call.

"Keep working boys, I have to take this call," Namba told everyone as he answered his Pokegear, "This is Professor Namba."

"Hello, this is rocket agent Raymond," the rocket named Raymond said on the other line.

"Ah Raymond, one of our spies in Lavender Town. How are you?" Namba asked.

"Not so good after what has happened here recently," Raymond answered.

"I know, those bastard kids that get in Team Rocket's way tried to mess with our ghost Pokémon operation, but for some apocalyptic reason those three screws up ended up snagging the Pokémon for us," Raymond told Namba, "But that's not why I'm calling you."

"Why is that?" Namba questioned with a hint of a dark tone.

"The lights in Lavender Town are back on and the Pokémon Center is running again," Raymond sighed.

Professor Namba's eye twitched when he heard that. Cassidy and Butch were supposed to be in charge of taking control of the electricity in the Power Plant. How could it seemed that things were not under control?

"What happened and why are you telling me?" Namba questioned.

"The reason I'm calling you is I don't know how I'm going to break this to the bosses. I tried calling Cassidy and Bumps, but they've never answered," Raymond explained.

This didn't seem right. Everything for Team Rocket was running smoothly at the power plant. Why did things seem to go south all of a sudden?

"I have a theory those kids might have been behind it," Raymond muttered, "I did hear that they were going to investigate the power plant."

Namba took a deep breath to relax himself. He looked back to see that Hector was tossing the Master Ball at Lapras who was crying. The ball wiggled and dinged once more.

"That's three," Hector uttered.

"Let me try and get in touch with them," Namba told Raymond as he put Raymond on hold.

Professor Namba went into his caller ID and pulled out Cassidy's number. Namba hit call and all he was hearing was static. He then tried the same with Butch and just like Cassidy, all he was hearing was static. Namba was getting infuriated, how could those two not answer. Professor Namba went back to Raymond on the other line.

"I just tried calling them both. Neither are answering," Namba muttered, "It makes me wonder that something must've happened to them."

There was silence on both sides. How were they going to explain this to Giovanni and Ariana?

"Are you going to tell them?" Raymond questioned.

"I'll report this to our bosses and tell them that I've heard it from you. They're not going to be happy with this. Something does tell me that those two kids were behind this," Namba answered to Raymond, "Thank you for telling me this."

"My pleasure sir," Raymond responded.

Professor Namba ended the call and turned over to the scientists. They already have recorded five straight captures on Lapras, only nine-hundred and ninety-five to go. Namba had an utter look on his face.

"I have to report something to the bosses, keep going with the capturing. If anything happens let me know," Namba addressed to the scientists.

With that, Professor Namba left the room. Despite him being gone, Hector knew that he was going to be watched from every angle. He didn't want to take his chances, so he had to keep up with these captures.

Hopefully he would reach a thousand straight quickly.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-President's Office**_

Ariana was sitting in her desk going through some papers. So far the process on Mewtwo has been going exceptionally well. The only question was how would Mewtwo act when it awakens.

Even though she was one of the co-bosses of Team Rocket, there was one thing Ariana wanted. Not only was she helping lead this organization to world domination, she wanted revenge on her family. She lived a happy life with her parents and siblings until her parents made a decision that impacted her life. There was one thing she wished for and that was to travel around the world being a Pokémon trainer with her siblings, but this decision caused her dreams to be setback.

Ariana didn't take it well as time would cause her dream to just become a dream. She grew grim and miserable that what she was hoping for would not be coming true. After a few years, this took decision her parents made took a toll on her and eventually, she ran away to be a trainer by herself.

Throughout the years Ariana has become quite a strong Pokémon trainer traveling through different regions, and she did it without anyone's help. But as those years went by, she did become lonely, but she never wanted to go back home. Then when she was in Kalos, she ended up making a friend. The two of them got along pretty well and while Ariana still felt the pain from her family, it did ease it a little bit. However, just like her family, she ends up backstabbing her as well when she meets another girl and decides to be friends with her because she felt lonely. Her so called friend did suggest that she could hang out with them but decided against it as if she was starting to hog her so called friend.

She never wanted to think of her name because it would only bring back those bad memories of when she left her. After that, Ariana refused to be with anyone. She only focused on getting her Pokémon stronger, and then one day she met Giovanni.

Giovanni noticed her urgency of gaining power and just like Ariana, he too was feeling with people he couldn't stand. The two talked about their dark times and then they agreed that they could work together to become powerful and bring others with them to help them do their bidding. It was then that Team Rocket was born. They would aim for world domination as a way to get revenge on those who have crossed them, and Ariana would get her revenge on her family for taking away her dream.

Then throughout time, the two got married and had a child together named Silver. However, their son wanted nothing to do with Team Rocket and ran off to be a Pokémon trainer by himself. Giovanni disowned Silver for not following his orders, but Ariana deep down still cared for him as he was family, better than the one she used to have. Ariana knew that Silver kind of had the mental resemblance of herself, running away because of parental decisions.

When Silver ran away, Ariana has been noticing that Giovanni seemed to only care about his revenge and not about her and their son. Sure, Ariana wanted revenge on her family, but she knew it was Silver's decision not to be part of Team Rocket, and somewhere deep down…way deep down, she appreciated that. It also made her see a dark light in Giovanni as in she would take this form of betrayal again like with her family and her so called friend in Kalos.

Ariana was afraid to talk to Giovanni about that topic so when she needed to vent something out, she turned to one of his highest ranked executives, Archer. While Ariana talked to him, Archer appreciated Ariana's feelings. Ariana felt comfortable talking to Archer and as time went by, she began to get close to him. Now she was having an affair with one of her husband's most trustworthy executives.

Ariana snapped out of her thoughts when she received a phone call. Ariana looked at her Pokegear and saw it was Cassidy. It looks likes Cassidy was calling to give a report on the power plant. Ariana took the call.

"Hello Cassidy, calling to give a status report?" Ariana questioned with a smirk.

"Oh, this isn't Cassidy from Team Rocket," the voice responded with a demanding tone, "This is the power plant chief letting you know that your unit has been taken down!"

Ariana's eyes widened and she was trying to make an angry grin. This can't be! Team Rocket lost control of the power plant. How was that possible? Cassidy and Butch had everything completely under control.

"What," Ariana growled.

"Are you by any chance the leader of Team Rocket?" the chief asked.

"Well, I'm actually one of the leaders," Ariana answered in an angry tone, "Did you say my men have been overthrown!?"

"That's right, not only have all of your subordinates been overthrown, but they are dead! How did they die, that I will not tell you to protect the identity of that who killed them and ended your reign!" exclaimed the power plant chief.

Ariana was breathing heavily through her nose. Not only did Team Rocket lose control of the Kanto Power Plant, but Cassidy, Butch, and all of the rockets inside were killed. The chief said he wasn't going to tell her how they died to protect the identity of who killed them.

The rocket boss started to have images in her head. She knew who was the one who killed her subordinates. Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena! They always get in their way and now here they are killing Team Rocket's men.

"Was it a boy and a girl?" Ariana angrily questioned.

"As I said, I will not tell you the identity of the one who killed you're soldiers. Just letting you know that we have control of the power plant once again. As for you pieces of scum, you're lucky no one knows where you guys are thriving, but just a reminder that judgement day will come for you one day. Goodbye," the power plant chief responded as he ended the call.

Ariana heard that the power plant chief would not reveal the identity of the one who killed their men. Either it was Ash Ketchum or Serena Gabena then. Either way, those two were complete parasites getting in their way.

Professor Namba walked into the office with a concerned look on his face. Namba could tell that Ariana was pissed off about something. He was going to have a hard time breaking the news from Raymond about the power plant.

"Where's Giovanni?" Namba nervously asked.

"He's taking business calls. Giovanni has developed business skills for when we purchase the Silph Company so that those other companies know were professional," Ariana answered as she then had a questioning look, "So what do you need?"

"I wanted to report that one of our spies has just called us to let us know that the electricity in Lavender Town is back on meaning the process of re-directing the electricity towards here and headquarters has been disrupted," Namba reported.

Ariana let out a loud grunt as she just got a call from the chief of operations in the Kanto Power Plant.

"I already know. Apparently someone from the power plant called to let me know that our unit is dead!" Ariana yelled, "They wouldn't tell us who it was, but we should know who it was. Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena."

Namba heard those names. Team Rocket was aware of Ash and Serena meddling with Team Rocket's affairs for the past couple of months.

"Yes, I've heard from our spy that those two kids were going to investigate the power plant, and thus they messed everything up again," Namba responded.

"Not to mention they have killed more of our men," Ariana muttered, "Giovanni is not going to be happy when he hears this."

And with bad timing, Giovanni approached the president's office and confronted both Ariana and Namba. These two have already heard the bad news, and Giovanni was a man who would blow a gasket when he hears what Ash and Serena did. Giovanni already hated Ash's father and he has grown to hate him along with his girlfriend.

"I've finished with my business calls with Devon in Hoenn and Poketech in Sinnoh. We had to discuss marketing issues on some products with Poketech while Devon was interested in the status report on the Master Ball," Giovanni told his wife and Namba.

Giovanni was then smirking at an idea. Maybe once Mewtwo has come to being, he might consider having Silph become a monopoly and buy out Devon and Poketech as well. However, it's not a good time to be thinking about that now as they had to focus on the business of right now. Giovanni then looked at Ariana and Namba whom both had grim looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Giovanni asked as his tone became dark knowing something went wrong.

Ariana looked down at her desk and shook her fists. They heard what happened at the power plant, and they were wondering how Giovanni would act.

"Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena ruined our plans at the power plant and killed the entire rocket unit that was in there," Ariana muttered.

"Are you telling me that Cassidy and Biff are dead?" Giovanni questioned while growling, "Are you telling me Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena have killed more of our rockets?"

Giovanni's veins were showing as he looked angry like a Primeape ready to go on a rampage. They weren't going to like what they were going to say.

"Yes, the people in the power plant grabbed one of our rocket's Pokegear to confirm that they are dead. They say they wouldn't say who did it, but we know it was them," Ariana confirmed.

Giovanni then slammed his fist on the door in which is slam was so powerful it created a hole in the door. Giovanni was heavily breathing from his anger as he pulled his hand out of the door.

"Who brought!" Giovanni screamed.

"Jessie, James, and Meowth were not anywhere near there," Ariana confirmed.

"How is this possible! We had every worker in the power plant captured, we had all of their Pokémon do our bidding, Petrel even sent in a Grimer gang to patrol the sewers!" Giovanni roared.

"I don't know, but it has come to terms that these kids are a threat," Ariana told Giovanni.

Giovanni looked down and reflected on what they have done. Not only was one of them considered to be Red's son, but he has a feeling he might be an acquaintance to the Oak twins. Giovanni also hated the Oaks. But the boss rocket knew that if those two kids were still around, they were going to continue causing problems.

"Hunt them down and kill them," Giovanni uttered.

"What?" Ariana questioned.

"I don't care what you do. Contact our spies and tell them that if they see those two bastards, kill them on sight," Giovanni ordered.

Ariana and Namba couldn't believe it. Has Giovanni's hatred for them gone too far?

"Giovanni if we have any of our spies go after them, we could be exposed," Ariana said trying to reason with her husband.

Giovanni had a dark look on his face and approached Ariana slamming his hands on the desk. He was completely furious, and it caught Ariana's attention. Giovanni then grabbed his wife by the dress and gave a threating look at her.

"I don't care! I want them dead!" Giovanni yelled while spitting.

"Giovanni, I'm not going to have our spies kill them," Ariana argued.

"Shut up!" Giovanni screamed as he slapped his wife across the face, "Those two bastard kids keep ruining our plans! If they continue to breathe, they will disrupt Mewtwo! They already fucked up the casino!"

Ariana wiped her face after the pain she got from the slap. That slap was indeed a sign knowing that Giovanni would screw her over as well, just like her family and her former friend from Kalos.

"I agree with you Giovanni, I want those kids dead. However. we can have our spies keep track of them and have some of our agents abduct them," Ariana suggested.

Ariana hated both Ash and Serena as much as Giovanni does, but she knew to be reasonable. After all, if Ariana wanted to get her revenge on her family, she would need to think carefully. Giovanni listened to what Ariana said. He hates the idea because he wants those kids dead immediately, but if they just jump, they could land a huge blow on themselves.

"Alright then, you win. Our spies will keep an eye on Ash Ketchum and Serena Gabena. We'll seize them once they get somewhere where they can put their movements on hold for a little while," Giovanni addressed.

"Thank you," Ariana replied.

"Alright," Giovanni replied as he then turned to Namba, "How is the Master Ball going?"

"We're testing it now on a Lapras one of the scientists possess. Once he captures the Pokémon a thousand times straight, then we can consider the Master Ball complete," Namba reported.

"Good work, at least something is going right," Giovanni replied, "What about Mewtwo?"

"Mewtwo is showing some life pulses, but it looks like the clone will be ready to awaken as schedule," Namba addressed, "Archer and Petrel are monitoring the Pokémon as we speak."

"Excellent work Namba, everything is going according to plan," Giovanni said as he walked out, "I'm going out to smoke. All of this is giving me a headache."

With that Giovanni walked out of the room. Ariana and Namba knew that Giovanni was livid and that he was ready to take someone out. Sometimes Team Rocket feared that Giovanni's anger and hatred could lead to his downfall.

As Giovanni was walking out of the room, he couldn't help but think of Ash and Serena. If he can recalled, Proton told him that they were in Pokémon Tower with Daisy Oak. Giovanni assumed that the Oak's lived in Pallet Town as Blue has lived there all of those years, and so has Red.

Giovanni was starting to put the pieces together. If Ash was Red's son and Daisy is Blue's daughter and Samuel's granddaughter, and Ash and Serena have known each other for almost four years and have been connected with Daisy along with possibly her twin brother Gary, then Giovanni may assume that Ash and Serena lived in Pallet Town.

Giovanni smirked and figured that Pallet Town was where they lived. He just needed to get evidence to confirm that. Once he does, in addition to trying to kill Ash and Serena, he could go after their loved ones too. Such as Ash's mom Delia, and Serena's mothers Grace and Jade.

Giovanni was going to make sure Team Rocket had their way with them.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town**_

After about ten minutes, Zapdos landed on the outskirts of Lavender Town. Ash and Serena hopped off Zapdos with Pikachu and Rotom Dex following behind. It was best to be on the outskirts so that no one could notice Zapdos was around.

It was an amazing experience riding upon Zapdos, even if it was only for a brief amount of time. Zapdos of course reminded them once more about the dark force approaching while on the flight, and that would be in the back of Ash's and Serena's minds.

"Thanks again Zapdos," Ash gratefully said giving a bow.

" _It is my pleasure. Now didn't have some business you needed to take care of,"_ Zapdos replied.

"Yeah, I have to head to the Pokémon Center. I'm hoping Krabby is alright," Ash said with a hint of worry.

"We got to also see if the power is running again," Serena told Zapdos.

" _I wish for the best for that Krabby. As for me, I shall take my leave. Once you have defeated the first dark force, I shall return,"_ Zapdos told Ash and Serena.

The Electric Pokémon began to ascend back into the air with Ash and Serena watching. As they saw Zapdos begin to fly off, they couldn't help but recall its message about the three dark forces and that one of them was drawing upon. One thing was certain, they had to enjoy their peace while they can.

* * *

 _ **Lavender Town-Pokémon Center**_

The two arrived at the Pokémon Center and they were relieved to see that the lights were back on. Great, the power plant is up and running again! As Ash and Serena arrived at the front desk, there was no one there.

"The power just came back on," one of the officers said, "Give Nurse Joy some time with the Pokémon."

Well it made sense, since the Pokémon Center was up and running again, Nurse Joy's first course of action is to save the Pokémon. Ash and Serena were not aware yet of the casualties that took place in this Pokémon Center.

"So, what happened since we left?" Serena asked.

The officer looked down and had a grim look on his face. He knew

"Most of the Pokémon were starting to get into worse condition and…Nurse Joy lost four Pokémon," the officer gravely replied.

Both Ash and Serena hung their heads down and so did Pikachu. As fear, Pokémon ended up dying in the hands of Team Rocket's work. Ash was shaking his fists. What was Team Rocket trying to accomplish by sending electricity to their headquarters along with another unknown place?

"Team Rocket," Ash uttered.

"Team Rocket?" the officer questioned.

"Team Rocket was the one interfering with the electricity. They took control of the power plant which caused the power outage here, and they also had a gang of Grimer running the sewers to disrupt the water filtering to the generators which lead to the polluted water which is killing these Pokémon," Serena explained angrily.

The anger was there. They wished they could've stopped Team Rocket sooner, but they spent all night inside a damp room with all the workers, and the rockets had guns that prevented them from fighting back. That organization was so vile.

"We were able to stop them and disband the gang of Grimer," Serena stated.

"I wish we could've stopped them sooner so that none of these Pokémon had to die, but because of them, four Pokémon are gone," Ash solemnly said.

Ash they have mourned for those four poor Pokémon, Ash was thinking about something else. Was Krabby among the four Pokémon that died? Ash was hoping he wasn't. That the first Pokémon they found in the bacteria infected water. Ash would have to wait to see if Krabby was alright.

* * *

 _ **2 hours later**_

It was already approaching evening and Ash and Serena were sitting in the lobby waiting for Nurse Joy. They would've given her their Pokémon, but she already had so much to work with. Then after waiting for two hours, Nurse Joy finally approached the front desk in which Ash made a run towards the nurse.

"I already heard that four Pokémon have died," Ash replied, "Please tell me there aren't any more."

Nurse Joy hung her head down when she heard that. They've already have heard about the four dead Pokémon, and the two were hoping that there weren't any more to be added to that list during those last two hours.

"It's true that four Pokémon are dead, but once the electricity came back on I was able to help care for these Pokémon. The police even gave me a hand in the care," Nurse Joy explained, "I'm happy to tell you that all the Pokémon are going to be alright now thanks to you."

Ash and Serena let out a sigh of relief. No more Pokémon were going to suffer in the hands of this power outage.

"The police got a call from the power plant that Team Rocket was behind this and that a boy with a red cap and a girl with a pink hat came in and stopped them," Nurse Joy explained, "We heard you two were going to investigate the power plant, and it seems not only did you find the cause of the power outage and the polluted water, but you resolved it too."

Nurse Joy was finishing that sentence with some sort of praise towards Ash and Serena. It looks like the power plant recognized their bravery and Nurse Joy managed to get the word. Thankfully they didn't mention anything about Zapdos being in there. There was still one question on Ash's mind, the status of Krabby.

"Nurse Joy, that Krabby I found on the shoreline. How is he?" Ash asked as he began to look down, "Please don't tell me Krabby fell into the category of those four Pokémon."

"It was tough like with the rest of the Pokémon, but Krabby was able to hang on. He can now recover thanks to you," Nurse Joy kindly said, "Krabby should be back at full strength tomorrow afternoon."

"Really, thanks Nurse Joy," Ash happily said until he looked behind her, "Can I see him?"

"Of course," Nurse Joy answered.

* * *

 _ **1 minute later**_

Ash was led to a bed that contained Krabby. As Ash looked at the River Crab Pokémon, he could see that Krabby's skin was starting to strengthen up again and that the rest of his body was still intact. Krabby was sleeping peacefully as he was starting to recover.

Ash walked up to the sleeping Krabby, and he, Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex couldn't help but smile. Krabby was starting to heal from the bacteria in the water. It might be some time before Krabby can actually return to the water, but Ash would give him all the time he needed.

"How are you feeling Krabby?" Ash asked.

Krabby clamped his pincers as a way of saying he's doing fine. It felt good to know that Krabby was in good spirits and was pretty strong.

"Well I'm glad you're doing okay," Ash said.

Ash decided to take a seat next to Krabby. He took off his hat and placed it on a nightstand. Ash was the one who saved Krabby and he felt like it was right that he should be on his side while he's healing.

Krabby was then speaking to Ash. Rotom Dex was catching on to what Krabby was saying and translated it.

"Krabby says thanks for saving my life back there," Rotom Dex told Ash.

"Krabby listen, me and Serena found out why the water was polluted, and you got sick," Ash told Krabby as he was going to explain what happened, "There are these horrible people called Team Rocket and nearby where you were was a power plant. They were trying to control the flow of electricity and in result it messed up the water filtering system on their hydroelectric generator which also caused a power outage in this Pokémon Center."

Krabby had no idea what Ash was talking about.

"What I'm trying to say is that Team Rocket were the ones responsible for the polluted water that got you sick and the power outage to prevent Nurse Joy from healing you, and the worst part they enjoyed it," Ash said gritting his teeth and shaking his fists.

Ash let those thoughts of those dead Pokémon get back into his head as he can recall Team Rocket's actions led to those Pokémon dying, not to mention their executive Proton happily murdered a Marowak.

"But thanks to me and Serena, we put a stop to it to save you and whatever Pokémon we could save," Ash said with tears coming from his eyes, "I didn't want anything happening to you."

Krabby let Ash's words sink in. Despite just meeting him, Ash showed he really cared for him. Going out of the way to help one Pokémon where in the end he ended up trying to help a lot more Pokémon. As tears fell from Ash's eyes, Krabby could understand that he can trust this boy.

Krabby then spoke again in which Rotom Dex translated.

"Krabby is asking if he can come with you," Rotom Dex told Ash.

Ash's eyes widened when he heard that. True he caught Krabby, but only for quicker and easier transportation and in hopes he wouldn't end up worse. Now Ash is hearing that Krabby wants to actually join him. Krabby once again spoke.

"He says that after saving his life, it's the least he could do to repay you," Rotom Dex stated as he was translating, "He says that judging by your actions, he can trust you."

Ash was impressed with what he was hearing. He wouldn't have to release Krabby back into the water, he actually could have him as part of his team. This could benefit for Ash that he would now have another water-type Pokémon on his team, and the only other one he has is feeling too troubled to fight right now.

"Krabby, of course you can come with me," Ash happily said, "Once you're well, we can travel together, and I can help you become stronger than before."

Krabby then clamped his pincers once more in excitement. Awesome, it looks like Krabby was feeling better already and in high spirits.

"In that case, I officially welcome you to the team," Ash said as he stuck his hand out.

It really was a great day for Ash and Krabby as he now got Krabby to join him. Krabby then stuck his pincer out and as the two began to shake hands (or pincers) Krabby's pincer ended up clamping Ash's hand.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ash screamed.

Serena, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex couldn't help but laugh at the pain Ash was in. Poor Ash, he should've known better that Krabby has pincers and he could clamp him. Krabby then shook the back of his head as he didn't realize he just hurt Ash.

* * *

 _ **2 hours later**_

It was now nighttime, and it was about time for everyone to head to bed. It really was a long day for Ash and Serena, or a long two days if they can recall. They find a sick Krabby near polluted water, they take it to the Lavender Town Pokémon Center only for the power to go out, they investigate the power plant only to be captured by Team Rocket, they fight back against Team Rocket only to the rockets to be killed by none other than Zapdos, Zapdos forewarns them about three dark forces and how they play a part in stopping them, Ash catches a Muk who lead a gang, and to wrap everything up, Ash officially welcomes Krabby to the team.

Come to think of it, Ash would like to know how Muk was doing at Professor Oak's lab. Ash wasn't sure if he was still up, but he would like to see how he's doing along with the rest of his Pokémon. Ash went over to the video phone to call Professor Oak and see how he was doing. Then an image of Professor Oak appeared on the video screen.

"Who's there?" Oak asked as he then noticed Ash and Serena, "Oh, Ash and Serena, how pleasant it is to see you both."

"Hi Professor Oak," Ash and Serena both said in union cheerfully.

Then appearing from behind was none other than Muk. Professor Oak got terrified when he saw the Sludge Pokémon and he gave him a huge hug.

"I noticed that you got a Muk today Ash," Oak said as he was struggling in Muk's affectionate hug.

"Yeah, it was actually the leader of a gang, but he now has a change of heart and joined us," Ash explained, "And judging by how affectionate Muk is, I say that proves it."

Professor Oak was a little surprised when he heard that the Muk was part of a gang. Well Ash did say he had a change of heart, and maybe his clingy behavior towards the professor was a good thing.

"Well, at least I know this Pokémon should behave just well," Oak replied.

"That reminds me, how are my other Pokémon doing?" Ash asked.

"Yeah and how's Gyarados?" Serena asked, "I actually might consider bringing her back for a little while."

Professor Oak then found the strength to break free from Muk. He then told Muk to stay out of the way for the time being so he can talk to Ash. Muk backed away so he can have his space, but he still showed a happy look.

"Well Ash, Bulbasaur is doing quite well. He's actually has been a peacemaker for the Pokémon here at the ranch. So, while you're going to have Bulbasaur on your team when you feel you need him, I do intend that you keep him on the ranch from time to time just to keep the peace," Oak explained.

"That's great, and what about Scyther?" Ash asked.

"Well Scyther has been doing good. He's a pretty tough Pokémon. I know you caught him in Celadon City a little while ago, but it seems you have really grown a lot judging by how well trained he has been," Oak explained.

"That's because Scyther had a previous trainer," Ash grimly said, "He died, and I ended up filling his void by letting him come with me."

Oak felt as if that was pretty dark. It was no wonder it felt a lot stronger than a potential wild Scyther. Oak was amazed to see that Ash was going to let Scyther open up to him and give him a new home.

"Well I'm proud of you Ash. It shows how much you care for all Pokémon," Oak kindly said as he then turned to Serena, "And Serena, let me tell you about Gyarados."

Professor Oak was now starting to show a serious expression. Was there some sort of problem with this particular Gyarados? Serena wanted to know how Gyarados was doing after all.

"Your Gyarados is doing just fine. She has proven to be a loving caring Gyarados unlike most of them who turn out to be vicious," Oak explained.

"Well I wanted to give her all the love I could get after I got her as a Magikarp. It paid off and she evolved into Gyarados," Serena explained happily, "She might be caring, but she is tough."

"Amazing, but I want to get to another topic that is important," Oak said which got Serena's attention along with Ash's, "The earring on Gyarados's ear."

Serena remembers that earring. Gyarados for some reason felt attached to that marble that Serena ended up letting it act as an earring. Maybe there was some importance to that marble after all.

"Remember when you told me about those marbles you got, including the one on Gyarados's ear and I was going to talk to Professor Sycamore. Well I actually managed to speak to him, and he says that he actually will explain them to you," Oak explained, "Since it's about to be morning in the Kalos Region, I can give him a call to let him know that he can talk to you right now if that's okay.

Well this was going to be a treat for Ash and Serena. They were finally going to get answers on those marbles they've been finding.

"We actually would love that. He can call us here at the Lavender Town Pokémon Center right now," Serena happily suggested.

"And while we're at it, maybe we can talk to him about Frogadier and Braixen," Ash suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Oak exclaimed, "I'll give him a call right away. Stay near the video phones in case he calls."

Muk then approached Oak once more and gave him another huge hug. Ash and Serena couldn't help but laugh at Muk's antics. Maybe Ash will keep him in the lab for the time being before he lets Muk join him.

"Get off of me Muk," Oak said struggling with Muk, "Yuk!"

The screen went black indicating that the video call has ended. Ash feels that Muk will get along with Professor Oak just fine. Now they had to just sit and wait for a call from Professor Sycamore.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

Serena was sitting in the lobby along waiting for Professor Sycamore to call while Ash went back to Krabby's room to give him some company. Serena can now recall that her birthday is coming up in a couple of days. She's not sure what she wants to do for her birthday yet, but she does hope Ash can come up with something romantic. That's hoping that the upcoming dark force doesn't appear on her eleventh birthday.

Then there was a ringing sound on one of the video phones. Serena looked over and saw the number that appeared on the screen. Professor Oak shared the phone number with them, and from what was showing on the screen, it was Professor Sycamore's phone number. He was calling them right now!

Serena wanted to get Ash, but she was afraid she would completely miss the call by the time she got to Krabby's room and back. It was best that she took the call to ensure that they were here. Serena answered the call and Professor Sycamore's face appeared on the screen.

"Hello," Serena replied as she noticed Sycamore's face.

"Serena, how have you been?" Sycamore asked as he wanted to start a conversation.

Professor Sycamore has always seemed ecstatic when he sees Serena's face. Even though he is Serena's birth father and he was helping out Serena's moms in conceiving a child, he always felt like he had that father daughter connection with her. It makes him wonder when he could be a father himself. Augustine has already spoke to Sophie about possibly having a child of their own, but they still needed time to think if they were ready.

"I've been doing great. I got two Kanto ribbons and I still need three more to enter the Grand Festival," Serena answered telling him about her accomplishments, "I didn't do well in the last contest though."

"But you learned from it, didn't you?" Sycamore asked.

"Yes, I did, and I'm going to give a better performance when I compete at the Fuchsia City Contest," Serena answered.

"It's nice to see you got some high spirits," Sycamore said as he was now looking around in the lobby on the screen, "So where is Ash Ketchum?"

"Oh, hold on," Serena said politely.

Serena got off her seat and headed for Krabby's room. About a minute later, she remerged with Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex. Serena gestured Ash to the video phone with Pikachu hopping on his shoulder.

"Hello there Ash," Sycamore greeted.

"So, you must be Professor Sycamore," Rotom Dex rebutted showing itself to the professor.

Professor Sycamore was surprised by the floating Pokedex that appeared in front of him. Ash and Serena sheepishly scratched the back of their heads. They probably should've told him about Rotom Dex.

"Sorry Professor, that's Rotom Dex," Serena said gesturing to Rotom Dex, "Rotom Dex is serving as mine and Ash's Pokedex. Its been quite a help with Rotom Dex giving us directions to our destinations and helping us learn more about our Pokémon."

"I've always served a great honor helping Ash and Serena on their quest around the Pokémon world. I hope to achieve the goal of getting data on all Pokémon in the world," Rotom Dex said as it was giving a bow.

"Well you're such a cute looking Pokedex I see," Sycamore said.

"Oh professor!" Rotom Dex replied as it was now sheepishly scratching the back of its head, or screen.

"If you don't mind, could I talk to Ash and Serena. This is about something important. I will hope to get more from you later," Sycamore told Rotom Dex.

"Most certainly, I'm terribly sorry for interrupting this conversation," Rotom Dex said as it was giving a bow.

"It's alright," Sycamore replied.

Rotom Dex floated down to the ground to not get in the way of the conversation. Professor Sycamore then saw the Pikachu that was on Ash's shoulder.

"I see you got yourself a Pikachu there," Sycamore said noticing Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu responded waving hi.

"Yeah, we actually got this Pikachu from the Viridian City Pokémon Center. We befriended him and he agreed to travel with us," Ash explained showing him Pikachu, "However, he doesn't like Pokeballs so we're not putting him in one."

"I see, well Ash I can say that your Pikachu is friendly," Sycamore said.

"Ours," Serena rebutted, "Me and Ash have both agreed that we should share Pikachu together. Pikachu is actually fine with that, and he's even competed in one of my contests."

"Wow, that's amazing," Sycamore said in amazement.

"Yeah and let me tell you another thing about Pikachu. He's got a strange addiction to ketchup," Ash told the professor.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied with a giggle.

"Well that's interesting to hear," Sycamore replied laughing a little himself too.

Ash and Serena didn't want to mention Pikachu's past behavior with previous trainers who wanted to evolve him. Speaking of Pikachu's past, they were going to make sure Frogadier and Braixen were brought up in this conversation.

"Okay, enough with the small talk lets get down to business," Sycamore responded.

"Yes sir," Ash and Serena replied

"Pika," Pikachu replied as he knew that Sycamore was going to share something.

"I believe the reason I called you was involving two major topics. Let's start with the first one, the marbles you two have been coming across," Sycamore stated.

Well this was it Ash and Serena were going to learn about those strange marbles that they've been finding on their journey. Professor Sycamore was the one who knew things about those marbles so it would be great to hear about them.

"First, I want you to tell me where you got those marbles," Sycamore suggested.

Professor Sycamore heard where they got those special marbles from, but he needed Ash and Serena to confirm it to them.

"Well professor, me and Ash each have two of these marbles. I got the first one on the S.S. Anne," Serena confirmed.

Serena took a deep breath as she was going to explain what happened during the time she got her first marble.

"During our journey we came across a man who was trying to sell off a rare Pokémon. I ended up buying it and it turned out to be a Magikarp. I managed to take great care of that Magikarp and treat her like a friend, but then when we got on the S.S. Anne, I came across that salesman again. When I showed him that I kept Magikarp and that I was treating her like a friend, he then showed something that would make Magikarp very happy. It was that marble," Serena explained, "Magikarp wanted that marble badly and I wanted to make Magikarp happy, so I ended up buying it and that's how I got the first one."

"Well, that experience with him was pretty…interesting," Sycamore said feeling somewhat awkward.

Serena looks back at her first encounter and now smiles. While she ended up learning she was scammed, those three thousand Pokedollars she spent ended up saving hers and Ash's life as she evolved into Gyarados to help them escape the shipwreck. The other two thousand Pokedollars, she probably doesn't know yet that maybe that wasn't a scam either.

"Now for the second one you got?" Sycamore questioned.

"That was my first of the two I received. I actually got it from our friend's mother as a birthday present. She said it wouldn't be useful right now, but it would be in the future. She also suggested I should give it to Pidgeotto," Ash explained telling Sycamore about the second marble.

Sycamore smiled at how Ash's got his first of two marbles. He was impressed that he got it as a birthday present. These were the two Professor Oak informed him about earlier, but in his last call with him, he learned that Ash and Serena each got another one.

"Now the third one you got?" Sycamore questioned.

"That was my second one. During our time in Saffron City, I met an extremely skilled Pokémon Coordinator named Aria. We had a practice battle and she wiped the floor with me," Serena explained.

Sycamore was wondering to himself where did he hear that name before? He definitely remembers a girl named Aria competing for Kalos Queen in the most recent Master Class, but she ended up falling short. He wondered if that could be the same Aria. However, now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Anyway, after seeing me give Abra a chance in the Saffron City Pokémon Contest, even though it was a lost cause that I wouldn't make it past the appeal round, she decided to give me a marble that she told me would be for Abra, who by the way is now a Kadabra," Serena explained as she told her the story about the third marble.

When Sycamore heard that, the pieces were probably starting to fit together. That had to be the same Aria from the Kalos Master Class. He didn't have time to talk about it, but he hopes to speak more about it in the future.

"And I guess Ash got the last one?" Sycamore asked.

"That's right, after we helped Mr. Fuji bring peace to a ghost that was haunting the Pokémon Tower, and noticing that I caught a Haunter as well, he gave me another one of those marbles. He told me it was for Haunter, and he said I would know soon enough what it is," Ash explained.

From what Sycamore was hearing, all of these marbles they were getting were being meant for certain Pokémon. Also, it seems that Ash and Serena weren't finding them, but they were given to them.

"Well Ash and Serena, I have to say that you were probably more given those marbles than finding them," Sycamore explained.

Ash and Serena could agree that Professor Sycamore was right, however they still wanted the answer to their question about what the marbles are.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter if we found them, brought them, or given to us as gifts. The only question we want to know is what are they and why should they be given to certain Pokémon," Serena explained.

Sycamore took a deep breath and let out a warm smile. Ash and Serena were going to learn that those marbles they have been getting were actually Mega Stones.

"Well it has come to my attention that those marbles you kids have been finding are not just any normal marbles…they're Mega Stones," Sycamore announced.

Ash's and Serena's eyebrows rose up as high as they could. So, they were actually Mega Stones.

"Mega Stones?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, Mega Stones. They actually are one of three components to perform a special type of evolution. Something I've been researching for years. Mega Evolution," Sycamore stated.

The young Pallet Town couple was really taking this information in. Mega Evolution. Serena probably heard about it since it was famous for being used in Kalos, but she has little memories on that. Rotom Dex was listening in on the conversation but decided not to intervene for the time being.

"Mega Evolution?" Serena questioned, "I think I remember hearing about that, but barely."

"Allow me to explain. Mega Evolution is a form of evolution that allows your Pokémon to evolve even further changing their appearance, making them stronger or faster or both, and possibly give them different abilities and typing as well, but its only temporary. The three things you need to allow a Pokémon to Mega Evolve includes of course a Mega Stone for the Pokémon, a Key Stone for the trainer, and of course a great bond between the trainer and the Pokémon," Sycamore explained.

This really interested Ash and Serena. Mega Evolution sounds pretty awesome. They can only imagine how much stronger their Pokémon could be and what it can benefit. They wonder if they'll be able to perform it in the future. Ash would love to try it out in a gym battle or the Pokémon League, and Serena wonders if she can use it in a contest or the Grand Festival.

"However, not all Pokémon can Mega Evolve though because they don't have a Mega Stone for them," Sycamore explained, "Now I already know about the first two Mega Stones you got."

Professor Sycamore held out two photos. Ash and Serena realized that one was a picture of Serena's Gyarados posing with the Mega Stone as an earring, and another one where Ash's Pidgeotto holding the Mega Stone that he got from Rose on his birthday. Sycamore brought the pictures closer so Ash and Serena can get a closer look at the Mega Stones.

"That's Pidgeotto," Ash said noticing the picture of Pidgeotto.

"That's Gyarados!" Serena exclaimed.

"Correct, and Serena the Mega Stone your Gyarados has is called a Gyaradosite. When Gyarados is holding or in her case wearing the Mega Stone, it will allow her to Mega Evolve into a Mega Gyarados," Sycamore explained.

Serena gasped at when she heard that. That thing she brought at the S.S. Anne was a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve Gyarados. It was amazing to see that her 5000 Pokedollars was well spent now. Maybe the salesman was actually an angel in disguise.

"And Ash, the Mega Stone your Pidgeotto has is a Pidgeotite. However, it can't be used until Pidgeotto evolves into a Pidgeot, and when she does, she will become a Mega Pidgeot," Sycamore explained.

Well Ash had a bummer right there. Until Pidgeotto becomes Pidgeot, she would not be able to Mega Evolve.

"Now, can you show me the other two Mega Stones you got," Sycamore suggested, "I want to identify them."

"Sure, not a problem," Serena replied.

Ash and Serena reached into their backpacks, going through their belongings, and finding their other respective Mega Stones. Kadabra and Haunter weren't holding theirs right now, but maybe Ash and Serena should arrange to give them their stones.

Once they got out their Mega Stones, they held them up to the screen so Sycamore can have a close inspection on them. The professor was looking at their color pattern and taking the knowledge of the Pokémon Aria and Mr. Fuji told them to give those stones too, Augustine was able to reach a conclusion.

"Alright, judging by the color pattern and the Pokémon those people told you to give them too, that is an Alakazamite and a Gengarite," Sycamore stated.

Now Ash and Serena knew what the other two Mega Stones were. Now they just needed to figure out who they were for. Judging by what Aria and Mr. Fuji said, Ash and Serena have a good feeling which Pokémon would get them.

"Serena, the Alakazamite you have is for your Kadabra. Once you can evolve him into an Alakazam, he can use that Mega Stone to Mega Evolve into Mega Alakazam," Sycamore explained as he then turned to Ash, "And Ash, the Gengarite is for your Haunter when she evolves into Gengar. Then when Gengar holds that Mega Stone, she can become Mega Gengar."

"That's great to hear. I can't wait to try out Mega Evolution," Ash happily exclaimed.

It brought glee to Ash and Serena that not only did they learn about Mega Evolution, but all four Mega Stones combined were for Pokémon they already have once they hit their final evolution. However, there was still one question regarding Mega Evolution.

"Professor, there is just one more thing," Serena responded.

"What's that?" Sycamore questioned.

"You said that we need these things called Key Stones to make Mega Evolution work," Serena stated.

"That's right, and a great bond with that Pokémon," Sycamore stated.

"I know, but here's my question. Where can we get a Key Stone?" Serena asked.

Professor Sycamore wasn't surprised by Serena's question. He knew that a Key Stone was hard to come by. After hearing about the progress Ash has made with Frogadier and the progress Serena has made with Braixen, Professor Sycamore definitely considered Ash and Serena to have access to Mega Evolution.

Professor Sycamore did get word from some of his researchers that they may have found two more Key Stones. If what those researchers say is true, Augustine may consider giving them to Ash and Serena, but he didn't want to bring their hopes up.

"Key Stones are very difficult to come across Serena. Not many people have the opportunity to use Mega Evolution themselves," Sycamore explained solemnly, "The only two people I know who can use it are myself and the Kalos Champion Diantha."

Serena along with Ash hung their heads down. What Professor Sycamore said was true that Key Stones were hard to come by. They weren't completely shattered they just felt a little disappointed.

"Don't get your hopes down kids, I said they're hard to come by. I never said anything about you will never get a Key Stone," Sycamore reassured Ash and Serena.

The two started to have their spirits lifted back up when he said that.

"Listen, you two came across four Mega Stones combined which is not an easy feet in the region you two are traveling in. Who knows, you might stumble upon Key Stones one day," Sycamore happily stated.

Ash and Serena knew that Professor Sycamore was right. If they defined the odds coming across Mega Stones, they would eventually come across Key Stones they can call their own.

"You're right Professor. We managed to overcome so many obstacles on our journey and who knows, maybe a Key Stone will appear for us to have," Ash said giving a thumbs up.

"That's the spirit Ash. I hear from Professor Oak that you never give up until the end, he also says that's why Serena is the person she is today," Sycamore said.

"It's true," Serena kindly said nodding her head in affirmation, "He's the reason why I'm the person I am today and why I'm always having Braixen on my side, and his motto he lives by is the reason he has Frogadier on this side."

"Speaking of, now we have to get to the other major reason why I'm calling," Sycamore said as he now sounded a bit serious.

Bringing that topic up made Ash and Serena realize that Professor Sycamore also wanted to talk about the issue with Frogadier and Braixen and wonder if he has any answers towards their behavior.

"Ash, Serena, can I see Frogadier and Braixen," Sycamore suggested.

Ash and Serena turned and looked at each other. If what Zapdos said is true and they have little time to reach Frogadier's and Braixen's heart, then they needed to do something now. Talking with the man who gave them Frogadier and Braixen back when they were Froakie and Fennekin might be the best option as Professor Sycamore might have answers. Then again, he never had answers back when they lived in his lab.

"Alright," Ash said as he and Serena went silent.

The two reached for their Pokeballs and released their Pokémon. Frogadier and Braixen both materialized from their Pokeballs and once more, they were just standing there looking troubled.

Professor Sycamore looked at the two Pokémon in front of them. His heart warmed up when Professor Oak told him that Froakie and Fennekin both evolved in Celadon City and figured they have really moved on and grown up, but now here they were on the other side of the screen looking like they saw a murder.

The professor tapped on the screen but Frogadier and Braixen were showing no response. He wondered if Siegfried's action could have been more traumatizing than he expected.

"How long have they been like this?" Sycamore asked.

"They've been like that for the last couple of days. Now it's so bad they won't even battle," Ash uttered.

Professor Sycamore looked at the two Pokémon. He remembers the trauma that was passed onto them before hatching, but could it be something else.

"Did anything happen?" Sycamore asked.

"Yeah, I challenged the Saffron Gym and used Frogadier against Sabrina's Kadabra. Frogadier was beaten badly and suffered minor back spasms from being slammed around by Kadabra's psychic attacks. I'm figuring the loss took a huge toll on Frogadier because after that match, he hasn't done anything on the battlefield," Ash explained.

"Same for Braixen, she didn't suffer a major loss like Frogadier, but she kind of likes him. However, when Braixen was on Frogadier's side at the Pokémon Center when he was healing, I'd figure maybe her feelings for Frogadier might be stronger than she thinks and the mortified behavior may have rubbed off on her," Serena explained, "That's our best explanation as we can put it."

Professor Sycamore couldn't put his finger on why Frogadier and Braixen were acting like that. He knew them once they hatched and has saw their behavior. This was the exact behavior they had for the three years when they lived in his lab. The two Pokémon never interacted with anyone except each other. It was informed that Ash and Serena have been improving them since joining them on their Pokémon journey, but now it feels like all of that progress is being thrown away.

The professor knew one thing, he probably wasn't going to get any answers from the video phone. The only way he was going to get a better analysis on these Pokémon is if he met them in person. However, since they were Pokémon trainers registered by Professor Oak and not him, all of their Pokémon would go to Oak's ranch. There was only one thing he could do.

"Ash, Serena, you two are going to Fuchsia City next, am I correct?" Sycamore asked.

"Yeah, we are," Ash answered.

"Alright, I have a suggestion. I'm actually going to consider taking a plane to the Kanto Region and meeting you two in Fuchsia City. I think it would be better if I were to look at Frogadier and Braixen in person," Sycamore suggested, "I'll bring my wife Sophie with so she can help me. Trust me, she's good with Pokémon as well."

Ash and Serena were onto something. A visit from the man who gave them Froakie and Fennekin might be the best answer for the two trainers. Maybe Professor Sycamore might find the answers he could be looking for.

"I don't mind," Serena replied as she then looked Braixen with some tears coming from her eyes, "I just want to anything to make Braixen feel well again."

"I want the same for Frogadier," Ash said shakingly.

"I know you do, and so do I. In the meantime, do whatever you can to help and try and reach out to them. I wouldn't mind if you sent them over to Professor Oak so he can take a look at them," Sycamore suggested.

"I thought you wanted to," Ash replied.

"I am, but we can turn to other options. Just don't give them away," Sycamore told Ash and Serena.

"That's something I'll never do," Ash said placing his hand over his heart to symbolize a promise.

"Same here," Serena responded.

Professor Sycamore hoped that maybe taking a trip to Kanto could be the answer to finding out what's wrong with the two Kalos starters.

"Very well, I'll book a flight to Kanto and I'll meet you all in Fuchsia City. I'll let you know when I'll be leaving and when I arrive," Sycamore told Ash and Serena, "Stay strong for your Pokémon. We hope that if we come together, we can get to the bottom of this."

Ash and Serena nodded their heads as they looked at their Pokémon. Whatever is getting to Frogadier and Braixen, they hope to know what it is soon. In the meantime, they'll do everything they can to help them.

"We will get to the bottom of this," Ash declared.

"They deserve to be well again," Serena declared.

"I'm proud of you two kids that you aren't giving up on them," Sycamore said wiping a tear from his eye, "Well, it's probably getting late for you kids. I assume you want to go to bed."

"It's been a pretty long day. I think it's time for us to hit the sack," Ash said as he stretched his arms out, "Thanks for everything Professor Sycamore, me and Serena hope to see you soon."

"Same here. Goodnight," Sycamore responded.

"Goodnight," Ash and Serena both said in union.

The video call ended, and Ash and Serena solemnly looked at their two Pokémon. All of their Pokémon were a handful, but it was Frogadier and Braixen who always stood out. They've spent the most time with those two Pokémon, they were with Ash and Serena from the beginning. They seemed to open up to them and grown closer, but now it feels like everything is being undone for unknown reasons.

Ash and Serena recalled their Pokémon and headed for their rooms. It was a really long day for them with all that happened, and now they had a chance to rest. Still, many things linger in their head with what could happen.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **Southeast Kanto**_

The rangers in the area have stepped up their patrol ever since they've heard about what was coming. All of them were patrolling the area to make sure that the Pokémon were in safe places just in case.

Claude on the other hand was driving in his jeep with complete concern. He was taking a drive towards the big tree. He didn't want any other rangers, including Pedansky, knowing where he was going, because chances are they could report it to Shepard, and he would be out for that Munchlax's blood.

"I just need to know if the Pokémon in here are alright," Claude said to himself.

Claude approached the big tree and found the entrance to the grotto. If he may have recalled, this was the grotto where Munchlax and the rest of those Pokémon lived. Claude did feel guilty about disturbing the peace of these Pokémon. However, he needed to make sure these Pokémon were safe for when the time came.

Meanwhile inside the grotto, Munchlax has been doing nothing but sitting there. This Munchlax had the mindset to explore, but ever since his encounter with Shepard, he has been afraid to leave his home.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Munchlax was sitting down against the wall all slumped up. It was almost like he was drained of energy after what just happened. Seel on the other hand noticed Munchlax's mood and decided to join in. Nothing would do Munchlax better than to have some company._

" _How are you feeling Munchlax?" Seel asked._

" _What if that guy comes after me again?" Munchlax asked in a mutter, "What if he is waiting for me outside."_

" _Don't say that Munchlax," Seel told Munchlax._

" _He came after me because he thinks I'm with that group dad told me about that killed my mom," Munchlax cried._

 _Seel could understand how Munchlax felt. There were some wanted posters of rockets in the ranger station, so it's no surprise that the rangers agreed that the group known as Team Rocket was bad who committed evil deeds. However, Munchlax never did such a thing like that terrorist organization._

" _That ranger didn't understand the whole story. You weren't doing anything wrong," Seel said trying to comfort Munchlax, "It's just that there's people like that out there in the world."_

 _Munchlax took a deep breath and let Seel's words sink in. His father did tell him that there are bad humans out there like Team Rocket. How could Munchlax forget about the wisdom that his father gave him! Snorlax told him these things so he could be prepared for the outside world if he should leave the grotto._

" _Yeah, dad thinks its best I don't live here forever. He's even told me about bad humans…but he also told me there were some good humans," Munchlax told Seel._

 _Seel looked down and had a sad smile. It gave Seel reminders of his former trainer who died in a shipwreck. What Seel never told him was that his trainer was trying to help him escape and make sure he was alright._

" _Yeah, I know what you mean," Seel said as he patted Munchlax on the back, "My former trainer was a great man who I greatly respected. Of course, nature had to be cruel and take him away from me. But I know somewhere deep down, he was hoping that at least I was alright."_

 _Munchlax could tell where Seel was going with this. It's like what his father told him about his former trainer Red. He released him so he can start a life with his mother. Red proved to be a good human and it was thanks to him that he's here today looking out after those Pokémon and more importantly, the reason Munchlax exists._

" _The point is at least thanks to the love I got from him, I became strong enough to continue living a healthy lifestyle on my own and find salvation. That's what got me to keep going and help me meet your father," Seel explained._

 _Seel was right, if Munchlax continued to sit here in fear of Shepard, he would be missing out on many of life's opportunities._

" _The point is everybody is going to be around to help you get stronger. Just give it some time and let your experience with Shepard pass by," Seel told Munchlax._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Munchlax knew that Seel was right, he needed to overcome that encounter. He just needed to give himself some time and with the help of the Pokémon in the grotto and his father, Munchlax would be back to his old self.

Munchlax was not aware of the fact that Claude was watching from the opening and neither were any of the other Pokémon. Claude did feel some relief knowing that the Pokémon in there were alright for the most part.

With that, Claude got into his jeep and took off. The only Claude could think of now is as long as those Pokémon remain in that grotto, they should be alright from what's going on.

* * *

 _ **Ranger's Station**_

Claude was listening to his radio as he was driving back to the ranger station. Sometimes listening to some tunes can calm the nerves down of Shepard. Speaking of which, Claude noticed that he was standing in front of the station with his arms crossed. Was Shepard waiting for him on something, or did he have something important to tell Claude?

Claude approached the ranger station, turned off his radio, and got out of the jeep. Claude took a deep breath to keep his composure and approached his boss in a professional manner. Shepard had what appeared to be a disapproving stern look on his face. It feels like Claude may have done something wrong.

"Claude," Shepard addressed.

"Ranger Claude reporting for duty," Claude addressed.

"Enough of that, I want to know where you've been," Shepard responded.

"I was patrolling the area to make sure that all Pokémon were safe and not around the property," Claude addressed in a professional tone.

Shepard had a suspicious look on his face. He couldn't trust Claude one bit as he can already know something was up. Claude was thinking to himself how could he know that he was doing something wrong.

"Exactly where in the area?" Shepard questioned.

Claude was wondering why Shepard wanted to know about everywhere he was going. It didn't matter exactly where he was as along as he did his duties and returned as ordered. Why was Shepard being so hard on him. Then again, he was hard on all the rangers.

"We have a radar within all of our patrol jeeps, and I told you to patrol the southwestern parts of this area and then return," Shepard explained, "I saw on the radar that you ended up going into the southeastern parts of the area without my permission."

Claude was in for it. The big tree that Claude went to check on with Munchlax was not in his patrol area. He should've known that Shepard was going to catch on to that.

"There was an unexpected hazard that ended up blocking the road, so I had to take a detour," Claude lied.

"And what was the hazard?" Shepard questioned.

"A tree fell down and blocked the road," Claude answered in a fast tone.

"Okay, here's a question for you. Why didn't you call someone to help you get that damn tree out of the way!? Because not only were you blocked, but other vehicles could be held up as well!" Shepard yelled.

What was Claude thinking? A fallen tree blocking the road needed to be addressed to other rangers to avoid roadblock. Shepard wasn't buying this one bit.

"I know something is up," Shepard darkly said.

That tone from Shepard proved that Claude was on to him. Claude didn't want his boss to know anything.

"No, nothing is up," Claude responded.

"Don't you lie to your boss," Shepard uttered.

"I just took a detour, it's okay to take a detour. Maybe some people like to enjoy the scenery," Claude said.

"You only do what you're assigned!" Shepard yelled as he glared at Claude, "Now what was the deal on what happened."

This was just bad. Claude had to come clean now. He didn't want to say anything for the safety of that Munchlax and the other Pokémon. That Munchlax dealt with enough of Shepard's harshness. It's a shame that Shepard has to be so cruel and not take time to look into things. With that Claude was flinching and began to take a deep breath.

"Judging by that face, I knew something is up," Shepard growled.

"Okay I'll talk," Claude responded as he finally gave in and gave a huge sigh, "There was another site in the southeast part of the area where there are a whole bunch of Pokémon living."

Shepard just stood there with his arms crossed with a cold look on his face. The head ranger looked like he was ready to flip a lid.

"What?" Shepard questioned in disgust.

"There was another area where there were Pokémon living in that I stumbled upon. I just wanted to check up on that area," Claude answered.

There were so many questions that Shepard wanted to ask Claude. Claude and the other rangers were only allowed to monitor the areas that Shepard ordered them to look after.

"You were only supposed to check your assigned areas and let the other rangers check their assigned areas," Shepard told Claude, "How dare you disobey my orders."

"I wasn't disobeying your orders I was only doing my job and did some extra work. To make sure all Pokémon and people are being protected. It doesn't matter where I do my job," Claude argued.

"Yes, it does!" Shepard yelled, "You ended up abandoning your post."

"I monitored the area," Claude told Shepard, "I was just doing something extra. It's our responsibility to make sure all of the Pokémon are safe."

Shepard began to clench his teeth in anger of Claude's actions. Claude couldn't believe it, this was ridiculous. They needed to make sure that the Pokémon were somewhere safe and here was Shepard arguing about where he was.

"Why did you go out of your zone?" Shepard asked, "And exactly what is this area like and where is it?"

Claude took a deep breath. He didn't like what he was going to do. However, he needed to tell the truth because he was his boss.

"There's a big massive tree in that area, and around the northeast side, there is an opening that leads into a grotto filled with Pokémon living there," Claude confessed.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Shepard questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Because…that Munchlax that ran off the other day, lives there," Claude confessed.

Shepard was now giving Claude the angriest glare he could give.

"You're telling me that you found the hiding place of that Team Rocket Munchlax and you didn't report it to me!" Shepard screamed, "You disgusting piece of shit! You just let one of Team Rocket's bum Pokémon run loose!"

"There was no proof that Munchlax was part of Team Rocket," Claude argued, "The reason I never told you about where Munchlax was hiding is because you were attempting to kill an innocent Pokémon that was not proven guilty."

Claude was now making his statements at Shepard. He just let out where Munchlax was living and was explaining why he never said anything to him.

"I didn't reveal where it lived because you might go after it and kill it when once again, no evidence proves it was part of Team Rocket," Claude explained, "When I saw that Munchlax, it was scared for its life because of you. There was a Snorlax in there along with a whole bunch of other Pokémon. I think that was Munchlax's home."

Claude was starting to feel some confidence now. After all, he did see the Snorlax in there and it looked to be pretty powerful. If his theory was correct and that Snorlax was Munchlax's father, it could protect Munchlax.

"You obstructed justice," Shepard growled.

"No, I didn't, I was protecting an innocent Pokémon that you scared. It's your behavior that scared Munchlax and causes me to question your actions. It didn't look like you were protecting a Pokémon, it looked more like you were bringing harm to a Pokémon. I want to protect the Pokémon in this area, but I also want to look within which you never do!" Claude argued.

Shepard's eyes widened when he heard Claude say those things. Shepard refuses to take time to do such a thing. When he sees something that doesn't look right or strange, he knows its trouble and will do everything in his power to get rid of trouble. Shepard is finally realizing that Claude is just too soft.

"Turn over your badge, turn over your keys, and turn over your walkie. You're fired," Shepard uttered.

Claude stood there frozen in place when Shepard said that.

"I said turn over your badge, turn over your keys, and turn over your walkie. You're fired!" Shepard yelled.

Claude couldn't believe it, he was fired. The one thing he enjoyed doing and he can't do it anymore. Now that he was gone, Claude now feared that Munchlax is completely vulnerable to Shepard and the other rangers. Since he was good friends with Pedansky, Claude believed that he wouldn't do anything. But now what to do with Munchlax.

"I will accept those terms and leave on one condition," Claude said shakingly.

"Not going to, you don't work for me anymore," Shepard uttered.

"No, I will not leave unless you follow this condition, please!" Claude argued as he felt completely hurt.

Shepard looked at Claude in the eye. Something tells him that what Claude was going to say to him was going to be important.

"Please do not approach that area where I found Munchlax. Not only for Munchlax's sake, but for the rest of the Pokémon in there and possibly your reputation. Believe me, something tells me you don't want to face the Snorlax in there," Claude told Shepard.

Shepard was hearing what Claude was saying. Despite just firing Claude, if Shepard were to bring his shotgun and confront the Pokémon in there, he could be putting himself in danger and also hurting his reputation as the head ranger. Shepard was cold hearted, but he was not going to damage his image.

"Alright listen, I'm not going to stay away from that place you're talking about. I'm going to find that place," Shepard told Claude.

"However, I will not disturb the Pokémon, especially that Munchlax you're talking about if it's in there. I just need to know where it is," Shepard told Claude.

"Okay," Claude muttered.

"But mark my words, if that Munchlax is ever in my sight again its dead. So that so-called grotto it calls its home can also serve as its prison," Shepard stated.

This pretty much hurt Claude. He wasn't going to be able to protect Munchlax from Shepard if he were to see him again. Then again, maybe the Pokémon in there would help him out, like that Seel with the red hat. Claude just has to learn to have faith and that it won't be alone. Those Pokémon in there can protect Munchlax.

"Understood," Claude muttered.

It did kind of surprise Claude that Shepard would at least leave Munchlax alone as long as he didn't see him. However, Claude could only hope that Munchlax would be alright and that Shepard could see that his actions don't do any justice.

With that Claude turned over all of his things and left. His days as a ranger have come to an end from doing his own job of protecting Pokémon which made no sense. Now Claude had to go home to his wife and break the news about his termination. He wasn't sure how his wife was going to handle it and what he would do now.

One thing was for certain, things weren't going to get better.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _ **On the road to Fuchsia City**_

Ash and Serena were walking down the coastline. It was two days since they left Lavender Town for real this time. The water now looked much cleaner than when they first arrived. Thanks to the departure of the Grimer gang, the bacteria in the water has started to go away. It was a good sign to know that the Pokémon can inhabit there very soon.

Ash and Serena have been spending much time with their Pokémon. Right now, Ash had Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, Primeape, Haunter, and his newly caught Krabby. Serena had with her Braixen, Kadabra, Squirtle, Slowpoke, Pinsir, and most recently she swapped out Beedrill for Gyarados. Since they were walking alongside a body of water, it was the perfect opportunity for Serena and Gyarados to rekindle. And of course Pikachu was traveling on Ash's shoulder.

But for Ash and Serena, they've been spending the most time with Frogadier and Braixen. The two made sure they've spent a fair amount of time with their Pokémon that would have them satisfied because it was Frogadier and Braixen that Ash and Serena have been spending the most time with.

So far they were not getting anywhere into reaching out to the two troubled Kalos starters. Rotom Dex even pitched in using his Pokedex information to analyze if it can find out why the two Pokémon kept feeling like this, but Rotom Dex always came up negative. Ash and Serena might take Professor Sycamore's advice and send them over to Professor Oak so he can look at them sometime soon.

There has been one thing on Ash's mind as of right now. Serena's birthday was in three days and he wasn't sure what he was going to get her. According to Rotom Dex's map, there were going to be some small towns coming up where Ash could buy Serena something for her birthday. The only question, what could it be? Ash remembers when Serena gave him a painting of the moment from Professor Oak's Summer Camp when Froakie and Fennekin hatched from their eggs, which was now feeling like a bitter memory with the way they were acting.

But still, Ash wanted to wow Serena with something thoughtful. What was it that she loved? Well Ash was hoping he can find the answer soon with her birthday coming around the corner.

"So, what's on your mind Ash?" Serena asked.

Ash turned and looked at Serena. Her long honey blonde hair was blowing through the wind and it looked so majestic. Ash smiled as that was a beautiful sight. There was no way he was going to let a girl like that down on her birthday.

"Just thinking about what to get you on your birthday," Ash chuckled.

Serena giggled to the fact that Ash was thinking about her birthday. She was so happy to have a thoughtful boyfriend like Ash. Serena was hoping that she could have a birthday where she would truly feel like a princess and Ash would do everything to please her. But whatever happens, Serena just hopes that it goes well.

" _Well my birthday is coming in three days. I wonder what will happen then,"_ Serena blissfully thought to herself.

* * *

 **So here how it goes with what Zapdos says. It is told that three dark forces will thrive in Kanto and meeting one of the legendary birds is considered the forewarning that a battle with one of them will be coming up. These legendary birds also carry these mysterious fragments of power, and there are eight in all. Only three of them will be found here in the Kanto Arc, the other five will appear in the Johto Arc.**

 **If Ash and Serena defeat the three dark forces and obtain the three fragments of power, they will receive the Silver Wing and meet with Lugia who will tell them what these fragments of power are and what they're being used for along with why they were chosen to be given the GS Ball.**

 **I also mention that Ash would get the next four straight Pokémon after Serena got Pinsir, well the four Pokémon have come. He got Primeape and Haunter, Krabby is now officially part of Ash's team, and he has captured Muk. Serena will obtain the next new Pokémon.**

 **Ash and Serena now know they have Mega Stones and the Key Stones will be coming sometime in the Kanto Arc. Looks like Professor Sycamore will be paying a visit to see how he can help Frogadier and Braixen. Here's to hoping nothing happens before he arrives.**

 **We went into Ariana's character a little bit in this chapter. While Giovanni does seem to be completely evil, there might be a shred of light within the female rocket boss. Is there more that we don't know, we'll find out soon enough.**

 **So, Shepard has found out about where Munchlax is, but it seems he will leave him alone. However, it comes at the cost of Claude's job. Maybe it was a blessing for the now former ranger. What's going to happen to Claude and Munchlax? How will Shepard knowing where Munchlax lives have an impact? Answers will come extremely soon.**

 **Alright, the next chapter is Serena's birthday and what better way to celebrate her birthday than a filler episode from the Pokémon Anime. I'm talking about the Princess Day episode. Only it will be Serena being the star of the episode (or in this case chapter) but there's no Jessie since she's too busy being trapped working for a criminal organization. Don't worry, Serena does get a Princess Day rival like Misty did. It's somebody we've met before.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll, review, and stayed tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 44: Princess VS Princess**


	47. Princess VS Princess

**Here it is, the Princess Day episode done my way. I will start this chapter with a major warning. This chapter is going to be considered…the calm before the storm. It will mostly be fun, but the ending of this chapter will feel dark.**

 **After this chapter will be the fourth interlude and then…the violent arc I was mentioning will take place which lives up to its M rating. That violent arc I'm mentioning will be the first dark force Ash and Serena will be facing.**

 **That will come when it comes, but for right now, enjoy the Princess Day episode which also serves as Serena's birthday chapter as a familiar face makes their return. And on the plus side, one of Serena's Pokémon will evolve in this chapter.**

 **I hope I did justice with the Princess Day chapter, because I'm starting to see that particular Pokémon episode may have aged badly.**

 **I do not own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Flashback-22 Years ago**_

 _ **Viridian City**_

 _Today was a special day in the Presley household. Today the family was celebrating Annie's eighth birthday which meant in two years, Annie would become legal age of becoming a Pokémon trainer. Everyone Annie could've asked for to be there to celebrate were there._

 _There were her parents Marcum and Sharon, her sister Delia, and of course their pet Stoutland. Annie was sitting at the table wearing a cute pink dress which almost made her feel like a princess. On the table was a chocolate cake and with Annie were her parents, sister, and Stoutland. They sang happy birthday and then it was time for Annie to blow out the candles._

" _Alright sweetie make a wish," Sharon happily told her daughter._

 _Annie looked at her sister and she put a big grin on her face. Annie inhaled and then exhaled at the candles blowing them out. Annie had no trouble blowing out those candles, and everyone in the room clapped for her. Annie didn't tell them what her wish was or else it wouldn't come true._

 _Annie wished for many great times with Delia when they become Pokémon trainers._

 _Moments later, it was time for Annie to open her presents. Annie got all sort of things from Pokémon dolls, to board games, clothes, and even a Pokeflute that she joyously jammed on._

" _Thanks for all these presents," Annie happily said._

" _Wait Annie, you haven't gotten my present yet," Delia brightly said as she gave Annie her gift._

 _Annie noticed it was a small box and she opened it. Annie's eyes widened with glee as she saw a pink beaded bracelet._

" _It's a sisters bracelet!" Delia squealed as she showed that she was wearing a matching bracelet, "I made it myself so we can wear them together all the time and match!"_

" _Wow Delia, thank you," Annie happily said as she picked up the bracelet._

 _Annie put the bracelet on her wrist. When she saw how it looked and her sister's bracelet, Annie couldn't help but give Delia a hug._

" _This is the best gift I ever got!" Annie squealed as she hugged her big sister, "You're the best sister ever!"_

" _Awww," Delia responded._

 _Marcum and Sharon couldn't help but smile at the scene of the two sisters hugging each other._

" _I'm glad you like your present from your sister. Well let me tell you that me and Stoutland got you another present as well," Marcum told Annie until he gave a whistle sound._

 _Running into the room was a brown puppy with lots of fur on his face and a red nose. The brown puppy saw Annie and happily tackled her onto the ground and licked her. Delia happily squealed at the new Pokémon they got._

" _I was able to get Stoutland to breed with another Pokémon to make an egg. The egg eventually hatched into this Pokémon. That Pokémon is called Lillipup," Marcum explained to her daughter._

" _Lillipup," Annie said as she continued to be licked by the Puppy Pokémon, "I love him!"_

 _Marcum was so happy with the look on Annie's face when she saw Lillipup. Stoutland was starting to get old and it was time for some young blood to come in. Marcum knew that she and Lillipup would get along. Marcum then brought Sharon over and began to hold hands with her and then they looked at their daughters. Delia was watching Annie being licked by Lillipup._

" _If you thought that surprise was great, we got another big surprise for you Annie," Sharon told Annie._

" _Another surprise?" Annie questioned._

" _Yes," Sharon smiled._

 _Annie didn't know what to expect from her mother. She had everything she wanted with parents who loved her, a sister who was her best friend. Sharon looked at her husband and then proceeded to look back at her daughter. Annie didn't know this, but what her mom was about to tell her was going to change her whole life._

" _You're going to be a big sister!" Sharon happily announced._

 _Annie was looking at her mother with curiosity. She was going to become a big sister._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

 _ **Unnamed Town**_

Today was a special day for the honey blonde coordinator. Today was Serena's eleventh birthday. They arrived in a town which was celebrating a holiday for all the girls. This holiday was known as Princess Day.

Serena was extremely happy to know that this special holiday was falling on her birthday. Since today was Princess Day, Ash had to everything Serena wanted.

"Today is my day! Let the Princess Festival and my birthday begin!" Serena exclaimed raising her fist in the sky and then turning to Ash, "And that means you have to do everything I tell you."

Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were all pretty puzzled by what Serena was talking about. Well of course since today was Serena's day, and a day where the girls rule.

Princess Day was the one day of the year where girls gets special bargains on everything such as clothes, meals, and other valuable merchandise. If you were a boy, then you have to carry the bags.

Serena was looking at all the cute Pokémon dolls ranging from Cleffas, Igglybuffs, and even a Pikachu. Ash and Rotom Dex were struggling to carry Serena's bags as she brought so many things. Not to mention Ash had to follow Serena around the whole day and he needed to find a way to give himself time to buy a birthday present for Serena. After all, since today was Princess Day, Ash would have to pay for everything.

"I'm so happy this holiday fell on my birthday," Serena said with her voice filled with glee.

Ash needed to find a way to create a diversion so he can look for something by himself to give to Serena.

"Hey Rotom Dex, do you think you can keep Serena busy," Ash suggested, "I'm going to try and sneak out and find Serena a birthday present."

"And leave me with the packages," Rotom Dex angrily whispered, "If I carry anymore, my robotic arms are going to break off."

"Well we need to think of something," Ash responded.

Pikachu looked around and he saw something that caught his eye. Pikachu dropped his small packages he was carrying around for Serena as his jaw dropped and his eyes sparkled from the sight he was seeing out in the distance.

There were a group walking down the street consisting of one woman and four men. The woman was leading the way and the men were pulling a flatbed. However, it was what Pikachu saw that got his eyes to sparkle.

It was a brown fox like Pokémon with sparkling white fur and a fluffy tail. Pikachu was starting to fall head over heels for an Eevee that he saw on first sight.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said with hearts coming out of his eyes.

Pikachu then ran off to follow the group with the Eevee leaving the packages behind. Serena noticed Pikachu was running from the group. What in the right mind would cause Pikachu to run off like that?

"Get back here Pikachu," Serena called out as she ran after Pikachu, "You got to carry my things!"

Rotom Dex followed her and Ash was about to until he suddenly decided to stop. He realized Pikachu was too distracted with what he was seeing and caused Serena to run after him to not pay attention to him. Still holding the bags, Ash purposely stayed behind realizing this would be the perfect opportunity to get Serena her birthday present.

And another Princess Day goodie.

* * *

 _ **Back with Pikachu and Serena**_

Pikachu was trying to fight through the crowds with Serena and Rotom Dex following him. Thanks to Rotom Dex's capability to float, it wasn't able to lose track of Pikachu.

Pikachu approached the group with the Eevee. As they were walking down the road, Pikachu could see the beauty of this Pokémon. Her beauty sparkled all over while she stood on the flatbed.

"She's beautiful," Pikachu said lovingly as he was tempted to get on the flatbed.

"Pikachu!" Serena called out.

Pikachu turned around to see Serena coming up from behind with her hands on her hips. Pikachu's face paled a little bit once he saw Serena. He was supposed to be carrying her bags.

"Why did you run off like that?" Serena questioned as she narrowed her eyes.

Pikachu started to sweat drop and pointed at the direction of the group pushing the flatbed with Eevee on there. However, now it was out further in the distance. Great, now he lost sight of her.

"Don't you think you can try and get out of carrying my stuff," Serena said with a hint of a dark tone.

Pikachu was getting a little frightened by Serena's tone. All he wanted to do was chase after a beautiful Eevee, but then he needed to remember that it was Serena's birthday and Princess Day, he should be around her all day. Then Serena noticed something, Ash wasn't around.

"Speaking of you running off like that, where's Ash?" Serena asked as she looked around.

"Oh, I'd figure Pikachu may have accidently created a diversion for Ash to run off and buy you a birthday present," Rotom Dex answered, "Don't worry, if he loses any of your stuff you can kill him."

Serena may know today was Princess Day and the guys have to do everything the girls tell them to do, but she is the girl who would go to that extreme.

"Rotom Dex, he's my boyfriend I'm not going to kill him," Serena stated, "But I do wonder where he went?"

* * *

 _ **1 hour later**_

Serena was now at a local café eating a fruit flavored sherbet. This was a huge break for Rotom Dex and Pikachu as they could now take a breather from carrying all of those bags. Pikachu was disappointed that he couldn't catch that beautiful Eevee. Serena called Ash on his Pokegear to let him know where she was. Serena was happy that Ash was running out to get Serena a birthday present for her, but he could've let her know. Serena hoped Ash showed up soon because he needed to pay for her meal.

Serena smiled as Ash finally showed up. He was running while still carrying all of Serena's packages. Well at least Ash was able to hang on to the things Serena purchased.

"Took you long enough," Serena responded as Ash finally sat down.

"I needed to get here as quick as I can because I do have to pay for your meal," Ash stated.

Well at least Ash knew he had to pay for everything for Serena.

"If you wanted to run off and buy me a birthday present, you could've told me," Serena told Ash.

"Well I'd figure I probably couldn't because I was too busy carrying everything," Ash said with a slight chuckle.

Serena chuckled herself as she finally understood why Ash ran off. All Ash wanted to do was get her a birthday present. Serena wondered why would he when he brought all of that stuff today, especially with Princess Day discounts.

"Just to let you know Ash, you already gave me my birthday present," Serena happily said, "Or should I say a whole bunch of birthday presents."

"Serena, those were things you wanted that I brought for you," Ash told Serena as he reached into his pocket, "Now I wanted to buy something I wanted to give to you."

Ash pulled out a small white box with a red ribbon wrapped around it. Serena then took the box from Ash's hands and undid the ribbon. Serena then opened the box and saw something that made her gasp.

It was a beautiful necklace with a platinum chain and a gold heart in the middle. Serena gently picked it up and realized that the heart was actually a locket that opens. Serena's eyes began to form tears of happiness when she saw what was in there.

It was the picture of her and Ash at Professor Oak's Summer Camp. They were smiling with Ash holding Froakie and Serena holding Fennekin after they hatched. It was a memory that they truly treasured. Serena then got up and walked over to Ash giving him a huge hug with a few tears coming from her eyes.

"Whoa, easy there," Ash said as he was feeling his sore arms from carrying all those bags.

"Thank you Ash," Serena happily said, "I love the necklace."

"Well, since you got me something that reminded me of when we first met Froakie and Fennekin, I'd figure I get you something related to that, but probably in something girls love, jewelry," Ash explained sheepishly with a hint of kindness.

Serena continued to hug Ash as he even remembered that day when he first met her along with their future starters.

"Ash, while the jewelry is beautiful, it's the picture that has the most meaning. It's shows that we will always be together along with our Pokémon," Serena said as she continued hugging Ash.

It was really a thoughtful gift from Ash to remind them about their relationship with each other and their Pokémon. Serena also had a bit hurt looking at that tiny picture knowing the emotional state her Pokémon is in right now. However, she and Ash were going to do what they can to help them. Serena probably might consider having Braixen out for the next round of shopping.

"Ash, would you do the honors and place that necklace on me," Serena told Ash, "That way I can feel like a real princess."

Ash was blushing to what Serena was saying. After all, today he was going to be treating her like a princess. Ash unclipped the necklace and placed it around Serena's neck and then clipped it back up. Serena then turned around and presented herself with the necklace around her neck.

"How do I look?" Serena asked.

"You look beautiful," Ash answered.

"According to my readings, your beauty rating has went up from a 10 to an 11," Rotom Dex replied.

"Pikachu," Pikachu happily nodded as he said the necklace looked good on her too.

Serena couldn't help but look into those beautiful chocolate eyes of Ash. She really did have the best boyfriend she could ask for. Realizing how thoughtful he was with what he got her, it added to her guilt of assisting the trio back in Lavender Town.

She shouldn't have that let her spirits down. Today was her day and she needed to make the best of it.

* * *

 _ **Department Store**_

Inside the local department store, a huge sale was taking place in honor of Princess Day. Serena dragged Ash by the arm who was carrying plenty of bags already, and even Rotom Dex was dragging along some bags with Pikachu trying to hold a bag. Ash was wise to have Charmeleon and Primeape out to carry bags as well since he, Pikachu, and Rotom Dex were reaching their limits.

"Not another store," Ash muttered as they saw another store.

Even though he loved Serena, shopping was a total nightmare for Ash, and probably his Pokémon as well. The only reason Frogadier got out of carrying bags was because he couldn't move for unknown reasons.

"Come on Ash, everything in here is 75% off and I have to take advantage of it before all the other girls come in and takes it," Serena sternly told Ash with her hands on her hips.

Serena then looked at her Pokeball belt and pulled out Braixen's Pokeball. Serena looked at her Pokeball and knew how Braixen was feeling lately, and she still had no idea why she was acting like that or how to get to her, so maybe joining Serena in shopping would lift her spirits. If this didn't work, she might see if Professor Oak can help.

"Maybe I'll have Braixen be with me. Maybe getting her some outfits might put a smile on her face," Serena said as she let out a small giggle.

As soon as they walked into the store, Ash immediately sat on a bench for a chance to rest while Serena dashed over to the clothing department.

"Finally," Ash moaned as he finally got to relax.

"Char," Charmeleon groaned.

"Pri," Primeape groaned.

"Pika," Pikachu groaned.

"Thank Arceus we get a break," Rotom Dex uttered.

Serena noticed all the cute clothes that the girls were fighting over. It was a complete madhouse in the store as everyone was trying to get great Princess Day deals. Serena found two white ruffle tops with pink bows, two red sparkly silk tops, and two pink mosaic tops.

The Fox Pokémon didn't seem to notice Serena was there as she stood there looking completely out of it. All Braixen did was stand there feeling completely tense. Serena then approached Braixen with a bright smile on her face and the clothes she found.

"Hey Braixen, I managed to get us some clothes. If you want, we can try clothes on together. We can look like besties, or even sisters," Serena responded with a lot of glee in her voice.

Serena was showing plenty of different tops that Braixen could wear even though Pokémon don't usually wear clothes, but Braixen wasn't feeling happy or embarrassed, she was just feeling that strange out of it behavior. Braixen was healthy, no broken bones, no cuts, no bruises, no nothing. Come to think of it, Braixen barely has eaten either.

"Braixen, are you alright?" Serena asked with concern in her voice.

Serena couldn't understand what was wrong with Braixen. Why was she acting so tense? Serena knew that this behavior just mysteriously came out of nowhere and she had no idea why she was acting like that. Serena gave out a sigh and then spoke.

"Listen Braixen, I don't know what's wrong with you. I was just hoping maybe some fun would get you back on track," Serena sighed as she then looked at the clothes, "Maybe shopping wasn't the thing I guess."

Serena was wondering what it could be that made Braixen feel this way. She could remember Frogadier's loss to Sabrina that made him feel somewhat similar, but at least it was a valid reason. Maybe Braixen loves Frogadier as much as she loves Ash, and it rubbed off on her. Serena was feeling a bit worried for her Pokémon. Maybe a visit to Professor Oak's lab could be scheduled.

Serena decided to put one of each top back, allowing other girls to start fighting over them.

"We girls are fighting over a lot of stuff today, and you're actually going to put things back?" a voice questioned in a snobby tone.

Serena turned around to see where that voice came from. The honey blonde coordinator's eyes widened when she saw that face. She was standing there holding a bunch of bags only because she didn't have a man with her. She knew that voice and that look all the way back in Cerulean City.

"Miette," Serena muttered, "Is that you?"

"So, you remember me," Miette replied, "Well Serena, I sure remember you as well."

Serena knew Miette back in Cerulean City as she beat her for her first Kanto Ribbon. Miette was getting under her skin on her relationship with Ash by flirting with him, but in the end she kept her cool as Serena's Fennekin bested her Jigglypuff on the final stage.

"I take it you're here for Princess Day?" Serena asked.

"Gasp, how did you know?" Miette questioned in a sarcastic tone.

"Well for starters, you're a ton holding bags," Serena said as she crossed her arms and then looked at Ash and smirked, "And the only thing you're missing is a man to carry them for you."

Miette then noticed Ash sitting by himself with a ton of bags on the ground.

"So, you and Ash are still going together," Miette said with a smug look, "Tell me did you remember what I told you back in Cerulean City?"

"Yes, I did, I'm not taking Ash for granted. In fact, we're dating right now," Serena declared as she showed her the necklace that she is wearing, "In fact, Ash just got me this for my birthday."

"That's…beautiful," Miette stuttered.

"Thank you," Serena gratefully said as she still felt a little annoyed.

Miette then glanced at Ash again. Ash recognized that girl that was confronting Serena as she was the coordinator his girlfriend beat for her first ribbon.

"Tell me something, if you and Ash are dating, why is he by himself?" Miette questioned.

Serena's eyes widened with a little bit of rage. Just like back in Cerulean City, she still wants to find a way to get under her skin and feel like she can woo Ash. Even though Serena just told her they were a couple.

"Excuse me," Miette said in a smug tone.

Miette walked over to Ash with caused Serena to have a furious glance. Ash was utterly surprised to see that Miette approached him.

"Why hello Ash, how have you been," Miette asked in a sweet tone.

"Oh, hi Miette," Ash stuttered.

Miette smirked when Ash called her Miette meaning he remembers her.

"I hear you and Serena are dating," said Miette.

"Yeah, me and Serena officially hooked up in Celadon City," Ash confirmed, "We even had our first official date as a couple in Saffron City."

Miette then looked at Serena and then looked back at Ash.

"Are you sure you and Serena are dating? Because if you are, then why are you sitting by yourself?" Miette asked.

"So, I can rest from carrying all these bags while Serena is trying to shop," Ash answered as he pointed to the bags next to him.

"Well if you're carrying bags…" Miette said as she trailed off and passed her bags to Ash, "Would you be a gentleman and carry these for me? After all its Princess Day and the guys have to carry these bags."

Ash's face lit up in horror. Great, more shopping bags to carry. Serena called back Braixen since she wasn't moving and approached the blue haired girl.

"Get your own man to carry those bags for you," Serena called out to Miette, "You weren't even with us when Princess Day began, so you don't just walk up to Ash and give him your bags."

"Then you should've never let him alone and available," Miette said shrugging her shoulders.

This girl was giving Serena some nerves. She just loves to find a way to get in her skin. No wonder Serena considers this girl her frenemy.

"You always want to find a way to get on my nerves don't you," Serena sighed, "You do recall that I beat you in the Cerulean City Pokémon Contest and I thought maybe you gained some respect for me."

"That was almost three months ago," Miette responded as she crossed her arms, "Speaking of that Pokémon Contest, I may recall us becoming rivals back in Cerulean City. How many more ribbons did you win after that contest?"

Serena reached into her pocket and pulled out her ribbon case. She opened her case to reveal the ribbon she won back in Cerulean City along with the ribbon in Celadon City.

"You only managed to win one Pokémon Contest since then?" Miette questioned.

"Yeah, and it was a double performance in Celadon City," Serena answered as she then sneered at Miette, "How many ribbons do you have?"

Miette reached into her pocket and pulled out her ribbon case. She had a smug look on her face and opened her case revealing three ribbons. Darn it, Miette had an edge on Serena in how many ribbons they have.

"Three ribbons," Serena uttered.

"Yeah, just two ribbons to go and I'll be competing in the Grand Festival," said Miette, "And just for the record, I got a whole lot better since that contest."

"Same here," Serena declared, "Sure I may have only won a single ribbon since then, but me and my Pokémon have gotten much better."

"You can't handle the fact that I'm a step ahead of you," Miette smirked.

"Just you wait, I'm going to be entering the Fuchsia City Pokémon Contest and then I'll be getting my third ribbon!" Serena exclaimed.

Ash just sat there and watched. It reminds him of his rivalry with Gary. Gary tends to bully Ash and say nasty remarks of how much of a loser he is while he parades in a convertible with cheerleaders, Miette on the other hand mostly teases Serena. Serena should know that Miette is only using this tactics so that Miette can get the best out of her.

If only there was a way she can show Miette how much she has improved since their last meeting.

"Attention everyone. All girls who are celebrating Princess Day report to the town square for our competition where one lucky Princess will be crowned Queen of the Festival," the intercom announced.

Serena and Miette heard that announcement and so has the rest of the girls in the area. It looks like a competition was about to take place.

"You know what Serena, let's use this competition to see who has improved more since Cerulean City," Miette suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Serena said smirking.

Serena was now going to get her opportunity to show Miette what she is made of. Whatever the competition was for Princess Day is, Serena was determined to give it her all. But before they could make their way towards town square, Miette turned to Ash and handed him her bags.

"Hey!" Ash and Serena exclaimed in union.

"He's the only guy here, someone has to carry the bags," Miette informed.

Serena decided to ignore it now as she should know this was just a way to annoy her. Ash on the other hand felt like complete garbage lagging more bags around. At least he had some strong Pokémon to help carry the packages.

Pray to Arceus that there is no more shopping.

* * *

 _ **Town Square**_

A huge stage was set in the middle of town square which had red curtains. One would think this would be a beauty pageant, but who knows what the people of this festival have in store for these lovely ladies.

Most of the crowd consisted of men who had laid all of their ladies bags on the ground. Probably would be hard to cheer these ladies on if they were sapped of energy from carrying everything. Ash was sitting with Pikachu and Rotom Dex. At least they were going to get themselves a huge break.

Then coming onto the stage was a woman with long brunette hair wearing a silk red blouse, a white skirt, and red high heels who happened to be the MC of this event.

"Thank you everyone and welcome to the main even of this year's Princess Day Festival! A day where the girls rule!" the MC announced as she gestured towards the curtain.

Everyone was cheering very loud which was a surprise since they still had energy left to cheer. There were sixty-four girls on stage each wearing a kimono gown with their hair tied back, and they were all kneeling. All of these girls were just gorgeous, but to Ash, the one girl that stood out the most was Serena where she had a pink gown. And guess who was right next to her in a teal kimono gown, Miette.

"These sixty-four lovely ladies will now compete against each other to win the title of Queen of the Festival!" the MC announced.

"Maybe this is a beauty pageant," Miette whispered.

"If it is, I'm sure to beat you in this," Serena whispered back.

Serena could imagine how this competition would work out. She would look lovely in any gown she wore she could even wow the guys with her swimsuit, and of course she could demonstrate her talents with a Pokémon appeal to show off her contest skills.

"Now here are the prizes for this year's winner," the MC announced as she gestured to a group of people.

The MC pulled out a thousand Pokedollars while the group of people brought out what appeared to be a doll set. It wasn't just any doll set; it was a Pokémon doll set. Pokémon ranging from Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Clefairy, and many more.

"Our winner will receive one thousand Pokedollars where they use it to their desires, maybe more shopping," the MC said jokingly and then gestured to the doll set, "And they will also take home this limited-edition Pokémon doll set!"

Serena's eyes lit up when she saw that doll set. It was so cute, and it would look good in her bedroom back in Pallet Town. That gave Serena more emphasis to win now. But it was nothing compared to what was coming next.

"And there is one more special prize," the MC announced, "Boys, bring her up here!"

All of the ladies were seeing what was about to come up, and then a group of four men appeared. They were pushing a platform which had an Eevee on top. All of the girls awed at the Evolution Pokémon in front of them. That Eevee was so cute. Serena was looking onwards as she saw another Eevee in front of her.

Up in the stands, Pikachu was starting to have those heart shaped eyes again as he remembers that Eevee. He watched that happy Eevee giving a loving look at the audience. Eevee would then give out a wink towards Pikachu's direction. Pikachu then fainted from that Eevee's beauty.

"It looks like Pikachu has a crush on that Eevee," Rotom Dex said as it giggled a little bit.

"This is a special rare Pokémon called Eevee which has many different evolutions. In addition to the money and the doll set, the winner will also take home this adorable Eevee!" the MC announced.

All of the girls gasped when they heard that, but no one had a louder gasp than Serena. She had a few opportunities to get an Eevee, but she couldn't capitalize. She found on in Celadon City, but had Olivia catch it to show her the ropes of catching Pokémon, then she came across one at an auction in Saffron City, but a rich guy ended up outbidding her for the Eevee. Now here she was with another chance for an Eevee.

"I take it you want that Eevee don't you?" Miette questioned in a whisper.

"You don't realize how much I've been dying to get an Eevee," Serena answered in a whisper.

The girls saw Eevee take a lap around the stage and then back on the platform. The group of men took Eevee off the stage which left Pikachu heartbroken that she's gone again. On the plus side, if Serena were to win, she would get that Eevee and Pikachu can try and get together with that Eevee.

"You really like that Eevee don't you Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered in a loving tone.

"Well guess what, if Serena wins this contest, that Eevee will come with us," Ash told Pikachu.

Pikachu smiled at what Ash said. He might have himself a little girlfriend just like Frogadier has with Braixen.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered towards Serena.

Serena's birthday has been going great so far with all the deals she got from shopping along with her new necklace that Ash gave her. She knew that her eleventh birthday and her Princess Day experience would be perfect if she won this competition because one, she would beat Miette once more, and two she would finally obtain an Eevee.

Serena was determined to do her best in this competition.

"Now that we have shown you our lovely girls and the prizes, it's time for these girls to have fun!" the MC announced, "Get your Pokeballs ready ladies, this year's competition will be a Pokémon battle tournament!"

Serena gasped when she heard that. They all thought it was a beauty pageant, but it's actually going to be a Pokémon battle tournament. Serena smiled when she looked at all the girls around her as she does have the most battle experience thanks to her contest experiences.

When Pikachu heard that the competition was going to be a Pokémon battle tournament, Pikachu was tingling with excitement. He actually could bring that Eevee over to Serena if he helps Serena win some Pokémon battles. Pikachu just felt that he and Eevee were destined to be together.

"Well, it looks like we'll be battling it out," Miette said with a smirk.

"Don't get so overconfident Miette, because I'm going to win," Serena told Miette.

"All battles will be three on three and the first girl to beat all of her opponent's Pokémon wins and advances! The last one standing will be our Queen of the Festival!" the MC announced, "All of our competitors have one hour to prepare."

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

Serena was now outside back in her normal clothes preparing for the tournament. When Serena approached Ash, she could see that Pikachu look completely eager to take part in that battle.

"I take it Pikachu wants to be part of this tournament," Serena said with a huge smile, "Of course you can compete with me Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried as he jumped into Serena's arms and gave her a hug.

Though Pikachu was small, his hug was strong. She knew that Pikachu was going to take part in this, and as for the rest of her Pokémon. Serena looked on her belt at her six Pokémon.

Gyarados has rejoined her, and she also had Kadabra, Squirtle, Pinsir, and of course Slowpoke. Serena still is having trouble with Slowpoke as just the other day she brought him out to eat only to continue standing there doing nothing. It was clear she wasn't going to use Slowpoke.

However, she was another Pokémon she wasn't going to use in the tournament, Braixen. While Braixen has proven to be strong, she has still been in that troubled trance since Saffron City which is going to be a big blow for her. Just a little while ago she took her shopping for clothes and she didn't even seem to notice what was going on because of the sudden tension. Serena then realized something, that event played out exactly like her dream on the night before her first date. It could mean something was up.

Serena considered this an opportunity to actually do something she wouldn't ever consider doing. She was going to swap Braixen out for Beedrill so Professor Oak can study her for the day to see what was going on. She also should consider Ash to do the same thing for Frogadier and he can swap out for another Pokémon.

"Ash, I really want to win this competition," Serena told Ash.

"Of course, you do, because then you'll get an Eevee," Ash replied giving a thumbs up.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily chirped as he would get himself a probable girlfriend.

"That's right, I really am eager to get an Eevee, and I see Pikachu is too," Serena is letting out a little giggle at the last part, "I mean almost everyone I know has gotten an Eevee."

Ash can recall all the times that there were Eevees obtained by other trainers. He can first recall the new trainer Olivia captured herself an Eevee, then there was Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor who all got Eevees and evolved them, and of course most recently there was Gary who had an Eevee that he used on Ash during their battle in Saffron City.

"I want to have my best Pokémon available and that has left me to make a difficult decision," Serena sadly sighed as she looked at her red Pokeball, "I'm actually considering sending Braixen over to Professor Oak so he can evaluate Braixen and I can bring Beedrill over to help me out."

Ash could understand what Serena was going through. She wanted an Eevee so badly that she didn't want anything holding her back, and he can understand how tough it could be to be without your starter. Well, it was only going to be for the rest of the day.

"I understand how you're feeling, Braixen is your starter is it's hard to travel without your starter Pokémon," Ash told Serena, "Go ahead, I'm sure Frogadier can be okay with Braixen just for a little bit."

"That's another thing Ash, do you think you can send Frogadier over to Professor Oak as well?" Serena asked, "I mean they both have the same problem."

What Serena said made complete sense. Ash wanted to get to the bottom of Frogadier's situation as well and with a man like Professor Oak who studies relationships with humans and Pokémon and how he could interact with them, a little from the professor might not be such a bad idea after all.

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ash stated.

* * *

 _ **Pokémon Center**_

Ash and Serena were in the Pokémon Center ready to swap Pokémon. Even though Rotom Dex has that feature where they can swap Pokémon whenever and wherever they want, it would be best to let Professor Oak know. Serena dialed the phone calling Professor Oak. The phone was ringing and then Professor Oak appeared on the video screen.

"Ah Serena, Ash, Rotom Dex how have you all been?" Oak happily asked.

"We're doing fine Professor!" Rotom Dex answered in an excited tone.

"That's great to hear," Oak replied, "And before I forget, Serena I want to wish you a happy eleventh birthday."

"Thank you professor," Serena replied as she gave a bow.

Muk then appeared from behind and tackled Professor Oak. Oak was once again struggling with the Sludge Pokémon Ash caught at the power plant.

"Looks like Muk can't enough of you huh professor," Ash said jokingly.

"Yeah, he's taken a great liking for me," Oak said as he struggled with Muk, "So when are you thinking of taking Muk to be part of your team?"

Ash couldn't help but smile at Muk's affection towards Professor Oak. He started off as the leader of a gang, now he is being over affectionate towards Professor Oak. Maybe it would be best Muk sticks around with Oak not only so they can continue their bonding, but also it could help Oak with his studies.

"You know what, I might actually have Muk stick around a little longer so you two can have some quality time together," Ash jokingly said, "But I will bring Muk to be part of my team soon. Who knows, I might actually call him over when I get to Fuchsia City."

"I see, so I'm stuck with Muk even longer," Oak muttered as he tried to get professional again despite Muk hugging him, "So why did you call?"

Ash and Serena now had serious looks and Rotom Dex and Pikachu were showing those looks as well.

"Professor Oak, me and Ash are going to send Braixen and Frogadier over," Serena confirmed, "In exchange I would like Beedrill to join me."

"And could bring me Scyther over," Ash requested.

"That won't be a problem," Oak said as he finally got Muk off of him, "But why are you asking me to do this? Don't you have Rotom Dex who can swap your Pokémon for you?"

"Yes, we do, but we're calling to tell you that there is a reason me and Ash are sending Frogadier and Braixen over to you," Serena answered.

Oak was now looking at Ash and Serena with a serious look. He knew that this had to be important.

"Frogadier and Braixen haven't been themselves lately, and we were wondering if maybe you can look over them just for a little while to see if you can understand their behavior," Ash explained, "We really want to know what is wrong and how we can help and you are the best help we can ask for when it comes to understanding Pokémon.

Professor Oak smiled at what Ash and Serena said. He knew from Professor Sycamore that those two Pokémon have been troubled since they hatched, and even though they have grown throughout their journey, it seems they have regressed. Professor Sycamore was even to be coming to Kanto to check on them.

"Professor Sycamore is coming to Fuchsia City to take a look at them, and for right now we think we could use all the help we can get which is why we're giving our Pokémon to you for the time being," Serena explained, "Besides, I'm going to compete in the Princess Day tournament and I could have a group of Pokémon who can all battle…with the exception of Slowpoke."

Professor Oak understood what Ash and Serena were going through. He even heard Professor Sycamore was coming all the way from Kalos to look at Frogadier and Braixen. He had to know that this was a serious situation.

"I see where you're going with this," Professor Oak responded nodding his head, "So Augustine is coming to see you two."

"That's right," Ash and Serena confirmed.

"I see, I would be happy to look over Frogadier and Braixen for the time being," Oak said, "It's nice that you two are looking for all the help you can get."

Ash and Serena pulled out their Pokeballs and looked sadly at them. They were having such a great time with their Pokémon until now. Maybe a little help from Professor Oak might help.

Professor Oak got Scyther's and Beedrill's Pokeballs ready while Ash and Serena got Frogadier's and Braixen's Pokeballs ready. Rotom Dex came up and they performed the Pokémon swapping process. Ash and Serena had sad and dark looks on their faces when they sent their Pokémon over to Professor Oak. They didn't want to do this, but right now they were getting nowhere and hoped they can turn to someone else. Professor Sycamore would help out once they meet him.

Ash received Scyther's Pokeball while Serena received Beedrill's Pokeball. Professor Oak obtained Frogadier's and Braixen's Pokeballs.

"We'll have them stay with you for a little while and then we'll have them come back to us," Serena told the professor.

"I say let them stay with me for about three days and I'll return them to you," Oak suggested.

Ash and Serena let out a huge sigh that they were going through with this. On the plus side, Serena now had a group of Pokémon who could battle for her in the tournament.

"Thank you," Serena responded.

"You're welcome. And Serena, good luck in the Princess Day competition," Oak said.

"Thanks professor, and don't be surprised if you see a truck coming to my house. That will just be me delivering the doll set I get when I win," Serena said as she gave out a wink.

Despite feeling Braixen's pain, Serena was feeling like her happy self again. At least she knew Braixen would be in good hands.

"Alright Serena, take care now and I'll talk to you again soon," Oak replied.

"Thanks professor," Ash and Serena said in union.

Muk appeared once again to tackle Professor Oak in a hug. Oak almost looked like he was suffocating, and Ash and Serena couldn't help but laugh.

"Muk, get off me!" Oak cried as the screen went black.

"Well it looks like Muk is having a great time with Professor Oak," Ash said jokingly.

The two of them shared a laugh and so did Pikachu and Rotom Dex. Then the laughter died down as they gave happy sighs. At least Professor Oak was attempting to help their Pokémon. Right now, it was time for the Princess Day competition.

"Now will you excuse me Ash, I have a competition and Eevee to win!" Serena declared.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed giving out a V-sign.

Serena was feeling very confident. Despite the subtraction of Braixen and Slowpoke still acting blank, Serena was in a great position to win the competition and beat Miette once more.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Oak's Lab**_

Professor Oak walked outside holding Frogadier's and Braixen's Pokeballs. The professor reluctantly released the two Pokémon and once they were out, all they just did was stand there looking at him completely troubled. Frogadier and Braixen probably don't even realize they're not with Ash and Serena right now.

As the professor studied the two Pokémon, it's hard to understand why they could be acting this way. Ash and Serena have given the history of what happened before their behavior came but can't understand why they won't break out of it.

"I should take the time to watch them," Oak addressed to himself.

Professor Oak knew about Frogadier's and Braixen's past before hatching, but they've grown a bit to be around other humans than their trainers. He wasn't expecting to find an answer, but he hopes to find something that can lead to an answer.

* * *

 _ **Unnamed Town-Town Square**_

"Attention everyone, it's time for these lovely ladies to compete for the title of Queen of the Festival! Our first matchup will be Serena against Natashia!" the MC announced.

The first match of the Princess Day tournament was now underway. All battles would be each girl being allowed to use three Pokémon. Once all three Pokémon were defeated, the girl would move on.

Serena was the first one up as she saw a girl with brown hair in a ponytail sticking up. She wore a baby blue tank top, navy jeans, and white high heeled sandals, and she also heard a red purse. So, this must be her first opponent.

Natashia sends out a Bellsprout while Serena sends in Pikachu. Pikachu offered to go first despite the type disadvantage. He really wanted to get that Eevee to join him.

"So, Serena will use a Pikachu while Natashia uses a Bellsprout! No time limit and begin!" the MC announced as she raised her arm.

"Bellsprout use Vine Whip!" Natashia yelled out.

"You know what to do Pikachu," Serena said nodding her head to Pikachu.

Pikachu nodded his head back as he prepared to fight. Bellsprout was unleashing his vines towards Pikachu, but Pikachu jumped up into the air avoiding the vines and then he landed on them feet first. Bellsprout's vines were stuck on the ground due to Pikachu running on them.

"No!" Natashia cried.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Serena yelled out pumping her fist.

Pikachu was now going at high speed and rammed right into Natashia's Bellsprout sending him flying into the crowd. Bellsprout landed on a group of people to cushion the fall, and thankfully no one was hurt, just dazed. The Flower Pokémon was out cold.

"And Bellsprout is out just like that!" the MC announced leaving Natashia with only two Pokémon.

Ash and Rotom Dex cheered Serena and Pikachu on. Among all of these girls, she might be the only one with actual experience as a Pokémon trainer. Natashia returned her Bellsprout and glared at Serena.

"How dare you beat my Bellsprout," Natashia said in a dark tone, "Well let's see how you do with this!"

Natashia threw her Pokeball and this time a Nidorina came out.

"Natashia's second Pokémon will be a Nidorina!" the MC announced.

Serena and Pikachu looked on at the Poison Point Pokémon and then looked at each other with Pikachu eager to battle.

"You ready for round two?" Serena asked.

"Pika," Pikachu confirmed.

Pikachu was looking at Nidorina as he knew this was his next opponent and little did Pikachu know, Eevee was watching this match.

"Nidorina use Poison Sting!" Natashia yelled out.

Nidorina opened her mouth and fired out a bunch of poison needles. Serena and Pikachu looked on to see that those needles didn't look strong. Serena flipped her hair as she knew she got this.

"Pikachu use Iron Tail to knock those needles away!" Serena yelled out.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.

Pikachu jumped up into the air awaiting the attack, and perfectly timed his Iron Tail to knock those needles down into nothing. Natashia had a mortified look on her face.

"Thunderbolt!" Serena retorted.

Pikachu started to store electricity in his cheeks and unleash a powerful Thunderbolt. The Poison Pin Pokémon cried in pain as she never stood a chance. Nidorina went down in a limb.

"And without a doubt, Nidorina goes down in a jiff as well!" the MC announced as Natashia returned her Nidorina, "And that leaves Natashia with only one Pokémon!"

Pikachu gave out the V sign as Eevee was watching. Eevee has always considered herself a playful and beautiful Pokémon. While she admired her look, she wished that she could have a strong powerful Pokémon be by her side. However, to her, that Pikachu has caught her attention.

The way Pikachu took out those two Pokémon with such ease. He was a strong Pokémon indeed, and the girl she saw with Pikachu. Eevee had a feeling that might be his trainer. If that girl made Pikachu strong, then maybe that girl could make her a powerhouse like that Pikachu. However, that would only come to the case of if she wins the tournament.

Natashia was now starting to feel furious that this girl was embarrassing her with her Pikachu. She got out another Pokeball and gave that girl a dark look.

"You're going to be sorry," Natashia told Serena as she released her last Pokémon.

Coming out of the ball was a Pokémon that Serena and Ash have both never seen before. It was a red mantis with pincers and wings on his back.

"It looks like the last Pokémon for Natashia will be a Scizor!" the MC announced as Rotom Dex began to do an analysis on the Pokémon.

 _#212-Scizor: Pincer Pokémon_

 _Once it has identified something as an enemy, it will continue beating them with its steel-hard pincers until there's nothing left but scraps._

"So that's what Scyther will evolve into," Ash muttered.

Serena was extremely confident that she could beat this Pokémon as most of Natashia's Pokémon don't seem to be meant for battle, even though this Pokémon was new to her.

"That Pokémon looks scary," said Serena looking at the Pokémon.

"Of course, it is, there is no way that Pikachu will beat that," Natashia said with a smirk.

Serena smiled as she put her hand on another Pokeball. Serena then turned to Pikachu.

"Return Pikachu," Serena told Pikachu.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"I want you to save your energy for later," Serena told Pikachu as she grabbed her Pokeball and held it in her hand, "My next Pokémon got this."

Pikachu looked at Serena with a small bit of disapproval. He wanted to continue this battle so he could bring a huge impact on bringing Eevee over. However, he had to obey Serena's orders and went back behind Serena's leg.

"Well that Scizor does look a little scary, but nothing compared to what I'm about to bring," Serena told Natashia as she tossed her Pokeball into the air.

The Pokeball opened and coming out was a towering Gyarados. Scizor's and Natashia's pupils shrunk as they saw the Gyarados towering in front of them and giving out a roar.

"It looks like Serena is substituting Pikachu for a Gyarados," the MC stuttered.

Some of the people were a bit frightened to see a Gyarados, and surprised that someone like Serena has one. Some of the people even noticed the Mega Stone Gyarados is wearing as an earring and wondered if she could Mega Evolve that Gyarados.

"Okay, I didn't expect someone like you to have a Gyarados," Natashia stuttered.

"And I know you didn't expect this either," Serena said with a wink, "Use Flamethrower."

Gyarados opened her mouth and Scizor's eyes widened. Gyarados unleashed a monstrous Flamethrower right at Scizor. Since he was a bug and steel type, Scizor took even a lot more damage than usual. The Pincer Pokémon slumped in defeat as he never got a chance to show off his abilities.

"Wow, and this Gyarados knows Flamethrower!" the MC announced, "And just like that, Natashia has been defeated and Serena will advance to the next round!"

"How can a water-type learn a fire type move!" Natashia cried as she then looked at her Scizor, "My Scizor, my beautiful Scizor!"

"All right!" Serena cheered as she pumped her fist.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as he pumped his fist too.

The board that showed the layout for the tournament has a picture of all sixty-four competitors. Serena's picture who was next to Natashia was now going up and all she had to do was wait for her next opponent.

"Serena was on fire in that match!" Rotom Dex cheered.

"Man, I was hoping to see that Scizor in action," Ash said as he looked at Scyther's Pokeball, _"Because I wanted to see what a Scizor could do before I ever thought about having you evolve Scyther."_

* * *

 _ **A bunch of matches later**_

"And now it's time for our last match of the first round! We have Andrea going up against Miette!" the MC announced, "The winner will advance to face Kimmy in the next round!"

Andrea was a brunette girl with short hair wearing a yellow blouse with a maroon skirt, a blue headband, and white flats. Meanwhile Miette was standing on her side with a confident look on her face.

"Go Primeape!" Andrea yelled out releasing a Primeape.

Miette looked at her Pokeball and smirked.

"Okay Gloom, let's give them a show," Miette said as she released a Gloom

Gloom had a blue body with a mushroom like head with red leaf blades sticking out. Rotom Dex did an analysis just to be safe.

 _#044-Gloom: Weed Pokémon_

 _Smells incredibly foul! However, around one out of a thousand people enjoy sniffing its nose-bending stink._

"So, Miette has a Gloom," Serena uttered.

Serena only knew of two Pokémon she had, a Paras and a Jigglypuff. This tournament could actually unveil more of Miette's team.

"Andrea has brought out a Primeape while Miette is going to use a Gloom! Alright ladies give us a great show!" the MC announced.

"Of course, we will," Miette muttered as she looked over at Gloom, "Sleep Powder."

"Gloom!" Gloom exclaimed as he unleashed a blue powder from his head.

The Pig Monkey Pokémon was charging at Gloom with a Karate Chop when all of a sudden he went into the blue powder. Primeape got drowsy and passed out on the ground indicating that he was asleep.

"No, my Primeape!" Andrea cried out.

"And now Sweet Scent along with Petal Blizzard," said Miette.

Gloom obeyed the command and let out a bunch of pink scent along with pink petals which were hitting Primeape. With the combination of the two attacks, it looked like Primeape was being caught in a spring-time petal shower with an aroma. Serena looked on in awe as she has shown that she has improved her contest skills greatly. Primeape went down with a thud.

"And with a beautiful springtime finishing blow, Primeape is out leaving Andrea with only two Pokémon!" the MC announced as the crowd applauded Miette.

Miette and Gloom each gave a bow after beating Primeape. Serena definitely was going to have some competition.

Miette would then beat Andrea's next two Pokémon with ease and advance to the next round. Miette pulled off a clean sweep of Andrea with just her Gloom.

* * *

 _ **Several matches later**_

For Serena and Miette, the two were breezing through the competition. Serena has been using Pikachu in all of her matches as the yellow mouse was eager to step onto the battlefield every time. Despite Pikachu beating all of his opponents with such ease, Serena was concerned that Pikachu was battling too much and that he might eventually get tired. She always has been able to switch out her Pokémon to have them finish the job and for the best part, Serena hasn't lost a single Pokémon.

Just like Serena, Miette also hasn't lost a single Pokémon in the tournament. Serena was amazed to see how much Miette has improved since their last meeting as her Pokémon not only beat her opponents but beat them with such grace. Serena and Miette have been climbing up the board and before they knew it, they were in the finals facing each other.

"And so, the final round will be Serena versus Miette! These two girls have given their opponents a run for their money as neither of them lost a Pokémon in any of their matches!" the MC announced, "We'll allow our two girls to get ready as the matchup to determine the Queen of the Festival begins in twenty-minutes!"

Serena was sitting down trying to figure out what Pokémon she would use against Miette. Serena saw her two Pokémon that she used in the Cerulean Contest Paras and Jigglypuff who actually were now Parasect and Wigglytuff as the two evolved since their last visit. The only other Pokémon she saw her use was Gloom making it three. Did Miette have another Pokémon that Serena doesn't know about?

Pikachu on the other hand was taking deep breaths as he was ready to go on for the final round. Serena keeps telling him to back off which he does, but he doesn't like it because he wants to do everything possible to have that dreamy Eevee be with him.

Speaking of the Giratina, Pikachu looked over and saw the group grooming Eevee. The Evolution Pokémon was smiling and purring at the feeling of those brushes. She was ready to be presented to the winner of the tournament. Pikachu couldn't help but feel a warm vibe around that particular Eevee.

"Okay, we want you to be ready for your new trainer," one of the men said.

"We hope she takes great care of you," another man said.

Without warning, Pikachu walked over to that Eevee with hearts in his eyes. The men grooming Eevee noticed Pikachu and his love-struck expression.

"Pikachu," Pikachu lovingly said.

"Looks like that Pikachu likes you," another man said.

The men moved away to let Pikachu look at the lovely Eevee. Eevee was seeing Pikachu right back. While Eevee wanted to laugh at Pikachu's funny behavior, she couldn't because it was overpowered by the admiration of his strength that she saw when watching him battle. This Pikachu really wanted to give it his all no matter what.

"Eevee," Eevee said in a lovingly tone herself.

Eevee was starting to blush as well. She had a liking for that Pikachu. Pikachu then went up to the Eevee until he heard a voice.

"Pikachu!" a voice called out.

Pikachu turned around to see Serena coming forth and picking him up. The honey blonde coordinator smiled at the Mouse Pokémon.

"Alright Pikachu, I'm going to use you in final match. Just try not to overdue yourself," Serena said as she looked at Eevee.

Eevee was blushing right at Pikachu and Serena noticed it. She then looked at Pikachu who had hearts in his eyes still. Serena now understood that Pikachu was in love with that Eevee.

"I take it you like that Eevee," Serena said with a smirk.

"Pika," Pikachu happily chirped.

"Don't worry Pikachu, you and Eevee will get to have all the time in the world when we win," Serena said with a wink, "Now come on, let's gain the title of Queen of the Festival!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily cried.

Serena was holding Pikachu as they walked away from Eevee. Serena was now more determined to get that Eevee not only so she can have one, but Pikachu would have himself a little girlfriend himself.

* * *

 _ **15 minutes later**_

The crowd was going wild as Serena and Miette took the stage. Pikachu was by Serena's side as well. This was their first time competing against each other since Cerulean City.

"Alright everyone, our final matchup of the tournament is between Serena and Miette! The winner will gain the title of Queen of the Princess Day Festival and receive one thousand Pokedollars, the special Pokémon doll set, and of course this beautiful Eevee!" the MC announced gesturing toward the Eevee, "Each of our ladies will use three Pokémon and the last one standing wins!"

Serena looked on at Miette. The blue haired girl smirked at Serena and then turned to the crowd to see Ash and Rotom Dex cheering on.

"You know Serena, I'm pretty sure that Ash will have more notice of the winner," Miette said in a smug tone.

When Serena heard that comment, she started to think about their meeting in Cerulean City once more when she intended to flirt with Ash. Serena then had to remind herself that she was only trying to get under her skin like before and cause her to lose her focus. Just like before, Serena had to keep her composure and not let any of the Ash comments get to her. Besides, Ash is her boyfriend.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Serena replied sarcastically rolling her eyes.

Miette could see Serena's attitude as it now shows that she isn't being affected. Miette then smirked at her Pokeballs including one in particular. It was a Pokémon that she hasn't used in the tournament yet, and this would be the perfect time to use that Pokémon.

"Alright ladies send out your first Pokémon!" the MC announced.

"I'll start things off with Parasect!" Miette yelled out sending out Parasect.

Coming out of the Pokeball was what looked like a hermit crab like creature with a mushroom head acting as a shell. This was Parasect. While Serena has watched this Pokémon in the tournament, Rotom Dex thought it wouldn't hurt to scan it once more.

 _#047-Parasect: Mushroom Pokémon_

 _The bug host is drained of energy by the mushrooms on its back. The mushroom appears to do all the thinking._

Serena was taking notes on the Pokémon that it was a bug and grass type. She figured Beedrill would be the perfect candidate to go up against that Parasect. However, she felt a tug on her sock and as she looked down, she saw it was Pikachu wanting to go in.

"Not now Pikachu, I want you to save your energy," Serena told Pikachu as she grasped Beedrill's Pokeball, "Besides, Beedrill got this."

Pikachu humped and crossed his arms as he wasn't impressed that Serena didn't choose him. Serena tossed her Pokeball unveiling her Beedrill. The Poison Bee Pokémon was hovering on the stage with his stingers ready.

"Serena is going to use Beedrill while Miette will start things off with Parasect! Let the battle begin!" the MC announced.

"Stun Spore" Miette called out.

"Fly up with Agility and use Pin Missile!" Serena retorted.

Parasect unleashed a brown powder from her mushroom, but Beedrill used his Agility to rise up quickly and unleash a flurry of Pin Missiles. Parasect looked up in horror and realized she was to slow to get away. Beedrill pelted Parasect with a barrage of needles leaving Parasect greatly weakened.

"Now dive down and use Twinneedle!" Serena yelled out.

Beedrill was diving down like an airshow airplane ready to finish Parasect off with Twinneedle. However, Miette was giving another smirk at Serena as if she were to make a huge error.

"Big mistake Serena, use Spore," Miette told Parasect.

Beedrill was diving down with a Twinneedle attack and Parasect at the same time unleashed a strange looking powder. Beedrill was feeling the effects of the powder, but not until Beedrill struck Parasect with his stinger. Parasect tumbled down while Beedrill lost his flight and slowly fell to the ground falling asleep.

"Oh no, Beedrill!" Serena cried.

"Beedrill has fallen asleep, but not until after Parasect gets hit with a Twinneedle knocking Parasect out! Beedrill is still in this match as it's just asleep!" the MC announced.

The crowd cheered as Serena beat one of Miette's Pokémon, but she wasn't at all happy. Serena made a huge mistake letting Beedrill home in only to be vulnerable to Spore thus putting him asleep.

"You did your best Parasect, and good job on putting Beedrill to sleep at least," Miette said after she returned Parasect, "That was a big mistake Serena. Despite beating Parasect easily, you should've had Beedrill just continue with Pin Missile."

Serena looked down as Beedrill was now taking a nap. She wasn't sure what she was going to do now whether to have Beedrill continue or use a different Pokémon. Maybe she should wait for who's coming next.

Ash and Rotom Dex were watching on as even though Serena won the matchup, if felt more like Miette got the win right there.

"That was a bad move by Serena to have Beedrill come in for a close-range attack. While Parasect wasn't quick enough to prevent Twinneedle, he was able to get out a Spore attack which ended up putting Beedrill to sleep," Rotom Dex explained.

Ash was watching Serena on the stage. He can always recall when Serena has trouble, but she always seems to find extra strength when she hears those words.

"Don't worry Rotom Dex, I'm sure Beedrill will wake up soon," Ash told Rotom Dex, "Serena will get this, you'll see."

Serena looked at Beedrill and back at Miette. Right now, she would just await for Miette's next Pokémon.

"Alright Serena, get ready to meet a Pokémon you're familiar with," Miette said holding her Pokeball, "Go my beautiful Wigglytuff."

Miette tossed her Pokeball in the air and it revealed a Wigglytuff. Serena and Ash can recall Rose having a Wigglytuff of her own, but she has been a trainer longer than Miette has. Serena can recall when Braixen back when she was Fennekin beat Wigglytuff back when it was Jigglypuff, but Fennekin technically outlasted Jigglypuff, now Serena and her Pokémon had to actually beat Wigglytuff. Serena looked down at her Beedrill knowing what she was going to do now.

"And Miette will try her luck with Wigglytuff! This Pokémon has been a menace for all the ladies just like her other Pokémon," the MC announced, "What will Serena do?"

"I'll stick with Beedrill," Serena announced, "I hope he wakes up soon."

With Serena staying with Beedrill, he was now going to be completely vulnerable to Wigglytuff's attacks. All Serena was going to do was hope for Beedrill to wake up.

"Looks like you got your work cut out for you Serena," Miette said, "Wigglytuff use Hyper Voice!"

Wigglytuff opened her mouth and let out a powerful sound wave which sent Beedrill to the edge. Beedrill was still asleep, but he took a bit of damage.

"Now follow that up with Doubleslap," Miette commanded.

Wigglytuff started to repeatedly slap Beedrill back and forth across the face. Beedrill was still in a deep slumber while he was taking damage.

"Come on Beedrill wake up!" Serena cried out.

"Don't worry Serena, I'll help Beedrill out," Miette said in a smug tone "Wigglytuff use Wake-Up Slap!"

Wigglytuff used all of her might and slapped him hard. The Poison Bee Pokémon was sent flying to the edge, but he ended up regaining his composure as he woke up.

"Beedrill you're awake!" Serena exclaimed with glee.

That happy moment of Beedrill waking up was cut short when he grimaced because that attack did a lot of damage.

"Beedrill," Serena said in worry.

"Wow, that Wake-Up Slap did a lot of damage," Ash said.

"Yeah, apparently that's what Wake-Up Slap does. When the opponent is asleep, the damage the Pokémon takes doubles, but it ends up waking the Pokémon up in the process," Rotom Dex explained.

"But that's a bad thing. Miette had Serena on the ropes when Beedrill was asleep. Why would she want to wake him up and let him fight again?" Ash questioned.

"That's the thing Ash, Miette knew that risk of when Wake-Up Slap is used and since the move was a fighting-type, it would not be very effective to bug and poison type Pokémon, both of which Beedrill is," Rotom Dex explained, "That's why she had Wigglytuff use Hyper Voice and Doubleslap, so that when Beedrill was awake he would be greatly weakened and a fighting type move wouldn't be as powerful on a bug type and poison type Pokémon at the same time."

Ash looked down and could see what Rotom Dex was talking about. Beedrill was flying again but was barely keeping flight now due to the damage he took from Wigglytuff. The only thing Ash can hope for is that Serena can get something done.

Meanwhile Serena looked on at Beedrill as Wigglytuff did a number on the Poison Bee Pokémon. If Beedrill couldn't beat Wigglytuff, she hopes to at least weaken her a bit for her next Pokémon.

"Hang in there Beedrill, use Poison Jab!" Serena yelled out.

Beedrill heard what Serena said and flew over towards Wigglytuff. Beedrill got his stinger ready and jabbed Wigglytuff in the gut. The Balloon Pokémon was screaming from the pain of Poison Jab.

"I don't think so," Miette replied, "Double-Edge!"

Wigglytuff's eyes narrowed down at Beedrill and she slammed him to the ground. Wigglytuff bounced right back up off of Beedrill revealing that Beedrill was lying on the ground, unmoving. Beedrill was clearly knocked out.

"Beedrill no," Serena uttered.

"It looks like Wigglytuff has shown Beedrill the floor! With that Beedrill is out leaving both competitors with only two Pokémon," the MC announced.

Serena looked at Wigglytuff at how she was able to dominate Beedrill, mostly due to him being asleep when the match-up began. If she hadn't had Beedrill dive down for that Twinneedle against Parasect, she could've had Beedrill avoid being hit by Spore. However, Serena can give credit to Miette as Wigglytuff has gotten much stronger since their last meeting. The honey-blonde coordinator sadly pulled out Beedrill's Pokeball and called him back.

"You did a great job Beedrill. Take a good rest," Serena said to her Pokeball, "I got plenty of Pokémon who will help me out."

Serena was trying to figure out who she was going to use next. Apparently, Beedrill's Poison Jab wasn't enough to poison Wigglytuff. Then Serena felt a tug on her high-black sock once more. She looked down to see it was Pikachu.

"You want to go out there?" Serena questioned.

"Pika," Pikachu responded.

Serena show Pikachu a neutral expression. She wanted Pikachu to conserve his energy, but she feels maybe he has gotten enough rest to continue. Serena just hopes its enough, and besides if worst comes to worst, she can call in her last Pokémon.

"Alright Pikachu go on in there," Serena said with a smile.

Pikachu happily jumped onto the stage with no hesitation. At least Serena was going to let him take part in the final match of the tournament.

"Serena's next Pokémon will be Pikachu," the MC announced as the crowd continued to cheer, "Pikachu has sure been in this competition a lot. Does the little Pokémon still have enough energy to go on?"

That was a question that Serena had in mind. Does Pikachu have enough in the tank? Ash and Rotom Dex watched on, and Miette had her arms crossed.

"I notice that Pikachu has been dying to compete in every match," Miette smirked, "But does Pikachu have what it takes to beat my beautiful Wigglytuff."

"We'll see about that. Pikachu has been pretty reliable mostly because he wants me to get Eevee," Serena told Miette, "But enough of that, let's get this show on the road."

Wigglytuff stood there looking down at Pikachu while Pikachu looked at Eevee and right back at Wigglytuff with complete determination. Pikachu was going to take out both Wigglytuff and whatever Miette's next Pokémon was.

"Alright then, Wigglytuff use Stockpile!" Miette commanded to her Wigglytuff.

Wigglytuff started to store in some energy raising her defenses. Serena remembered when Wigglytuff back when it was Jigglypuff did that. Serena needed to take in some strategy against Wigglytuff's defenses. Then she can recall what Pikachu did back at the Kanto Power Plant when going up against Muk.

"Pikachu use Agility!" Serena commanded.

"Wigglytuff use Body Slam!" Miette retorted

Pikachu started to run around at high speed while Wigglytuff was coming down with Body Slam. Pikachu was able to get out of the way and continued to increase his speed.

"Keep using Agility," Serena told Pikachu.

"Disable!" Miette retorted.

Wigglytuff's eyes glowed blue as Pikachu speed has stopped increasing. Now that Wigglytuff has used Disable, Pikachu can't go on with Agility. For Serena though that was okay because Pikachu gained enough speed to strike.

"Now that Pikachu can't build up any more speed, Wigglytuff use Hyper Voice and then follow it up with Body Slam!" Miette commanded.

"That's okay, because Pikachu is prepared as well," Serena smirked, "Pikachu use Electro Ball!"

Pikachu jumped up and started to create an electric sphere and fired it right at Wigglytuff. Wigglytuff unleashed another powerful sound wave, but Pikachu's Electro Ball overpowered the wave and hit Wigglytuff.

"Oh no, Wigglytuff!" Miette cried.

"Yes, now use Iron Tail!" Serena yelled out.

Pikachu jumped up and his tail started to glow white, but not until Miette called out the next move.

"Swallow!" Miette retorted.

Wigglytuff swallowed her energy and healed herself. Pikachu's Iron Tail connected as Wigglytuff was now smirking as she was absorbing the blow from Pikachu's Iron Tail.

"What!" Serena exclaimed.

"Come on Serena, Swallow allows Wigglytuff to heal from the amount of energy she gained from Stockpile," Miette explained, "Now Wigglytuff, use Play Rough."

Wigglytuff smirked once more and pounded Pikachu all around with Play Rough. Pikachu was taking a bunch of blows from Wigglytuff's repeated beatings.

"Hang in there Pikachu, use another Electro Ball!" Serena yelled out.

Pikachu started to gather more electricity onto his tail and fired off another Electro Ball at Wigglytuff. The Balloon Pokémon looked in terror as this one was up close and hit her.

"Uh oh," Miette uttered.

Wigglytuff was screaming in pain as not only was it up close allowing Wigglytuff to take more damage, but the fact she lost her defenses from Stockpile after using Swallow allowed Electro Ball to do even more. Wigglytuff was now shaking.

"Hurry and use Iron Tail!" Serena retorted.

Miette was trying to think of something, but nothing was coming up as Pikachu's Iron Tail connected onto Wigglytuff sending her flying. Serena then ordered the finishing blow.

"Thunderbolt!" Serena commanded.

Pikachu gathered electricity and smirked at the flying Wigglytuff. Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt that caused Wigglytuff to scream in pain. Then after Pikachu was finished, Wigglytuff fell back onto the stage and she was completely knocked out.

"Alright!" Serena cheered.

"And Wigglytuff is down for the count which leaves Miette with one…" the MC announced until something else happened causing her to be cut off.

Serena's victory was short lived as Pikachu collapsed on the floor. Apparently all of that battling drained Pikachu of his energy as he didn't get up.

"Pikachu!" Serena cried.

"Never mind, it's a double knockout as Pikachu can't continue either! That means both Miette and Serena are each left with one Pokémon!" the MC announced.

Serena looked down at Pikachu and frowned. He should've known that he can't always keep throwing himself in every battle. Pikachu has proven to be strong but doesn't have that kind of endurance which caused him to burn out his energy. Serena walked up to Pikachu and her frown turned into a sad smile.

"I told you Pikachu to let me use other Pokémon so you can save your energy. I know how much you wanted me to get that Eevee and how you want to be with her, but at the end of the day, you have to realize that you do have limits," Serena told Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu muttered.

"But you did a great job. You earned a good rest. And I promise, I will not let your hard work go to waste," Serena told Pikachu as she carried him back to the other side.

Eevee watched as Pikachu was set down behind Serena and she let him lay down so he can heal. Eevee was curious why that particular Pikachu doesn't go in his Pokeball. Miette then pulled out her Pokeball and called back Wigglytuff.

"Well done Wigglytuff, take a nice rest," Miette kindly said as she recalled Wigglytuff.

"Alright everyone, both of our girls will send out their last Pokémon. The winner of this matchup will receive the title of Princess Day Queen of the Festival!" the MC announced.

Serena and Miette started at each other. Serena and Pikachu were both determined to win that Eevee, but with Pikachu now out of commission, her last Pokémon will have to get the job done.

"Well Serena, I've noticed a certain Pokémon hasn't shown up yet and I'd figure you were saving that Pokémon for this moment," Miette declared.

"You don't completely know that for sure," Serena rebutted, "I haven't decided who I'm going to use against you yet."

"You might be right. But to just to let you know, I have another Pokémon with me who I have yet to use in this tournament," Miette stated as she pulled out a Pokeball, "Whether if I'm right or wrong, this was going to be my final Pokémon."

Serena was looking at Miette with a puzzled look. So, she had another Pokémon that she was saving for the finals, and she was figuring that she would use it on certain Pokémon Miette was aware that Serena hasn't used yet.

"Tell you what, let me show you my last Pokémon," Miette said as she finally tossed the Pokeball, "The Pokémon that will help me emerge victorious!"

The Pokeball was flying up in the air and then it opened. The Pokémon that was unveiled was a blue tadpole with arms and a swirl on his belly. It was a Poliwhirl.

"Miette has brought out a Poliwhirl! Who will Serena bring out!" the MC announced?

The crowd was cheering on as they were awaiting Serena's last Pokémon, but little did everyone know, a Pokeball was shaking on Serena's belt. Miette was thinking that Serena was going to use Braixen, but the snooty girl was probably not aware that Braixen was not with her due to her troubled behavior. Serena looked back at Pikachu and realized that if he didn't burn himself out he could've faced that Poliwhirl. Darn it, if Pikachu wasn't so hesitant to keep battling, then maybe he would've given Poliwhirl problems with his electric attacks.

After Serena finished thinking, she reached for Kadabra's Pokeball. However, the shaking Pokeball opened up and the Pokémon came out. Serena had a surprised look on her face and Ash and Rotom Dex had the same look.

It was her Squirtle who popped out. Squirtle took some heavy deep breaths as he glared at Poliwhirl.

"Squirtle?" Serena questioned.

Squirtle turned around and saw Serena standing there behind him looking puzzled.

"Squirtle Squirtle," Squirtle responded.

"You want to fight Poliwhirl?" Serena asked.

"Squirtle," Squirtle confirmed meaning yes.

It took time for Serena to realize why Squirtle came out on his own. Then she can remember that a Poliwhirl is what Paul used to replace Squirtle as his water-type and Squirtle still had a grudge on that particular Pokémon line.

"What's going on? Why did Squirtle come out?" Ash asked.

"I think I can recall Ash. Do you remember the last time we've met Paul?" Rotom Dex questioned, "We've learned that Paul was Squirtle previous trainer before he released him and replaced him with Poliwhirl."

Ash gritted his teeth as he can remember that previous meeting with Paul. He learned that Paul was Squirtle's previous trainer before Serena, and that he released him because he wasn't a compatible Pokémon. Squirtle began to be rash against other humans until he met Serena, and after seeing what she did against Damien, Squirtle realizes that not all humans were bad and even protected Serena and then agreed to join her.

However, Squirtle still had some demons regarding Paul as he got a Poliwag to replace him as his water-type, and when he went up against his Poliwhirl and lost, it only seems to prove that he is right, and Paul even told Serena that Squirtle was worthless. Squirtle feared the same thing would happen at times, but Serena never did that and has grown to accept her.

Squirtle still hasn't felt as if he have proven himself to be worthy towards Serena even though she accepts him. Despite winning the Celadon City Contest for her, it felt more like that was Braixen's victory than his. Now he has another chance to regain his confidence, and what better way than against a Poliwhirl, the Pokémon that replaced him.

"Squirtle, I know what's going through your head. You want to fight Poliwhirl?" Serena asked just to be sure.

"Squirtle," Squirtle answered meaning yes.

"Alright Squirtle, I choose you!" Serena declared.

With that Squirtle looked over at Poliwhirl. Pikachu opened his eyes and saw Squirtle taking on a Poliwhirl. The Electric Mouse looked on sadly has he can't do anything in this battle anymore. It's now up to Squirtle.

"And Serena has chosen Squirtle! We will wrap up this tournament with a battle between two water-type Pokémon!" the MC announced.

Squirtle was looking completely determined to take on Poliwhirl. He wanted to beat that Poliwhirl, even though it wasn't the same one, but if he did, then he can gain some satisfaction.

"Alright Poliwhirl use Water Gun," Miette commanded.

"Squirtle use Withdraw!" Serena retorted.

Poliwhirl unleashed a Water Gun right at Squirtle, but Squirtle got in to protect himself from the attack. However, Poliwhirl's Water Gun was pushing Squirtle's shell back. This was a powerful Water Gun.

"Fight back with Aqua Jet!" Serena yelled out.

Squirtle popped his head out and stared at Poliwhirl. He got out of his shell and charged himself towards Poliwhirl while engulfed in water.

"I don't think so, Poliwhirl use Mud Shot," Miette told her Poliwhirl.

The Tadpole Pokémon transitioned from Water Gun to Mud Shot. Squirtle clenched his teeth as he was now getting slowed down and having a hard time seeing.

"Mud Bomb," Miette responded.

Poliwhirl then unleashed a blobby brown sphere right at Squirtle which cancelled out the Aqua Jet and knocked Squirtle back.

"Squirtle!" Serena cried out.

Squirtle was now covered in mud from head to toe. Luckily Squirtle was not lying on his back like the Celadon City Contest. But still, this Poliwhirl has proven to be a pain.

"Here, let me help clean that little Squirtle up," Miette said in a snooty tone, "Poliwhirl use Rain Dance."

Poliwhirl's body started glowing as he was now moving around and all of a sudden clouds appeared from the sky. It began to rain and Eevee was getting all wet, but the group looking after her covered her with a blanket.

"Looks like Poliwhirl just put rain in the forecast today," the MC announced.

Squirtle was glaring at Poliwhirl in the now rainy battlefield. Something was going through Squirtle's soul, why did this feel so…dark? Wait, this was not the time to think about that, it was time for Squirtle to fight Poliwhirl.

"You know, rainy weather actually makes good for water Pokémon, because their water-type moves become stronger," Miette explained.

"Well guess what Miette, you forgot Squirtle is a water-type Pokémon too, so his water attacks are stronger as well," Serena rebutted.

"Oh really, why don't you prove it," Miette smirked.

"I will," Serena smirked, "Squirtle use your most powerful Water Gun!"

"Poliwhirl, use your most powerful Water Gun!"

With that Squirtle and Poliwhirl both unleashed their respective Water Gun attacks. It was amazing to see that both Water Guns were evenly matched. Rotom Dex on the other hand looked completely worried.

" _Serena doesn't realize it, but she and Squirtle are taking on Poliwhirl together blind. They don't fully know about Poliwhirl abilities,"_ Rotom Dex thought to itself.

Squirtle was now going to take this. If he loses to a Poliwhirl, it only proves Paul to be more right about releasing him. With that Squirtle started to dig deep within and push Poliwhirl's Water Gun back even more.

"Alright Squirtle!" Serena cheered.

However, something was off. As Squirtle's Water Gun was drawing closer to Poliwhirl, Miette continued to stand there with a smirk on her face. She wasn't showing any signs of worry. That didn't bother Serena and Squirtle as the Tiny Turtle Pokémon kept firing away.

Then at long last, Squirtle's Water Gun finally hit Poliwhirl, but something wasn't right. Poliwhirl wasn't screaming in pain. Squirtle took some deep breaths when his eyes lit up with horror and Serena looked a bit mortified too as Poliwhirl looked better than ever.

"What happened?" Serena questioned in a choking tone.

"You made a mistake in using Squirtle against my Poliwhirl. Didn't you know about Poliwhirl's ability, Water Absorb," Miette stated with a confident look on her face.

Serena gasped when she heard that. If she can recall, Water Absorb allows the Pokémon to be healed by the opponents water attacks.

"If you knew about Poliwhirl's Water Absorb, why did you have Poliwhirl try and hold off Aqua Jet and Water Gun?" Serena questioned in panic.

"Because if I didn't, then my opponent could catch on with Poliwhirl's ability. You really should've learned a little more about your opponent's Pokémon, and thanks to the rain, Poliwhirl is now even a lot more refreshed then he would be," Miette explained.

Serena gritted her teeth as she saw the condition Squirtle was in now. He now looked exhausted from using so much in that Water Gun.

"I'll take care of this," Miette told Serena, "Poliwhirl use Mud Shot!"

"Squirtle look out!" Serena called out.

Squirtle looked on at Poliwhirl as he fired a Mud Shot. Squirtle was unable to get out of the way as he was knocked back by the attack. Squirtle was now laying on the ground, but still conscious.

"Now to finish this, Poliwhirl use Body Slam," Miette commanded.

Serena gritted her teeth as Poliwhirl began to jump for the finishing blow. She now felt like a complete fool for sending Squirtle out to battle. She wanted to think of something, but the only offensive attacks Serena can think of that Squirtle has that aren't water-type are Tackle and Rapid Spin.

Squirtle looked up as Poliwhirl was coming up. So, this was it, he has going to be bested by a Poliwhirl yet again proving Paul to be right to cut him loose. Squirtle has grown close to Serena since she adopted him. Now he was feeling something, from Serena.

Squirtle was feeling the regrets Serena has for having him fight Poliwhirl all because of that ability. Squirtle felt like Serena was a fool for trusting him. Squirtle already felt that with Paul and now he may be feeling that again. No, he loves Serena! Serena is a kind caring girl who has helped him grow and treated him as a true friend like the rest of her Pokémon. Squirtle didn't want to let her down like he did with Paul, no he wanted to prove to Serena that she didn't make a mistake.

This wasn't about trying to overcome the demons of Paul and Poliwhirl anymore, this was about fighting for his trainer and proving she can trust him.

As Poliwhirl was closing in, Poliwhirl found a new sense of strength and jumped up head-first. Serena looked up in shock as Squirtle's head started to glow hitting Poliwhirl right in the mid-section.

"What the!" Miette gasped in shock.

Everybody in the crowd was surprised as Poliwhirl was sent flying. With the rain finally stopping, everybody got to see Squirtle's head glow and then the glow faded. Serena couldn't have mustered a bigger smile than she has right now. She came close to wanting to quit, but then she saw that Squirtle didn't want to quit.

"What was that!?" Ash questioned in shock.

"Squirtle," Rotom Dex happily responded, "He just learned Skull Bash!"

Serena was able to hear Rotom Dex from the crowd as she hears Squirtle learned Skull Bash. Squirtle finally got back onto his feet and Poliwhirl landed on the ground on his back. The Tadpole Pokémon got back on his feet but was now feeling wobbly. Serena was now smirking with Miette looking worried for once.

"Poliwhirl, hurry and use Water Gun!" Miette retorted in panic.

"I don't think so," Serena happily said, "Squirtle use Rapid Spin!"

Poliwhirl unleashed another Water Gun, but because of the pain he has in his stomach, the attack wasn't as strong as Squirtle was able to power through it with his shell and hit Poliwhirl in the mid-section yet again.

"And finish this with Tackle!" Serena retorted.

Squirtle then came out of his shell and slammed at Poliwhirl with a powerful Tackle. Miette looked in shock as Poliwhirl was lying down on his back unable to get up. Squirtle then did a few somersaults and landed on his feet giving out a V-Sign.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle chanted.

"Wow, what a finish! Squirtle has beaten Poliwhirl leaving Miette with no Pokémon! Which means this year's Princess Day Queen of the Festival is none other than Serena!" the MC announced.

Serena felt a sense of pride in that win. She bested Miette once again, this time in a three on three battle, and she won this tournament with the help of Braixen. It shows Serena that she truly did have the best Pokémon she could ask for.

"I won, I actually won," Serena happily said as she clasped her hands.

Squirtle on the other hand was now feeling something deep within his heart. Something he has finally gotten since joining Serena. Complete satisfaction. He finally bested a Poliwhirl and proved to Serena that he was a great Pokémon.

Serena made a mad dash towards Squirtle leaving Pikachu behind who just woke up. Serena gave Squirtle the biggest hug she could ever give him. Squirtle looked up at Serena who was hugging him, he did make her proud.

"Way to go Squirtle, I'm so proud of you!" Serena exclaimed hugging Squirtle.

Pikachu was looking at Serena at how she was hugging Squirtle with lots of happiness. Pikachu realized it only could mean one thing, Serena won.

Miette gave a sad smile towards Serena as she called back Poliwhirl and thanked him for a great battle. Miette looked onward towards Serena and Squirtle and she has proven that she has definitely gotten better. She was about to walk over to congratulate Serena until something happened which caused Serena and everyone else to gasp. Pikachu was shocked to see this as well along with Ash, Rotom Dex, and the rest of the crowd.

Squirtle began to glow white as his body began to get bigger. Serena let go of Squirtle from the hug and watched Squirtle evolve. Replacing Squirtle was now a Wartortle.

"Squirtle, you evolved into a Wartortle," Serena happily said as she gave Wartortle another hug.

Miette finally walked on over to Serena and Wartortle. Pikachu joined by their side as well. Serena looked up and Miette gave a friendly smile.

"Congratulations Serena, this is our second meeting and just like last time, you beat me fair and square," Miette told Serena, "And congratulations on your Squirtle evolving too."

"Thanks," Serena responded feeling a little puzzled and then turning to Wartortle, "But Wartortle wanted to find a way to win. This competition showed that I have so many great Pokémon that I can trust."

"Well consider this, you earned this win today," Miette said as she walked off the stage, "Enjoy your title and your new Pokémon."

Serena was so caught up in the elation that she completely forgot. That's right, she's going to get an Eevee now. Speaking of Eevee, as the group was removing the blanket, Eevee looked up at Serena and Pikachu. Looks like Eevee has a new home.

* * *

 _ **10 minutes later**_

All sixty-four competitors were standing on stage with most of them happy while others were feeling disappointed. However, it was Serena who was center stage with two Pokémon. Pikachu and her newly evolved Wartortle.

"We're happy to announce that Serena is this year's Queen of the Festival, and we also wish her a congratulations on her Squirtle evolving," the MC announced as the prizes were now coming up and she gives Serena her prize money, "I present you one-thousand Pokedollars."

Then she looks at the doll set and smiles. Just like she first thought before the competition, this would look great in her room.

"You also have won this special limited-edition Pokémon doll set and," the MC announced with the group of men bringing Eevee up, "We also present you with a new friend, Eevee!"

Eevee hopped off the platform and ran towards Serena. While Pikachu wanted to come close to Eevee, he knew it was best to get out of the way so she can meet her new trainer. Wartortle made sure to stand out of the way as well.

"Avi!" Eevee chanted as she jumped into Serena's arms.

"Hi there Eevee! I'm Serena and I'm going to be your new trainer, and your new friend!" Serena happily exclaimed as she looks at her Pokémon, "And it's all thanks to my Pokémon!"

"Avi!" Eevee chanted.

Serena truly did have a great birthday after all. She got to do lots of shopping, her boyfriend got her a new necklace, she beat Miette once again winning a girls Pokémon tournament, her Squirtle evolved into Wartortle, and to top it all off, Serena got herself an Eevee at long last.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

It was the day after the festival. After the competition, Ash offered Serena one of his Great Balls and used it for Eevee. She exchanged her Beedrill for her new Eevee. Then to celebrate, Serena used that one thousand Pokedollars to do more shopping which terrorized Ash and then a big dinner. Serena would let Eevee come out and be with Pikachu and not only did Pikachu become incredibly happy that Eevee was with him, but Eevee seems to like Pikachu as well.

Ash and Serena have noticed that when Pikachu has that lovey dovey behavior with Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon can't help but be flattered. It seems there was another potential Pokémon couple just like Frogadier and Braixen.

Now Serena along with Ash, Rotom Dex, and Pikachu were in front of a truck with a crate being loaded onto the truck. That crate contained her doll set which was going to be shipped back to her house in Pallet Town.

"So, you're sending those dolls back to Pallet Town?" Rotom Dex asked.

"Of course, Rotom Dex, I'm not going to be dragging this around with me in Kanto," Serena answered, "I'll let my moms know to put these in my room."

The crate was finally loaded onto the truck and Serena went over to sign the clipboard. After that, the driver closed the back side of the truck, went over to the driver's side, and took off. Serena waived goodbye to the driver as the truck was now heading for Pallet Town.

"Serena!" a voice called out.

The group turned around and saw a smiling Miette standing there with her hands behind her back. Serena shrieked a little when she saw her standing there.

"Miette," Serena stuttered.

"I take it you were sending those dolls home?" Miette asked.

"Yeah," Serena answered.

Pikachu walked up to Serena and tugged her sock. Serena looked down not without noticing her Pokeball wiggled.

"You want me to bring Eevee out?" Serena happily asked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily exclaimed.

"Okay," Serena answered as she grabbed her Great Ball and brought out Eevee.

Pikachu and Eevee looked onward at each other. Pikachu just can't get over how adorable she is and Eevee can't get over how strong he is. Eevee then gave Pikachu a friendly tackle in which Pikachu laughed. Just like Pikachu, it seems Eevee has a crush on Pikachu as well.

"You know it was right of you to get that Eevee yesterday. Just look at her and Pikachu," Miette said looking at Pikachu and Eevee, "You know, maybe you and Ash can learn from them."

"Hey, they just met, maybe once they've been with each other a little longer then they'll truly learn about love," Serena stated.

Miette can get what Serena was saying. Sometimes while she is training for a contest or competing in one, Miette wonders what it would be like if she had someone like Serena did. Not in the way of carrying bags at the mall or paying for meals at a restaurant but taking the time to know each other and care for each other. She wouldn't even mind if he were a rival coordinator too.

"Maybe you're right," Miette responded as she adjusted her backpack, "Well I better get going."

"Where are you going?" Ash asked.

"I have no point in being here anymore. I'm going to continue traveling and get better," Miette answered as she turned towards Serena, "Watch out Serena, because the next time we meet, I'm going to beat you."

"Don't count on it," Serena smirked.

Serena and Miette looked at each other with complete determination. These two girls were definitely rivals. With that, Miette approached Serena to deliver one more comment.

"Just remember, don't leave Ash alone or else another girl could come and take him," Miette whispered in Serena's ear.

"Sigh, okay I got you," Serena said with a chuckle.

Serena wasn't going to let what Miette say get to her. With that Miette began to walk away from the group. Serena sure had a handful of rivals such as Calem, Shauna, and Miette. Boy when she gets to the Grand Festival, she'll have some competition. Right now, it was time for the group to leave and continue towards Fuchsia City.

* * *

 _ **2 days later**_

 _ **On the road to Fuchsia City**_

Ash and Serena have been traveling for three days since leaving civilization. One day after leaving, Ash and Serena got a call from Professor Oak regarding their Pokémon. He told them that Frogadier and Braixen have not moved since arriving and that they haven't been eating. He also told them that he wasn't able to find anything.

With that, Ash and Serena decided to use Rotom Dex to bring them back to the group as Ash swapped out Haunter while Serena sent back Gyarados. Ash's team now consisted of Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, Scyther, Primeape, and Krabby while Serena's team consisted of Braixen, Kadabra, Wartortle, Slowpoke, Pinsir, and Eevee.

The two have been taking care of Frogadier and Braixen and still can't get anywhere. It was a good thing Professor Sycamore was coming in to visit because maybe a visit from him might help.

Right now, Ash and Serena were sitting on a blanket having a picnic. Serena was able to make some ravioli for herself and Ash while she made their Pokémon some special Pokémon food with some Italian flavoring so that the Pokémon can enjoy the taste that she and Ash are enjoying. Serena was imaging maybe Frogadier and Braixen along with Pikachu and Eevee should share a bowl of spaghetti together and accidently kiss while enjoying the spaghetti.

Speaking of lovely Pokémon moments, Ash and Serena turned around to see that Frogadier and Braixen still haven't touched their food. This has been going on for quite some time. Serena's smile turned into a frown seeing that sight.

"Ash, I'm worried about them," Serena sighed.

"I know you are, and it's sad that Professor Oak wasn't able to reach a conclusion," Ash sighed, "I just hope we find an answer…"

Ash was then cut off when he noticed something. Frogadier was now shaking and taking rapid breaths. Serena noticed that Braixen was doing the exact same thing. Ash approached Frogadier while Serena approached Braixen. All of the Pokémon abandoned their meals as they went to check in on the two Pokémon.

"Frogadier, are you okay?" Ash asked.

"Frog, frog, frog, frog," Frogadier responded as this was his first response to Ash in a while.

"Braixen?" Serena questioned.

"Brai, brai, brai, brai," Braixen responded.

As they were looking at their Pokémon, they started to notice that their pupils were starting to shrink while still rapidly breathing. Both Pokémon got onto their hands and knees and continued to hyper-ventilate.

"FROG, FROG," Frogadier screamed.

"BRAI, BRAI," Braixen screamed.

"Frogadier!" Ash cried.

"Braixen!" Serena cried.

Ash and Serena each grabbed onto their respective Pokémon. Pikachu was holding Eevee's hand as all of the Pokémon watched in horror with the way Frogadier and Braixen were acting. Ash and Serena figured that maybe the one thing that could calm them down would be each other. With that Ash helped Frogadier embrace Braixen who was assisted by Serena.

Both trainers looked onward at Frogadier and Braixen. While they were freaking out for a moment, they have calmed down a little bit. Still, that did not explain what just happened. They finally showed a response, but it wasn't a good one. Maybe the hug is comforting them some.

"Ash," Serena said worriedly.

"Yeah Serena," Ash replied.

"It's come to our attention that Frogadier and Braixen have taken a turn for the worse," Serena stated as she was choking up.

Everybody was now worried. They were going to meet Professor Sycamore in Fuchsia City, but they wished he was here now regarding what just happened.

* * *

 _ **Southeast Kanto**_

Back in the grotto in the big tree, Kadabra was trembling with fear. Kadabra has lived in the grotto with Snorlax for quite a while and has been good at foreseeing events. However, there was one thing that completely troubled Kadabra. He told Snorlax about what he saw and when Snorlax heard the news, he sent the word out to everyone in the area.

Various Pokémon were now coming out of the grotto to send everyone a warning.

"Everybody into the grotto! We have an emergency," a Fearow yelled out.

Many more Pokémon were sending the message across the area to get everyone inside for safety. Oddishs and Glooms, along with Caterpies and their Butterfree were heading into the grotto. Sandshrews were hiding underground trying to burrow their way along with Digletts. However, the Pokémon that wouldn't make it just needed to find a good hiding spot.

While all of the Pokémon were running, two particular Pokémon were enjoying a refreshing dip in the lake while one Pokémon stayed out in hopes of not electrocuting them. It was a Magby and a Smoochum who were soothing in the lake while Elekid stayed out for the safety of other Pokémon. Despite Magby being a fire-type, the water did feel refreshing.

Elekid was looking up into the sky and could see that many flying type Pokémon were flying towards the big tree. Elekid was wondering if there was some sort of big gathering going on.

"Hey Magby, Smoochum," Elekid called out getting their attention, "The Pokémon seem to be flying that way."

Magby and Smoochum looked up and saw what was going on with the Pokémon. They got out of the lake looking curious. Just what was up with those Pokémon?

"Do you think there's some sort of party?" Smoochum questioned.

"I don't know," Magby responded as he looked at the lake, "But that means more swimming time for us!"

"YAY!" Smoochum cheered as she dove back into the water.

Magby did a cannonball into the lake which caused him to splash Elekid. The three decided to ignore what was going on and enjoy the lake for themselves. Besides, it's not like their parents are looking for them for a huge emergency.

* * *

 _ **In the grotto**_

Munchlax was feeling uneasy as he never seen so many Pokémon in his home at once. This was something new for the Big Eater Pokémon. Seel grabbed Munchlax's hand just to give him some ease.

"Don't sweat it Munchlax. None of these Pokémon are going to hurt you," Seel said with a smile.

"It's fine," Munchlax replied, "I just never seen so many Pokémon in here at once."

Seel gave Munchlax a friendly gesture and the two Pokémon looked around. Some Pokémon looked worried while others looked confused. Just what was going on? Meanwhile in the crowd, a Magmar, an Electabuzz, and a purple humanoid Pokémon with big lips, a Jynx looked around with worry wondering where their kids were as last time they knew, they were playing in the nearby lake? A Rapidash and her daughter noticed and looked around too.

"What's going on with those Pokémon? They looked scared," said Ponyta.

"It appears their kids aren't around and they're wondering where they are," Rapidash answered, "I just hope they're okay. Because I don't know why we were brought in here."

Ponyta did look a little worried. She did remember Seel telling her tales about the adventure Munchlax went on and how they met those three kid Pokémon. She wonders if those kids are still out there.

Then everybody's attention was directed towards Snorlax as he and Kadabra took a stand. Snorlax could hear all the chattering as everyone was worried or scared. Since he has been the leader of this Pokémon pack, it was his duty to make sure all Pokémon were okay.

"Everyone listen up!" Snorlax announced.

All of the Pokémon stopped their chattering and crying, and they were looking at Snorlax. Snorlax had a serious look on his face.

"Okay, I guess you're all wondering why we gathered you all in here," Snorlax announced as he turned to Kadabra, "Kadabra here has been foreseeing an event that would take place here."

There were many murmurs taking place between all of the Pokémon. Exactly what was going on?

"It's true, it turns out that someone is coming into our home grounds," Kadabra announced, "And by what I've been noticing, this being is filled with complete evil. This being plans to kill us all."

All of the Pokémon started screaming and crying as they were scared for their lives. Munchlax was stuttering as Seel took a deep breath and trembled some.

"We don't know exactly how this will play out, but I do believe that we should get prepared. No one leaves the grotto until this situation blows over, and if this evil should find their way in there, I will be prepared to fight," Snorlax announced.

All the Pokémon were now in complete fear as in what would happen. They had little time to prepare, and whatever Pokémon were not inside had to pray to Arceus that they would be okay. Snorlax and all of the Pokémon were going to need to come together to help them get through this.

Snorlax also hopes that his son would be around by the end of this.

* * *

 **Panic breaks out in the grotto, Frogadier and Braixen are now feeling much worse, and an evil is making its way over. This will now set the stage for the upcoming events.**

 **Serena has beaten Miette once again helping her obtain an Eevee at long last, and Squirtle evolves in the process. Looks like Pikachu and Eevee have a crush on each other. I think we may have another potential Pokémon couple in the making.**

 **But for now, it's time to prepare for the upcoming arc. The violent arc I've mention is coming up as the next posting will be the fourth interlude. This Interlude will mostly consist of flashbacks of certain characters, including more involving Delia's and Yellow's sister Annie.**

 **I'll keep the poll up until I post the Interlude. Thanks for reading and I hope to have the fourth interlude up soon.**

 **Interlude IV: Painful Pasts**


	48. Interlude IV-Painful Pasts

**Sorry about the very long wait. The truth was while I was writing this Interlude, I was also writing the upcoming chapters that would take place afterwards which is why the wait has been two months. Speaking of, I hope everybody had a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.**

 **Now as I said this violent arc begins after the fourth interlude. This is the fourth interlude right here. It takes place in many different places starting with Pallet Town as we take a look more into the life of Annie as well as some other characters as some of these things could be potential foreshadowing.**

 **I've also had fun playing Pokémon Sword, and it turns out Eevee doesn't have a new evolution. But like I said, I prepared for that scenario for Olivia if there isn't a new evolution for Eevee.**

 **By the way, if you want to know the team I used to beat the Champion with, well they're none other than…Inteleon (My starter was Sobble), Coalossal, Toxitricity, Haterenne, Polteageist, and Grimmsnarl. It actually took me three tries to beat Leon, but I did it.**

 **The poll is closed, and I will include more Triple Battles and Rotation Battles since that was the number one choice. I'm likely will include them after Ash gets all of his badges and Serena gets all of her ribbons.**

 **Anyway, here's the fourth interlude, and I do not own Pokémon!**

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Ketchum Household**_

It was a clear and tranquil day and not a cloud in the sky. Delia was out working in her garden as she loved to care for her plants. There were a nice bunch of healthy red tulips along with some yellow tulips, purple and pink daisies, and even some white roses. There were also a few shrubs out in front.

Inside the house was a Mime Jr. that she named Mimey. She got him from the Celadon City Casino when it was run by Team Rocket. With Ash gone, Delia started to care for Mimey as another child of her won, and like Delia, he has been taking in on housework. Mimey has been mostly dusting the house as he has been using a little feather duster, and Mimey seems to like it. Mime does fell when he evolves, then maybe he can give Delia much more help around the house.

Delia wiped her forehead from the sweat she has gotten from all of her hard work. Her garden looked exceptionally lovely. She would love for her son to come home to a well-presented garden. Hell, she was happy enough that Ash has a girlfriend in Serena and that they were traveling through Kanto together.

After finishing with her garden, Delia went inside and headed for the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. She drank the water and felt refreshed. Delia then went back into the living room to see Mimey presenting a nice clean-living room. While it was mostly dusting, Mimey did a pretty good job.

"Wow Mimey, you sure know how to polish a place up," Delia cheerfully said.

"Mime Mime," Mimey replied.

"Oh, I'm looking forward to when you grow up and you can do more sorts of cleaning," Delia happily told Mimey.

Delia went over to the sofa and sat down and drank her glass of water. She turned on the TV as was now going to take a break from all of her hard work outside.

"You can sit with me if you want," Delia said as she gestured a spot for Mimey.

Mimey couldn't help but be happy to be with Delia. Mimey sat next to Delia and lied down on her lap. Delia couldn't help but smile at Mimey's gesture. While Mimey has been given to be a great helper around the house, he also has begun to feel like another son to Delia.

On the TV was a soap opera. Taking place is a woman walking out of a house on her parents. What the woman was saying was that she was sick of her brother getting all of the attention from them and that she meant nothing to them. Delia sat on the couch completely focused on what was going on.

After the show ended, Delia was starting to go into thought. What she saw in the soap opera reminded her of what happened in her past. Delia didn't want to say anything to anyone as this was between her and her sister Yellow. Delia turned the TV off and walked into her room.

"Mime," Mimey responded.

"I'll be right back Mimey," said Delia as she went upstairs.

* * *

 _ **4 minutes later**_

Delia was in her bedroom. In her bedroom there were pictures of her and Red on their wedding day and on their honeymoon. She also had pictures of her and Red holding Ash lovingly in their arms as soon he was born. There were also more pictures of Ash when he was little. However, Delia and Red never had pictures of themselves as kids around the house.

Delia was in her closest as she was looking for something, and there is where she found it. There was a box that she remembers, it contained memories from her childhood. She opened the box and found a brown book which was titled "Presley Photo Album" and picked it up.

Delia had a sad look in her eyes as she looked at the book. Her parents were gone, her sister was gone, and this was all she and Yellow had left to remember her parents and her sister by.

About a minute later, Delia returned to the living room with the photo album. Mimey was sitting on the couch as Delia sat back down next to him.

"Mime," Mimey questioned.

"I never showed Ash this, but this photo album contained so many memories from my childhood," Delia said as she opened the book.

Delia and Mimey looked in the photo album and there they could see her parents Marcum and Sharon getting married along with more pictures from their wedding.

"These were my parents Marcum and Sharon who if they were around would've been Ash's grandparents," Delia said choking up.

Delia had a sad look on her face as she could see how happy her parents were at the wedding, along with a few funny and embarrassing photos of them during their big day such as Marcum getting drunk and Sharon doing some crazy dances. Then she could also see photos of her parents in the Alola Region where they celebrated their honeymoon.

As she flipped the page, she could see photos of them with a baby girl in Sharon's arms and Marcum smiling lovingly at his wife and newborn child.

"My parents have told me that this was me when I was born," Delia said as she smiled at the picture.

Delia could see the photos that consisted of her and her parents. There were other phots of her when she was a little girl. Then there was a picture of Delia riding on top of a Pokémon with brown fur, a big white furry mustache that touched the ground, and a furry blue body.

"This was our pet Stoutland," Delia told Mimey showing him the picture of her and Stoutland, "We were best friends when we were growing up."

Mimey was liking what he was learning about Delia. Then she took a deep breath and flipped the page to see another photo. It was her parents again at the hospital with a different baby girl. Delia had mixed feelings going through as she knew who this baby girl.

"Mime Mime," Mimey said pointing to the picture saying it's her again.

"No Mimey that isn't me, that's a different baby. She was my little sister," Delia said as she took a deep breath, "Her name is Annie."

Delia continued to look through the pictures. There were many pictures of her and Annie as they were growing up, along with Stoutland. The two girls were always smiling as they enjoyed being together.

"Annie really has looked up to me when we were growing up. I wasn't just her big sister she was also her best friend. We would always enjoy being together whether it was playing dress-up, playing games, and most of all having fun with Pokémon," Delia explained.

Mimey was looking at the girl with red hair. She was a sweet little girl. The two girls were almost inseparable as Delia took the role as a big sister very well.

"When Ash turned 10, he would be old enough to go on a Pokémon journey which he is right now. However, for me, I didn't become a Pokémon trainer on my tenth birthday," Delia told Mimey as she looked at more pictures of her and Annie, "Because if I did, I would leave home and I would leave my sister behind."

What Mimey heard is what made Delia an ideal big sister, staying for Annie to have her grow up. The fact she looked up to her so much, she actually had dreams of herself and Delia to go on a Pokémon journey together.

"I always wanted to be there for her, especially since she had a dream of traveling the world with me as we become Pokémon trainers," Delia told Mimey.

As Delia turned the pages, she started to get a heartbroken look on her face. She was now coming across the photos that would consist of Yellow.

"However, that dream never became a reality. The reason is that my role as a big sister always takes center stage," Delia told Mimey as she now came to pictures with her newborn sister Yellow, "And when Yellow was born, things started to change."

Delia began to go into thought as she was looking through the photos with Mimey.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-22 years ago**_

 _ **Viridian City**_

 _It was Annie's eighth birthday and the Presleys were celebrating at their house. Annie got some pretty neat presents. The two presents that put a smile on Annie's face were the bracelet from her sister Delia, and her father giving her a Lillipup. Her father Marcum was happy with the look on Annie's face when she saw Lillipup, especially since Stoutland was getting old. Marcum knew that she and Lillipup would get along. Marcum then brought Sharon over and began to hold hands with her and then they looked at their daughters. Delia was watching Annie being still being licked by Lillipup._

" _If you thought that surprise was great, we got another big surprise for you Annie," Sharon told Annie._

" _Another surprise?" Annie questioned._

" _Yes," Sharon smiled._

 _Annie didn't know what to expect from her mother. She had everything she wanted with parents who loved her, a sister who was her best friend. Sharon looked at her husband and then proceeded to look back at her daughter. Annie didn't know this, but what her mom was about to tell her was going to change her whole life._

" _You're going to be a big sister!" Sharon happily announced as she just confirmed that she was pregnant._

 _Annie was looking at her mother with curiosity that she was going to become a big sister. Annie wasn't expecting this she wasn't expecting to have a younger sibling._

" _A big sister?" Annie asked._

" _Yes sweetie, we're going to have another baby," Sharon told her daughter._

 _Annie's eyes widened when they heard the news that they were going to have another sibling. Delia couldn't help but feel happy for the news. Now she can show Annie how to be a younger sibling._

* * *

 _ **Later that night**_

 _Annie was sleeping in her bed with her new Lillipup while Stoutland slept in her parents room. She just looked up at the ceiling after hearing the news that she was going to be a big sister. Annie had no idea what would happen once she became a big sister. The only person she could learn that from was her older sister Delia. After all she was a big sister for eight years._

 _Annie decided to step out of bed and walk into Delia's room. There Annie could see Delia sleeping. Annie walked over to Delia's bed and began to whisper._

" _Delia," Annie whispered as she then raised the volume of her whisper, "Delia!"_

 _Delia began to open her eyes as she was awoken. Delia turned around to see that it was her little sister Annie who was standing over her. Delia could see that Annie had somewhat of a concerned look on her face as she knew something was bothering her._

" _What is it Annie?" Delia asked in a mumbling tone._

" _Um, I was wondering. You've been my big sister for all my life. What is it going to be like being a big sister?" Annie asked._

 _Delia heard Annie out and sat up from her bed. Delia could tell that Annie was really thinking about the possibilities of what it could take to be a big sister. Delia knew that her little sister was talking to the right person about this._

" _Well, being a big sister means that you have to take more responsibilities. They need someone to look up to and that can help them with something if their parents aren't able to help them," Delia explained._

" _What do you mean?" Annie questioned._

" _What I mean to say is that sometimes it's like being a second parent to them. Like how mom and dad are to us and I am to you, we would be like that to our new sibling," Delia explained._

" _Like teaching them about stuff and becoming like their best friend?" Annie asked._

" _Exactly," Delia answered, "I was so happy of being with you, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way when our brother or sister comes."_

 _Annie was hearing Delia out. Annie may have recalled that she and Delia were going to be Pokémon training sisters together once Annie turned ten. Delia was almost twelve years old and she has put off being a Pokémon trainer just so she could take care of her sister, and that was the best feeling she ever had._

 _Annie on the other hand was now feeling worried. When Annie becomes a big sister, would she be told to do the same thing once their new sibling arrived? Delia already put three years off, and now Annie could be worried she might have to put her Pokémon journey eight years off. Annie was worried as her dreams of traveling with Delia could be put on the line because of this child._

 _Right now, Annie wasn't going to think about it._

* * *

 _ **9 months later**_

 _With Delia now being thirteen, she was actually old enough to babysit. She was watching over Annie while her parents were out. They were at the Viridian City Hospital as Sharon was giving birth to their next child. Annie for the time being put off the thoughts of what would happen after their new sibling would arrive, but now that their new sibling was going to arrive, Annie wasn't sure what would happen._

 _Things have been going pretty smoothly at the Presley household. Right now, Delia was cooking something in the microwave for which she and Annie could have for dinner. Stoutland was laying on the floor as he already had his food for today._

 _Then, Marcum and Sharon walked into the house and coming home with them was a beautiful baby girl. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and the two were smiling lovingly at the baby._

" _Delia, Annie, there's someone we want you to meet," Marcum called out._

 _Delia and Annie went on over to the newborn baby. Delia couldn't help but awe at the baby girl, and Annie was smiling at the baby as well._

" _This is your new baby sister, Yellow," Sharon lovingly said as they checked out the baby._

 _Yellow smiled at the two girls and the newborn grabbed Delia's finger. The baby girl liked her new older sister. Delia felt a warm touch as she could feel another bond to create with a new sister. Annie on the other hand witnessed this and while she should feel happy, she wasn't for some reason._

* * *

 _ **A year and a half later**_

 _Both Delia and Annie have been bonding with Yellow who was now one and a half. While of course they would do the same things Delia and Annie have done when they were little, Annie has started to feel like she has been left out. There was one thing that was on her mind, the Pokémon journey._

 _Annie was now ten and was petting her Lillipup. She was hoping that Delia didn't forget about their Pokémon journey. She has been too preoccupied with Yellow as she feels like the bond she and Delia had was diminishing. She couldn't have forgotten about the Pokémon journey, right?_

 _Right now, Annie was approaching Delia as she was feeding Yellow. Yellow would soon be off the baby food in maybe a year or so. Annie looked at her sister feeling curious._

" _Delia," Annie called out._

 _As soon as Delia finished feeding Yellow, she turned her head and smiled at her little sister. Judging by how she looked, Annie was feeling troubled about something._

" _Is something wrong Annie?" Delia asked._

" _Delia, do you remember what we promised to do when I turned ten?" Annie asked hoping she would remember._

" _Yeah, you said we would go on a Pokémon journey together," Delia answered._

 _Annie breathed a sigh of relief as she remembered, but that didn't last long as Delia gave her a disappointed look._

" _Wait, you thought we were going to go on a Pokémon journey together right now?" Delia questioned._

" _Yeah," Annie answered._

 _Delia had a huge sense of guilt within her. They did agree they were going to do this together when Annie became of age, but they didn't expect this curveball with another baby sister coming in._

" _Annie…I'm sorry but we can't do that," Delia told Annie as she looked at Yellow who finished eating her food, "We have to be here for Yellow."_

" _But, mom and dad can look after her," Annie said panicking a little._

" _Annie listen, we weren't expecting our parents to have another baby. Do you remember when I turned ten, I agreed to put my Pokémon journey on hold so I could be a big sister to you," Delia told Annie._

" _Yeah," Annie said with hurt in her tone of voice._

" _Well I want to do the same for Yellow. I want her to have someone to look up to like how you did to me," Delia explained, "And it actually would be better if you stayed around and be a big sister to Yellow. I don't want her to be alone with just her parents."_

 _Annie felt like her heart was ripped out of her chest. Her dreams of traveling around the world with her sister now was going to be put back because of this baby, and even worse, Delia is suggesting that she stays too._

" _But you promised!" Annie cried._

" _This was before Yellow came into our lives. I didn't know our parents were going to have another child!" Delia argued._

 _Yellow was being hurt with the arguing and she began to cry. She didn't like the fact that these two girls were fighting. Marcum and Sharon ran inside when they heard the crying._

" _What's going on in here?" Marcum questioned._

" _Delia won't go on a Pokémon journey with me because of her!" Annie cried pointing towards Yellow._

 _Sharon could see that Yellow was crying and she picked up and patted her on the back and rocked her back and forth to comfort her._

" _There there," Sharon kindly said to the baby._

 _Marcum then turned over to Delia and Annie. Delia had a worried look on her face while Annie showed nothing but anger._

" _What do you mean Delia won't go a Pokémon journey with you?" Annie questioned._

" _She promised me that we would travel together, and she broke the promise because she wants to stay with her and now wants me to stay here too!" Annie cried pointing to Yellow once more._

 _Marcum was looking at Yellow in Sharon's arms. While the mother was able to calm her down, Marcum was not pleased with her second daughter's attitude. She started to show an angry face towards Annie._

" _Young lady, your sister wants to take responsibility and take care of her sister. Right now, you're acting like a spoiled brat!" Marcum yelled._

" _But!" Annie cried._

" _Annie this is Delia's decision, not yours and I'm grateful for that. In fact, you should be staying here and taking care of your sister as well. It would actually do good if she had some role models in her life who take the time for her to help mature in becoming a better person," Sharon explained._

" _But you and dad can do that!" Annie yelled, "Delia doesn't need to do that, she needs to be with me!"_

" _Well in life you can't always get what you want," Sharon told her daughter._

" _But that's not fair!" Annie cried._

" _ANNIE GO TO YOUR ROOM! YOUR GROUNDED!" Marcum screamed._

 _Annie's eyes were starting to tear up. She looked at Delia and she wasn't going to stand up for her. This wasn't right, why was Delia not taking a stand for her? She was considered her best friend, and she rather take her parents side._

 _Everybody in this room thinks that baby is more important than her. Nobody cared about her at all or how she felt. Annie then grabbed Lillipup and glared at her parents._

" _You guys ruined my life by deciding to have her!" Annie yelled._

" _Don't talk to mom and dad like that," Delia told Annie._

 _Annie couldn't believe Delia said that. Before she could get going, Marcum went up and snatched Lillipup out of her arms. Lillipup was a little surprised, but that hurt Annie even more._

" _Give me back Lillipup!" Annie cried._

" _No! You're going to sit in your room alone and think about what you've done!" Marcum yelled._

 _This was unfair, first Delia was not going to go with her on a Pokémon journey, then she insisted that she stays, then no one stands up for her, now she is grounded, and her dad took her best friend away from her._

 _This was supposed to be a way to discipline their child, but to Annie, it felt like betrayal._

* * *

 _ **Later that night**_

 _The family was eating dinner at the table with baby Yellow eating more of her baby food. Stoutland was eating from his bowl while Lillipup was given a small bowl of Pokémon food. It was a pretty emotional day for the family with how Annie was acting._

 _Annie was sitting in her room all by herself. She was not allowed to join for dinner as her parents were still angry with her behavior, not to mention she was grounded. She would get a plate as soon as dinner was over. She didn't believe this was fair at all, and they weren't even going to let her have Lillipup until she lost her attitude._

 _Ever since Yellow came to this world, she has felt like she has been put in the back seat and figured that so-called sister should come first. Even Delia was getting put in front of her._

 _As Annie looked down at the ground, she could only feel one thing, betrayal. Her entire family was against her and her plans. Things wouldn't be happening if her parents didn't decide to have another baby._

" _Those so-called parents ruined my life. They even got my sister to not side with me," Annie uttered with tears._

 _Annie needed something for comfort. She needed her one true friend, Lillipup. Ever since she got him for her birthday, Lillipup has been close to Annie. Just like how Delia was, until now. She wanted to get him inside just so she could get some cheering up, however when she opened the door, Marcum's voice was heard._

" _Annie you're grounded, now close the door and stay in your room!" Sharon called out, "I'll give you a plate when were done."_

 _Annie then closed the door and let out a deep breath. She can't even get Lillipup to be on her side. Are they going to have Lillipup turn on her as well? Heck, they already got her best friend and sister Delia to do that, so it would be a matter a time until Lillipup was against her._

 _Annie was now starting to feel miserable. No one wanted to give her what she want since Yellow came around. This showed her what kind of parents she has, agreeing to tender to the youngest one rather than tending to them. She wonders if Delia was like that when she came around? Well it's too late for her now as if this whole family is now against her._

" _Alright then, if I can't travel around the world with Delia, I'll travel the world by myself," Annie uttered to herself in anger, "Since you're putting me off to the side for this girl that you say should be my sister, then I know I'm not welcomed here."_

 _Annie had it with her family. Her parents betrayed her, Delia wouldn't stand up for her, and no one wanted to support her. She was on her own, but as she looked at the door, she knew Lillipup was out there. She wasn't going to let them warp his head._

" _And I'm taking Lillipup with me," Annie muttered._

* * *

 _ **Midnight**_

 _Everyone was now in bed sleeping. Everyone except for one person, Annie. Once everyone was asleep, Annie snuck out of her room and into the living room where she saw Lillipup sleeping next to Stoutland. This was going to be the temporary sleeping arrangement until Annie started behaving._

 _Annie knelt down to her Lillipup. The Puppy Pokémon opened his eyes as soon as he saw Annie in front of him. What was she doing here?_

" _Hey Lillipup," Annie said._

 _Lillipup didn't say a thing, he just looked at her confused._

" _You love me don't you?" Annie asked pleadingly._

 _Lillipup gave out a quiet bark which indicated yes. The Puppy Pokémon wondered why she would ask a question like that._

" _Alright, well that's good," Annie told Lillipup as she looked around, "Listen Lillipup, I've learned that my parents stopped caring about me as soon as Yellow was born. Not to mention Delia is putting that baby above me as well."_

 _Lillipup was wondering what Annie was talking about and what she was going to do._

" _The truth is, now they just want to make my life miserable taking away the dream I had of traveling around with my sister," Annie explained, "Since they like to take things from me such as my sister and my freedom, then I have no choice but to leave and travel alone."_

 _Lillipup was getting worried. Was Annie really going to be leaving?_

" _Lillipup, I'm going to become a Pokémon trainer and never come back to these excuses of parents," Annie spat as she then looked at Lillipup, "And I want you to come with me as my first Pokémon."_

 _Lillipup's eyes widened when he heard that. They were going to leave Viridian City and travel the world together._

" _Those so-called parents won't have anything to take from me anymore once I'm outta here," Annie said, "And if they see me again, they'll regret what they've done to me."_

 _Lillipup was worried for how Annie was acting, but the Puppy Pokémon couldn't help it. He knew what kind of girl she was and that she might just be going through a bad phase. Either way, Lillipup was going to be with her all the way through._

 _With that, Annie picked up Lillipup and walked over to the door. She opened the door and stepped outside. Annie was already dressed as she didn't want to travel in her pajamas._

" _Let's go," Annie muttered._

 _Annie carried Lillipup and ran far away from the house as possible. She didn't even bother to say goodbye to her parents or Stoutland, she wasn't even going to say goodbye to her sister. Her life felt like a total lie after the birth of Yellow._

 _If Annie were to ever come back, it would not be nothing but a bad memory for the entire Presley family._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Delia had tears in her eyes as she looked at the book. There weren't many pictures of Annie after Yellow turned two. Annie never returned home and she and Yellow hear that she died somewhere during her Pokémon journey. Delia then closed the book.

"I knew it hurt Annie that I was going to stay here, but I didn't think she was going to take it that far," Delia told Mimey, "After that, we never saw her again. We haven't heard from her either, it was presumed that she is dead."

Mimey felt like he was ready to cry. To find out Delia had a sister only to run away from home after having her heart broken like that.

"I never told Red this, but there were times I wanted to have another child. But I couldn't bear to because it reminded me of what happened with Annie. I don't Ash to have some sort of a burden with siblings," Delia sadly said as she seemed like she was going to cry, "This was also a reason why after she ran away, I choose not to ever become a Pokémon trainer myself because all I could think about were those times we've dreamed of traveling together. They now are just memories that hurt me."

Mimey was patting Delia on the back to comfort her. Delia looked at Mimey who looked sad for her. The fact that she refused to make her family bigger because of what happened a long time ago really hurt Mimey, and also the fact she chose never to become a Pokémon trainer due to that experience was also something painful. Mimey then went on over to hug her.

"Mime Mime," Mimey responded as he hugged Delia.

Delia looked down to see that Mimey was hugging Delia's wrist. While he couldn't fully hug her, it did comfort Delia a little bit. Delia looked down and noticed that she technically did have another child, but in the form of a Pokémon. While she never became a trainer, Delia may have realized something.

She did have another child in the form of a Pokémon.

"Mimey," Delia muttered.

"Mime," Mimey said as he was now smiling.

Delia's eyes started to show signs of hope and love. She picked up the Mime Jr. and looked at him. Holding him like a baby, the same say she held Ash when he was a baby. Delia realized that she does have another family member in Mimey.

"Thanks, Mimey," Delia cried as she hugged Mimey, "You made me realize that maybe I do have another one to give my love to besides Ash. I'm glad I brought you home with me."

"Mime mime," Mimey responded.

Delia and Mimey embraced in the hug for a long period of time. As she hugged Mimey, she wonders to herself what it would've been like if she did have another child. Maybe it wouldn't end up the same.

Well, she had Mimey right now, but Delia would think about it. Well first she had to have her husband return home before a decision were to be made.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Gabena Household**_

In the Gabena household, Grace and Jade were sitting down with their Happiny named Happy watching TV. They actually were watching a recording of one of Serena's contests which happened to be her Cerulean City Pokémon Contest. That was the contest where she got her first ribbon.

The same sex couple were so happy for their daughter following her dream of being a top coordinator, even though the Saffron City contest wasn't that great. Just as they were thinking about Serena, the doorbell rang.

"Grace, could you get that," Jade told Grace.

"Sure, just pause it for a moment," Grace told Jade.

Jade paused the recording as Grace got up and walked to the door. Jade and Happy were looking ahead of Grace as she opened the door. Grace was surprised to see a deliveryman at the door with a truck behind her.

"Is this the Gabena residence in Pallet Town?" the deliveryman asked.

"Um yes, but we didn't order anything," Grace answered.

"Actually, you have a delivery from a Serena Gabena," the deliveryman stated.

Grace was surprised to hear that Serena was actually sending something to her. As Grace stepped outside and looked inside the truck, she could see that there was a huge crate inside.

"What's in there?" Grace questioned.

"Well she wanted me to give you this note as well to let you know along with a gift to you," the deliveryman said handing Grace a note and a small package.

Grace opened the letter and began reading it.

 _Dear moms,_

 _I celebrated my birthday by attending a festival called the Princess Day Festival. Ash got me a beautiful locket as a birthday present, and I've agreed to wear it all the time now since it carries a picture of the two of us and Froakie and Fennekin. The festival also had a tournament which I ended up winning, and my Squirtle evolved into a Wartortle. I won a special limited-edition Pokémon doll set that I've delivered to you, and I also got a new Pokémon, Eevee. Pikachu seems to like that Eevee. I also sent you a little something for Happy, and feel free to use it whenever you feel like you're ready. Well, me and Ash are now on our way to Fuchsia City where I'm going to compete in my next contest and I'm going to win my third ribbon. I'll talk to you again soon._

 _Love, Serena_

Grace smiled when she read the letter. Grace saw some of the pictures that Serena sent. Those pictures were taken courtesy of Rotom Dex and were eventually printed out. There were a few pictures of her and Ash along with her new Eevee, and her newly evolved Wartortle. However, in all of those pictures, she was wearing her new necklace that Ash gave her. Grace thought that necklace looked lovely on her.

Grace then opened the small package and inside it was revealed to be an Oval Stone. This was the stone Serena got back at the auction in Saffron City when Ash and Serena went on their first date. Grace even saw a note reading that this was an Oval Stone which could be used to evolve Happiny(Happy) into a Chansey.

* * *

 _ **Gabena Household-Serena's Room**_

Grace and Jade were rearranging Serena's room to make room for her new doll set. After moving some stuff around, they finally made some room and placed it towards a wall near her closest.

"Our daughter has accomplished a lot since she left home," Jade said.

"I know, our little girl is growing up so fast," Grace said as she choked up a little.

Grace looked over and saw on Serena's nightstand a photo of herself, Jade, and their daughter. While both of the moms were happy for Serena, it was Grace who seemed to feel most proud. At first she was hoping to follow in her and Jade's footsteps and become a Rhyhorn Racer, but the fact she found a calling in competing in Pokémon Contests made her happy.

"I'm so glad my daughter is enjoying herself being a Pokémon Coordinator," Grace said as she picked up the picture of them, "It just makes me think about…what could've been."

Since Jade was her partner, she was the only one who knew about it. Before Grace took a profession in Rhyhorn Racing, she had thoughts as a child of wanting to be a Pokémon Coordinator. What inspired her to become a Pokémon Coordinator was her father who was a famous Pokémon Coordinator.

The truth was about Grace, she actually grew up in the Hoenn Region living in Lilycove City with her father. Every once in a while she would watch him compete in a contest.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-30 years ago**_

 _ **Lilycove City-Contest Hall**_

 _An eight-year old Grace was in the stands awaiting her father. Next to her was a cat like creature with a cream body, furry purple ears, a purple like coat around her neck, and a purple swab on her tail. It was a Delcatty, one of her father's Pokémon who was there to protect her and cheer on her trainer._

 _Then the MC made the announcement that Grace's father was now going to take the stage. Appearing on stage was a middle-aged man with black hair, white on the sides, and white streaks sticking upwards on the front of his head. He wore a black shirt with a white ruffle tie, purple shorts with a blue trench coat with white lining, black leggings and white loafers._

 _Grace's father gave a bow to the audience as he held his Pokeball. He wanted everyone to see the beauty of his Pokémon, but most importantly he wanted to impress his daughter._

" _Behold my Milotic!" Grace's father announced revealing his Milotic._

 _Milotic was a regal serpent like creature with a cream upper body, red bangs on the sides, red eyebrows that went upwards and a blue and red printed lower body which also acted as his tail, with blue and red peacock like feathers on the tip of the tail._

" _Milotic, Rain Dance!" Grace's father announced._

 _Milotic started to concentrate and moved around until it started to rain. As the rain was coming down on the stage, Grace's father spread his arms out._

" _Now, Twister!" Grace's father called out._

 _Milotic brought out a majestic Twister onto the stage which increased in size because of the effects of Rain Dance, and it also turned it into a water tornado. Then the man smiled._

" _Now ascend into the twister and use Disarming Voice followed by Life Dew!" Grace's father commanded._

 _The Tender Pokémon calmly hopped into his own water tornado and unleashed a pink soundwave with hearts that caused the tornado to explode into sparkling pink water droplets and Milotic was revealed to be engulfed in a sparkling water veil before he descended onto the ground._

 _The entire crowd roared with applause and cheer while Grace and Delcatty cheered the loudest out of all of them. Grace was so happy to have a father who not only loves her, but also amazes people and makes them happy. Grace hoped that one day she could grow up to be just like him._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Grace's father was truly an elite coordinator as he won many contests and Grand Festivals. She was hoping to take her father's footsteps when she turned thirteen. She could've done it at ago ten, but she wanted to take a few years to learn about contests.

Then when Grace was twelve, her father was starting to become miserable. It wasn't known why as her father wouldn't tell her anything about it, and also told her not to watch anymore of his performances.

Then a few months later, he disappeared, and his trophies and ribbons were gone as well. No one knew what happened to him as most people presumed him dead. Grace was heartbroken on what happened to her father as not only was he gone, but the symbols of his accomplishments were gone as well. Those weren't just awards those were her memories of her dad as well. It was like he was never even there.

Now it just hurts Grace when she thinks of her father and Pokémon contests all together. She wanted no more memory about and chose a different profession, and then down the line, she met Jade and took part in Rhyhorn Racing.

When Grace heard Serena was going to take part in Pokémon Contests, she didn't show it to her, but she felt like she was having flashbacks. However, Serena was her daughter and she had to let her daughter do what would make her happy. Jade was always there with Grace to remind her of that and that she was going to support her all the way.

Time did heal Grace's wounds as she was never against it. Deep down, she was actually happy that Serena was living a dream that she threw away. She even started to watch contests again, in fact the Celadon City Pokémon Contest was the first one she attended since her father's disappearance. Secretly Grace didn't want to say anything, but when she saw Serena on stage with Gyarados and Beedrill, she saw glimpse of her father and his Pokémon like Milotic.

Grace never told Serena about her grandfather that he was a coordinator too, but somewhere deep down, she figured one day she could tell her stories about him. Jade and Happy could see that Grace was lost in thought.

"You can't stop thinking about your dad?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, he was my greatest role model in my life. Looking at what he got his Pokémon to do and the beauty of those contests motivated me to become a Pokémon coordinator myself," Grace sighed.

"I know I never met the man, but did you really have to give up your dream because he suddenly vanished?" Jade asked.

"Jade, when he disappeared, I lost a hero and my heart breaks anytime I see a contest or go near a contest hall. But as time went by, my wounds did slowly heal, and seeing Serena taking part in contests has started to bring that love I had for contests back. Not at the level it was when I was a little girl where I wanted to be a coordinator, but at least where I can be around them again," Grace explained.

"Something tells me you've gained a new hero in your daughter," Jade kindly said.

Grace continues to look at the picture of them together.

"I just want her to be happy and pursue what her heart desires. I don't want to hold her back from being a coordinator because contests bring me too much reminders of my father," Grace said, "But in due time, I should also teach her not to have a tragedy kill her dreams, like what happened to me."

Jade then puts her hand on Grace's shoulder, and the brown hair woman looks back and sees her partner with a determined look on her face.

"Grace, I know you never got to live out being a Pokémon coordinator because of your father disappearing, but I want you to reflect on what you have done with your life since then," Jade told Grace.

Grace listens to her partner and starts to reflect on what happened since her father's disappearance. She took part in Rhyhorn Racing where she met Jade and created a great rivalry with her, they ended up getting married, and to top it all off, she would get a sperm donation from Professor Sycamore allowing her and Jade to have Serena.

All of those things made her happy, and looking back it, she doesn't regret it. She was proud to know now Serena was living her mother's real dream. Not to mention now she and Jade have another child, in the form of a Happiny.

"I don't regret anything Jade, I'm proud of the life I'm living. I have you, Happy, Rhyhorn, but most importantly, I have Serena," Grace said with tears coming from her eyes, "I don't know what I would do if she wasn't in our lives."

"Me too," Jade said.

Jade pulled Grace into a hug and Happy joined in on the hug too. The lesbians looked at Happy and smiled as he was part of the family too. Grace really did live a wonderful life, but she looks up into the sky and still wants the answer to one question.

" _I just wish to know what happened to dad,"_ Grace thought to herself.

* * *

 _ **Pallet Town-Professor Oak's Lab**_

Professor Oak was having his afternoon tea and as he looked out the window, he could see all of the Pokémon that Gary, Daisy, Leaf, Ash, and Serena sent over. Oak smiled as the one that interested him the most was Ash's Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur seem to be such a happy Pokémon as he enjoyed his nature as a Bulbasaur. Since coming to the lab, whenever Bulbasaur is in a good mood, he would try to find if there were to be any conflict between any Pokémon. Bulbasaur would play the role of peacekeeper and eventually the Pokémon would settle down and get along.

The professor was very grateful that Ash such a caring Bulbasaur that looked out for others and wasn't waiting to evolve. In fact, the fact he wouldn't evolve was the reason his last trainer abandoned him.

"That Bulbasaur is quite an interesting Pokémon you got there Ash," Oak said as he watched ahead.

Seeing Ash's Bulbasaur also makes him wipe away a bad memory. Sometimes Bulbasaur would give the professor some not so happy memories of a certain trainer. Oak wasn't grateful of the actions of this trainer, and he and Ash's father Red did not get along well. A Bulbasaur was acting the tipping point for him.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_ _-_ _ **23 years ago**_

 _ **Professor Oak's Lab**_

 _A younger Samuel Oak finished polishing the three Pokeballs containing the Kanto starters; Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Today was the day that three new trainers would begin their careers as Pokémon trainers. Professor Oak smiled as he saw the three trainers coming in._

 _One was a boy with orange spiky hair and hazel eyes. He wears a black polo shirt with blue pants and black shoes, and also wears a pedant around his neck. This was Blue Oak, Samuel's son. The next person was a boy with spiky black hair going forward and chocolate eyes. He wore a red baseball cap, a black shirt with a red jacket with white sleeves, black bracelets on his wrists, blue jeans, and white sneakers. This was Red Ketchum. Then finally was a boy with very short hair and wore a white t-shirt, black shorts, and black shoes. His name was Giovanni Ezargo and he actually came from Viridian City. However, he had a stern look on his face._

 _Professor Oak smiled at the three boys as he knew what today was. Samuel was questioning Giovanni as his expression seems more serious rather than excited._

" _Son, Red Ketchum, Giovanni Ezargo, welcome to the world of Pokémon," Professor Oak announced as he gestured towards the three Pokeballs on the pedestal, "Inside these Pokeballs is your starter Pokémon, the Pokémon that you will take as your life partner."_

 _Red was excited, Blue was looking arrogant and confident, Giovanni looked to be more observant. Professor Oak showed images of the three starter Pokémon._

" _We have the grass-type Bulbasaur, the fire-type Charmander, and the water-type Squirtle," Oak announced._

 _Red was excited to see all of those Pokémon up there. He didn't care which Pokémon he chose, if he just take the time to raise that Pokémon, they will become a great team. Blue just smirked as he saw the three Pokémon. He wanted to figure out which one would be the strongest and help him reach the top, and also would beat Red. Giovanni on the other hand looked disgusted with the Pokémon. All of them looked rather cute than powerful and he only wanted powerful Pokémon to be with him. Maybe the Charmander could be his best bet._

 _Professor Oak gave Red the chance to pick first. He didn't take time to hesitate as he picked Charmander. When Giovanni saw him choose that Charmander, that infuriated him. Since Blue knew Charmander was a fire type, he choose Squirtle since it can beat a Charmander._

" _Well Red, I got the best Pokémon dad has," Blue mockingly said as he spun the Pokeball on his finger, "You'll never beat me."_

" _I can't take your attitude Blue, just you wait, I'm going to go out there and win the Pokémon League," Red argued._

" _Not gonna happen, you're just a beginner who has no clue what they're doing," Blue said in a snarky tone._

" _Hey, you're a beginner too!" Red barked._

 _Giovanni was pretty agitated. He takes Charmander only to just play childish mind games with that Blue guy. Even though that Charmander wasn't completely powerful like the other three, he did see it as potentially the strongest of them, and it agitates him that Red would waste such a Pokémon._

 _He turned around and saw the Seed Pokémon in front of him who didn't seem to be happy but felt a little more hesitant. Professor Oak approached Giovanni._

" _Giovanni, since Charmander and Squirtle have been taken, you will be taking Bulbasaur as your starter," Oak told Giovanni giving him Bulbasaur's Pokeball._

 _Giovanni couldn't believe it he was going to be stuck with that Pokémon. How would he become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer if he wasn't given the world's greatest Pokémon?_

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

 _ **Out in the open**_

 _Giovanni wasn't faring well with having that Bulbasaur. He tried battling wild Pokémon and end up losing. Giovanni looked down and growled at Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon gave a worried look._

" _You are a weak pathetic Pokémon," Giovanni uttered._

" _Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur muttered._

" _I never wanted you, I only got you because Red and Blue took the two Pokémon that were better. So far you have proven how worthless you are," Giovanni explained._

 _Bulbasaur didn't seem to be happy with this boy. Giovanni continued to look around until he saw something that caught his interest. It was a white cat with a golden charm on his forehead, a Meowth. The Meowth was fighting a Mankey and was winning. Giovanni smirked at what he was seeing. If this Meowth was able to best a fighting type, then maybe this Pokémon would be considered powerful for his standards._

 _Giovanni just had to weaken it before he can catch it, and as he looked at Bulbasaur, he already has proven what he can do in battle. Giovanni clenched his fist as he looked ahead. How can he catch that Meowth if he has a useless Bulbasaur?_

" _That Meowth sure is a fighter," a voice said._

 _Giovanni looked to the side and saw that it was Red standing there with his arms crossed smiling. He watched the battle between Meowth and Mankey, and then Meowth delivered a Fury Swipes that knocked the Pig Monkey Pokémon out. That Pokémon looks to be a much better adversary than that Bulbasaur._

" _He is," Giovanni replied._

 _Giovanni then looked at Red and remembered he got that Charmander with him. Giovanni had an idea and it would involve the help of Red. Despite not liking him, he would be useful for this._

" _Hey Red, why don't you battle it," Giovanni suggested._

" _Huh?" Red questioned, "Why can't you?"_

" _Because Bulbasaur is not powerful enough to take on that Meowth, so I consider that you battle it," Giovanni explained._

 _Red gave a confused look to Giovanni. He didn't think that Bulbasaur was powerful enough, but why? Has he been taking his time raising his Pokémon?_

" _Bulbasaur can be strong if you take time to raise it," Red stated._

" _Don't talk about that crap, just battle the Meowth," Giovanni ordered._

 _Red just sighed and looked at Meowth. Come to think of it, that Meowth would make a great addition to his team. He might want to take his chances with it before he gets away._

" _Alright," Red replied as he got out Charmander's Pokeball, "Charmander I choose you!"_

 _Red threw his Pokeball and released his Charmander. Charmander looked onward at the Meowth that was in front of him. Meowth looked back at Charmander. So, this Pokémon was ready to fight._

" _Charmander use Flamethrower!" Red commanded._

 _Charmander opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower right at Meowth. The Scratch Cat Pokémon countered with Fury Swipes cutting through the flames. Giovanni was amazed by how strong that Meowth was slicing through that Flamethrower._

" _Now use Scratch!" Red retorted._

 _Charmander came at Meowth and surprised him with a Scratch attack which caused Meowth to lose balance. Red had the final say to that Meowth. Giovanni on the other hand smirked and pulled out a Pokeball._

" _Now finish this with Ember and Flamethrower!" Red called out._

 _Charmander opened his mouth and shot out pellets of Ember at Meowth knocking him down and then another Flamethrower which burnt Meowth to a crisp. The Scratch Cat Pokémon was burned but was still standing as he proved himself to be tough._

" _Alright Meowth, you're mine," Red said with a smirk as he pulled out a Pokeball._

 _Then to Red's surprise, another Pokeball was tossed at Meowth sucking him in. Red gasped when he saw that it was Giovanni who threw that Pokeball._

" _Giovanni!" Red exclaimed._

" _Quiet!" Giovanni yelled._

 _The only thing Red could do now was hope that Meowth would break out of that Pokeball, but that didn't happen. The ball dinged to indicate that Meowth was captured…by Giovanni._

 _Giovanni walked up to the Pokeball and proudly looked at his new Meowth. This Pokémon was truly a powerful Pokémon indeed._

" _Thank you Red for weakening that Meowth for me," said Giovanni._

" _You didn't earn that capture," Red argued._

" _Yes, I did, I threw an empty Pokeball that was mine at Meowth and it got caught," Giovanni stated._

" _It's an earned capture when you and your Pokémon work together and weaken the target," Red stated as he gasped, "Did you just use me to help you capture a Pokémon?"_

" _Yes, I did, if I used this Bulbasaur here then I would lose," Giovanni explained, "Speaking of Bulbasaur."_

 _Bulbasaur looked at Giovanni as he got out his Pokeball. Giovanni slammed the Pokeball onto the ground and stomped on it indicating that he just removed him from his team._

 _Red was absolutely mortified when he saw Giovanni do that. Bulbasaur probably wasn't shocked since Giovanni didn't like him. Giovanni then turned to Bulbasaur with a disgusted look on his face._

" _Now that I have a powerful Pokémon, you are no longer needed," Giovanni told Bulbasaur, "Get out of my sight, I don't work with weak Pokémon."_

 _Bulbasaur had a hurt look on his face. Red could only imagine what Bulbasaur is going through after Giovanni did that. While Blue has gotten on his nerves, he was starting to hate his guy. With that, Red approached Giovanni with a furious look on his face._

" _You aren't even giving Bulbasaur a chance," Red angrily told Giovanni._

" _I did and it failed me all the time," Giovanni told Red._

" _Pokémon are going to lose battles every once in a while and they will grow from those losses," Red explained._

" _This Pokémon hasn't won a battle and isn't getting stronger, so that theory is a lie!" Giovanni shouted._

" _That's because you've only been a trainer for a day!" Red yelled, "You only accepted that Meowth because you thought it was strong."_

" _It is strong, you saw it when it fought your Charmander," Giovanni told Red._

" _A great Pokémon trainer will accept that Pokémon whether they're weak or strong, and if they are weak, then we will work together to become stronger," Red explained, "Truly strong Pokémon will not be handed to you on a silver platter. You and your Pokémon have to work together as a team in order to do that, then you'll be able to reach levels you and your Pokémon didn't even know you could achieve."_

 _Giovanni thought everything Red was saying was pure garbage. All of that teamwork thing was going to make a Pokémon strong. Giovanni would never believe that._

" _That is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard," Giovanni spat, "The only reason I was stuck with that Bulbasaur is because you took the best possible Pokémon I could work with. That Bulbasaur was deemed to be the worst of the bunch."_

" _You're not helping," Red told Giovanni._

" _That Charmander would've been my Pokémon if I picked first!" Giovanni yelled, "Then you would be stuck with that worthless Bulbasaur and never win!"_

 _Red heard what Giovanni said and didn't believe it as it was a load of crap. Red then looked at Bulbasaur. Since Giovanni has cut him loose, that made him a wild Pokémon. Then Red had an idea that not only would help Bulbasaur but prove Giovanni wrong._

" _You're wrong Giovanni, and I'll prove it," Red uttered._

" _By having a battle with me?" Giovanni questioned, "Because now that I have a strong Pokémon, I can beat you."_

 _Red was only looking at Bulbasaur. He wasn't going to look at his rival, or possibly his enemy._

" _No," Red answered, "I'm going to catch this Bulbasaur and raise it myself."_

 _Red approached Bulbasaur and crouched down to his level. Red smiled as he was looking at the Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur looked at Red wondering what he was going to do._

" _Bulbasaur, I'm sorry about how Giovanni is treating you. If you want, you can come with me. Together we will prove Giovanni wrong about you," Red told Bulbasaur._

 _Bulbasaur could understand the kindness that came out of him. While he just met him, he almost looks like someone he can trust. Giovanni on the other hand looked absolutely disgusted with what Red did._

" _Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur happily said as he now smiled._

" _You're not a weak or worthless Pokémon, and together we'll be a great team," Red said as he got out a Pokeball._

 _Red tapped the Pokeball at Bulbasaur as he went in without resistance. The ball wiggled a couple of times before it dinged. Well for Red, this would make up for the Meowth that Giovanni stole from him. Red picked up the Pokeball and smiled at it._

" _Good luck Red, you'll regret it," Giovanni spat._

" _I don't regret it at all," Red spat._

 _Giovanni really hated Red. The angry boy looked back at Red as he began to walk away. He didn't want anything to do with him right now._

" _I'm going to obtain more Pokémon like this Meowth, and you will stay out of my business," Giovanni declared._

" _I don't want to get into your business at all," Red responded, "But I do feel sorry for that Meowth and whatever Pokémon come with you."_

 _Giovanni continued to walk away. As Red watched him go out in the distance, he can't help but hate this guy. He mistreated Bulbasaur and now he might be doing that with a bunch of other Pokémon. Something tells him that Giovanni is going down a dark path._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Professor Oak heard that story from Red about Giovanni and how he released Bulbasaur. That day, the professor lost a great amount of respect for him, and throughout time it only got worse.

The professor was thankful that Red took Bulbasaur into his care. Like all of Red's Pokémon, he and Bulbasaur became quite a team and eventually he would become a Venusaur. Still it hurt Professor Oak that Giovanni would throw his starter away like that.

As he watches Bulbasaur, the professor can calm himself of that horrible thing Giovanni did. Professor Oak did hear from Ash that he had no plans on evolving Bulbasaur anytime and that he would do whatever he can to make him a strong Bulbasaur.

"I can't get over what Giovanni did to Bulbasaur, or should I say Venusaur," Oak said to himself, "But I'm glad Ash got himself a Bulbasaur that he would love to take time with. He really is taking after his father."

Oak didn't notice it, but this Bulbasaur took great pride in his state as a Bulbasaur. He has no plans himself to evolve right as evolution made him think of his past trainer who let him go because he wouldn't evolve.

"Ash, your Bulbasaur is doing just fine. I can't wait to tell you about how he took his role as a peacekeeper," Oak said to himself.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-Testing Lab**_

Giovanni has been monitoring the process of the Master Ball ever since taking over the Silph Company. With Professor Namba leading the way, things have been going smoothly in the Master Ball and Mewtwo.

He has been watching his men go through a process of capturing a Lapras one-thousand times straight. Lapras has been crying through this whole process as her so called friend who saved her is now experimenting on her. Though Giovanni hated it, he had his scientists make sure the Lapras was at perfect health so that way the streak is actually thanks to hard work, not to potentially weakening Lapras.

"That's three-hundred and eighty-four times in a row," Namba said as Hector threw the ball again.

Lapras was sucked back inside and the ball wiggled two times before it broke out. Hector grimaced and the scientists slammed their fists on the table. Giovanni frowned when he saw Lapras get out. They had a good run going and now it stops at 384.

"Now we have to start over!" Namba angrily announced.

"Do we really have to?" Hector questioned.

"Yes, remember we have to capture that Lapras a thousand times in a row, not a thousand times!" Namba yelled as he calmed down, "But first we need to see if there are any kinks we can work out."

This was a small setback to the Master Ball project. Things were going good until Lapras broke out on the three-hundred and eighty-fifth attempt. Giovanni would hope this project would be finished soon as the cloning project at headquarters is reported to be sixty six percent complete.

"They better get this right," Giovanni said as he clenched his fists, "That pathetic Professor Oak will regret ever crossing paths with me, and so will his son, and especially Red."

Giovanni has had a huge vendetta against the Oaks and Ketchums as long as he remembers. The Oaks were responsible for trying to take Mew's DNA for themselves in order to use it on a wasteful research, and his mortal enemy Red Ketchum for turning that DNA into the Oaks along with his talks about how he should be become friends with Pokémon no matter what.

He still remembers the story of when he cut loose Bulbasaur because it wasn't a strong Pokémon to his liking and Red took it in so he could become his friend. Giovanni wanted to do everything in his power to show Red that his little friendship acts towards Pokémon are nothing but a waste of time.

When Mewtwo is ready to be in his possession, he has a lot of pain to give to him. Right now, he can recall that his son and his girlfriend are getting in the way of Team Rocket's business. He hopes to deal with them too.

* * *

 _ **Silph Company-President's Office**_

Ariana has been monitoring the progress on the Master Ball as well. She has not been spending much time with her husband ever since the Mewtwo project finally began the stretch run.

The truth to be told, Ariana was starting to think Giovanni would be losing interest in his wife. While they did have their time in the bed and working together, she never really got a chance to actually feel like she has been loved. The only thing Giovanni is now clearly thinking about his revenge against Professor Oak and Red Ketchum.

Not to mention that the interactions have started dipping down between them ever since their son who was supposed to take over after Giovanni passed ran away from them. Giovanni declared him dead. Ariana was aggravated with his actions as well, but somewhere deep down when she is not caught in business, she does miss him. After all, he was her son.

" _I have sided with Giovanni so I can get my revenge on certain people like he is, but he doesn't want to have time for me. Did this have anything to do with Silver?"_ Ariana thought to herself.

Ariana had revenge plans of her own as well, but at least there was some light within her unlike her boss. Despite being evil, Ariana has learned a couple is more powerful when working together and to her, it seems like they've been working separately as Giovanni only cared about getting what he wants.

This is what Ariana believes has caused a rift in their relationship.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-4 years ago**_

 _ **Team Rocket HQ**_

 _Giovanni and Ariana were inside a room with a giant test tube. Inside the test tube was what would be the clone of Mew. Giovanni considered calling it Mewtwo. After getting Mew's DNA and obtaining all the necessaries, Giovanni put the project in progress._

 _As the years went by, numerous amounts of clones have died within a week or a month. However, his scientists have finally gotten something right as this clone has been living for the past two months. Giovanni smiled when he saw the clone._

" _After so many failed attempts it seems we have finally gotten a clone that will stay stable. I say in approximately five years, this clone will come to life and prepare to do whatever I say," Giovanni said looking at the giant test tube._

 _Ariana smiled at the creation inside the test tube. Professor Namba and the other scientists say that this clone would exceed the power of the original Mew._

" _Soon we'll have our revenge against those who defy us," Ariana said._

" _Indeed," Giovanni answered, "And with the casino helping us with the profits, we'll be able to buy out the Silph Company and take advantage of those scientists."_

 _Team Rocket has heard rumors that the Silph Company was working on a special Pokeball that would capture a Pokémon with a 100% rate all the time called the Master Ball. If this Pokémon becomes so powerful that no Pokeball could contain a capture within, then Giovanni would have Team Rocket take control of the Silph Company to speed up the process._

" _Once we get close to our goals, Team Rocket will begin to seek out those who opposed us such as Professor Oak and that dreaded Red Ketchum," Giovanni stated._

 _Ariana had a curious look on her face when her husband said that._

" _What about the people who defied me?" Ariana asked._

" _Oh, we'll find them too," Giovanni stated, "But mostly the Oaks and that dreaded Red."_

 _Ariana had a look of concern on her face. Did Giovanni even think about the people who went against her? It seems as if Giovanni only cared about getting his revenge on those he hated rather than those his wife hated._

 _Ariana was worried that their son Silver would have the same mindset. She did want him to think about this organization, but she didn't want him to clearly think about himself like his father is._

* * *

 _ **1 month later**_

 _Just as the scientists expected, the Mew clone was strong enough to develop and would be completed in five years. Right now, they needed to do what they can to obtain Pokémon and earn more profits for the organization. The rocket bosses were going to launch retaliation on anyone who gets in their way._

 _While Ariana was pleased with how things were going, she wasn't feeling completely satisfied. Giovanni never consisted on doing things together to get their Pokémon stronger. They both were powerful Pokémon trainers, but never took actions to work together as they were both the leaders of this organization._

 _In fact, the only time Giovanni would ever want to be with Ariana is when he wants sex which most of the time comes when Team Rocket takes a huge step forward. Ariana was a powerful woman but didn't feel completely happy. Maybe things would change when Mewtwo was completed._

" _Miss Ariana," a voice called out._

 _Ariana looked over and saw a man with teal hair wearing a white uniform. This was one of their highest ranked executives Archer. Archer was considered the third strongest rocket behind only herself and her husband._

" _Archer," Ariana muttered._

" _You seemed to be in a down mood today," Archer said._

 _Ariana sighed. While she was evil and bent on revenge on those who were against her, she did have feelings._

" _Sometimes, I wonder if Giovanni actually loves me," Ariana said._

" _What are you talking about?" Archer questioned._

" _Well the only time we would interact is when were on these projects or in bed," Ariana answered, "And as for our son who will be our heir, all he does is making sure he is to follow what he does when he takes over."_

" _Are you saying that Giovanni might not appreciate you?" Archer asked._

" _Somewhere deep down, I wonder if I'm actually happy with him," Ariana said, "I know we had a son together, but does he actually love me."_

 _Ariana has been reflecting on her past. There were people who were against her and betrayed her, and eventually down the line she met Giovanni. Giovanni knew the pain Ariana went through and had her join forces with him. They got married and had a son and formed Team Rocket together._

 _They would gain recruits such as Proton, Petrel, Professor Namba, and of course Archer. Throughout the time she has been the boss of Team Rocket, Archer has been the one there for her the most, even more than Giovanni, her husband._

" _I know you want to achieve world domination, but you're saying it will make you happier if you do it with someone you love," Archer said._

" _That's right. Sometimes, I feel like one of these days Giovanni would throw me under like everyone else has. My family, a person who I thought was a friend," Ariana explained, "I've went through that pain which led me to this path of becoming evil."_

 _Ariana has admitted to becoming evil due to the people who went against her. It was those reasons she hasn't ever been happy in the first place._

" _You're worried about getting backstabbed aren't you?" Archer asked._

" _Consciously yes I am," Ariana answered._

 _Archer then placed his hand on Ariana's shoulder. Ariana gave a glance at Archer as he gave a reassuring look._

" _Ariana mark my words, even if your thoughts become a reality, I will never go against you," Archer told Ariana, "You have proven yourself to be a compatible leader for us and all the rockets and I respect you for that."_

 _Ariana gave out a small smile. At least one of the higher ranked executives had some appreciation for Ariana. Maybe there was someone who would never go against her._

" _Thank you Archer," Ariana replied as she regained her menacing smile._

" _My pleasure boss," Archer stated, "Now will you excuse me, I have to hear the reports from Professor Namba and the other scientists."_

" _Okay," Ariana responded._

 _As Archer walked off, Ariana called him out._

" _Archer!" Ariana called out as Archer looked at her, "If Giovanni is ever busy and you're available, maybe we can have a small coffee break together."_

 _Wait a minute, what was Ariana thinking? She was thinking of having coffee with another man who wasn't her husband._

" _Sure, not a problem," Archer responded positively._

 _With that, Archer walked off. Well this ended up being awkward, Ariana scheduled a coffee break with one of Giovanni's most trust-worthy executives. Ariana wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but it made her feel a little happy._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

That eventually escalated quickly as Ariana started to have an affair with Archer. She has felt completely insecure about her marriage at times, but the insecurities took over a bit more after Silver ran away to become a Pokémon trainer and not have any part of Team Rocket.

The truth was that Ariana felt kind of happy that she was spending time with Archer whenever he was around. One thing was for certain, if Giovanni ever found out about this, he would be guaranteed to throw her under like her so called family or her so called friend.

"Maybe I've just been going through a bad phase by having these relations with Archer," Ariana said to herself, "Maybe things will go by smoothly for us once Mewtwo is ready to fulfil our doing. Then maybe Giovanni will start to appreciate me again."

Well for Ariana, that is all she can think. Only time would tell if that would ever be the case. For right now, she had to move forward with the Master Ball and the cloning process.

But she can't ever wonder what things would be like if she really did leave Giovanni for Archer.

* * *

 _ **Team Rocket HQ**_

Jessie, James, and Meowth were sitting in their bunker sharing a bag of potato chips. Because of their accomplishments of giving Team Rocket a rebound and obtaining the ghost Pokémon, Proton for the time being has spared their lives. However, that didn't mean he was going to abandon his motives of killing them for their previous failures.

The truth was the trio was actually feeling guilty. The only reason they were able to obtain the ghost Pokémon was because Serena gave the Pokémon to them in hopes that they did something right and that Proton would spare them, and it worked. But Jessie, James, and Meowth feel like they don't deserve to be alive right now because it was actually Serena who helped them out, and they did absolutely nothing.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-2 weeks ago**_

 _Jessie, James, and Meowth were talking with Serena about everything they did and how Proton was going to kill them because of their constant screw ups. Serena looked at the sack that contained the ghost Pokémon Team Rocket needed in order to subdue Mewtwo when it awakens. Serena's expression looked pretty grim as if she were about to kill them._

" _Jessie, James, Meowth," Serena addressed as she got the trio's attention, "Do you guys want to live?"_

" _Yes, we do," all three said in union weakly._

" _Alright, I'm not happy about what I'm going to do for you, but it might help you guys," Serena said as she sat the sack down, "This sack contains ghost Pokémon your teammates caught, and I don't know what they plan to do with them."_

 _The trio saw the sack and remembered why they were here. Proton and the other rockets were out to catch ghost Pokémon to help contain Mewtwo once the project is finished._

" _If you leave me alone, I'll let you take this sack and you can take it to your teammates. Tell them you found it and take all the credit. I don't want them to know that I lent you a hand," Serena told the trio._

 _Jessie, James, and Meowth looked at the sack in disbelief. Serena was actually going to give them the ghost Pokémon Team Rocket caught._

" _Take it now and go before I change my mind," Serena ordered._

" _Alright," the trio said in union as they grabbed the sack._

 _The trio ran off with the sack and tried to find a place to hide. Before they got out of Serena's sight, Jessie looked back at Serena._

" _Twerpette…I mean…Serena…thanks," Jessie said as there was a hint of kindness._

" _You're welcome. I'm not happy about what I did, but I hope this helps you," Serena told Jessie, "No go now."_

 _Jessie took Serena's words by heart and ran off with James and Meowth. The twerpette really did them a favor back there._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

That moment back there at the Pokémon Tower helped the trio realize that despise their actions, there are good people out there and Serena jeopardize her clean record in order for them to live.

"That twerpette really did help us back there," Meowth said eating a chip.

"Tell me about it, we're alive thanks to her," James said as he got a handful of chips, "And despite being an enemy of Team Rocket, she treated us better than the other rockets."

"Yeah," Jessie said as she reflected on what happened, "You know despite the twerps getting in our way, I feel like the twerps beating the crap out of us felt better than the treatment we get here."

"You're right Jess, they're not to kill us like Proton," Meowth said, "I mean they were angry after what we did at the casino, but then they realized they knew better not to kill us."

The trio reflected on everything that has happened in their time with Team Rocket. Somehow they got titles of admins despite their number of failures, and most of the times the rockets are always torturing them and now coming to the point where they're on the brink of death by the people who are supposed to be their teammates.

They've started to realize that the people here in Team Rocket including their bosses treat them horribly. They're supposed to whip them into shape after a failure, not try to possibly beat them to death. In fact, the treatment that the trio has endured, and the kind actions of Serena made them remember one thing.

Jessie, James, and Meowth were actually good people back in their days.

"It's just we all had a rough life," James muttered as he can think of his past.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-13 years ago**_

 _ **Mansion**_

 _There was a big mansion somewhere located in the Kanto Region. A very wealthy family lives in that house. One of the family members was a little boy with lavender hair and he had a pet Growlithe who was his best friend named Growly. This was James._

 _James was playing with Growly when suddenly his parents came in. Both of his parents wore fancy clothing and had showed authority. Being wealthy can sometimes have other people look up to you._

" _James my boy, we have some news for you," James's dad told._

 _James looked over at his father. He was wondering what in the world would his father want. Judging by the looks on their faces, this was something serious._

" _Mama, papa, what is it?" James questioned._

" _We have found someone for you," James's mother answered._

 _James tilted his head in confusion. Why would he need someone for him? Then appearing into the room was a girl with red pigtails in a yellow bow wearing a pink dress. She was also holding an Oddish._

" _James, this is Jessebelle. We have arranged her to be your future wife," James's father said presenting the girl._

 _James's face started to look pale when he saw that girl. Jessebelle immediately ran up towards James knocking Growly out of the way. The red-haired girl gave a lovey dovely look at the lavender haired boy. His parents made this girl his wife!_

" _Oh James, you look so handsome," Jessebelle said in a lovey dovely tone, "I'm so happy that our parents agreed to have us live happily ever after."_

 _James was starting to freak out. This girl was creepy as hell._

* * *

 _ **1 year later**_

 _James has been losing his sanity ever since his parents presented him Jessebelle a year ago. She would be brought over once every week to socialize with James whether it came to Pokémon, fancy clothes, or living arrangements. She was a little girl and was already in the mindset of getting married which was going to happen. It was a nightmare when Jessebelle came into James's life, just imagine when they get married and are together all the time._

 _James felt like this wasn't fair. All human beings should be allowed to choose who they want to marry, but not James. His parents decided his marriage life. However, there was someone James knew that always kept his mind in check and put a smile on his face. That was his best friend Growly._

 _Then one day James was going to meet with Growly only to discover he was not there. He was always around to give James a friendly hello, so why wasn't he there?_

" _Growly, where are you?" James asked looking around, "I want to play with you before Jessebelle."_

" _Oh James!" a voice shrieked._

 _James's spine shivered when he heard that voice. Jessebelle entered the room giving James the most admirable look possible. James just couldn't stand it. She didn't love or have feelings for this girl at all._

" _Oh, hi Jessebelle," James stuttered._

" _Oh James, what do you think of my new coat?" Jessebelle lovingly asked, "It was made out of a Growlithe."_

 _James looked at the coat and it looked like it was made from the fur of a Growlithe. That had to disgust James that she was wearing something that had Growlithe's fur. Growly was going to be angry when he saw that._

" _Jessebelle, I don't know if Growly would like seeing you in that," James stuttered._

 _Jessebelle's then showed a huge smile on her face. James didn't like where this was going._

" _James, this coat was made out of Growly," Jessebelle told James._

 _James's eyes widened when he heard that. There was no way that coat was made out of a Growly._

" _You see James, since I get to marry you, your parents get the pleasure of giving me whatever I want. I always wanted a fur coat made out of the fur of a Growlithe and no one could find a Growlithe. So, I then turned to Growly and asked if he could be made into a coat," Jessebelle explained, "They said yes, now I can look beautiful in this coat all the time for you."_

 _Jessebelle was showing a happy expression while James feels like his heart was ripped out of his chest and stomped on repeatedly. Did they really do that to Growly?_

" _But, Growly was my friend," James stuttered as tears came from his eyes._

" _James, I'm the only friend you'll need in the future," Jessebelle lovingly said, "Your parents want you to be happy with me, and Growly was just some Growlithe so there was no need to have him around anymore."_

 _James almost wanted to vomit when he heard that. His parents actually let his Pokémon, no, his best friend die and favor Jessebelle over him. What kind of parents would do something like that!? Parents were supposed to let their kids be happy and teach them about making their life decisions, not make the decisions for him._

 _This was a nightmare for James. Jessebelle was already becoming creepy, but now his parents favor her needs over his. This is not what parents were supposed to do. James was not miserable._

 _They say money can't buy happiness, and with all that happened to James, it's assured that he can believe that saying to be true._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

James would immediately run away from his family and Jessebelle as killing his beloved Growly so his so-called finance can have a fur coat was the last straw.

Jessie on the other hand didn't have to deal with parents like that, because she didn't have parents at all. Jessie was actually an orphan who ended up living in a run-down orphanage.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-15 years ago**_

 _ **Orphanage**_

 _In a small town, there was a rusty looking building that was home to many children who didn't have any parents. Standing in front of the building was a little girl with red hair that was sticking back. She wore a white dress with black overalls, white socks, and black shoes. She also had a black backpack with her._

 _This girl was Jessie as she was being sent to live in this orphanage. Her parents were Pokémon researchers, and they got killed in an expedition of searching for Mew. The place looked like a dump. Then a stern looking older woman with brown hair was looking down as Jessie._

" _This will be your new home," the woman said in with authority, "Now get inside so we can assign you a bed."_

 _If losing her parents was bad enough, the hell she would go through at this orphanage would be worse. It seems as if this woman had no remorse for Jessie which made her feel a whole lot worse. Chances are she didn't have remorse for any of these children._

* * *

 _ **6 months later**_

 _The orphanage Jessie lived in was a nightmare. The bed she slept in were mostly old and lumpy, the food they were served was disgusting gruel and slop as they weren't giving anything delicious or nutritious, and not to mention every once in a while Raticate appear in their rooms when they're sleeping where on two occasions one was on Jessie's bed._

 _Did child protection services ever tend to visit these places for inspection? Jessie was miserable at this orphanage and they barely did any activities except clean up their rooms and their dinner tables. Never did they go out on a field trip or had some exciting entertainment, and obviously they never celebrated anyone's birthday._

 _Something was telling her that the orphanage people were cheapskates and it felt more like a place where kids wait to die. Jessie and the other children were not feeling well, and they barely ever talked._

" _Good morning everyone," the woman said._

 _Jessie and the other children look up and see that the woman who has been watching over them had a stern look on her face. She hasn't cared about these children at all, and now they're wondering what she was going to talk about._

" _I just want to let you know that we have to cut back as I'm going to be saving money for a trip to the Alola Region," the woman announced._

 _All of the children and Jessie had sparkles in their eyes and began to cheer. It looks like she is making a sacrifice in order for the children to have an amazing vacation._

" _Not for you kids, for myself. I just need some time away from here," the woman sternly said, "So for that the cutbacks start immediately, and don't be surprised if the electricity goes out as I'm not going to pay the bill."_

 _Then suddenly the lights went out and the room went dark. This place was bad and now it became even worse._

" _Hmph, that was quick," the woman said._

 _All of the children were scared, and Jessie just felt even more heartbroken. Does this woman even have a soul or care about these children?_

* * *

 _ **2 days later**_

 _It only took two days for Jessie to become even more miserable as she now feels like she's going to die soon. There was no electricity, the blankets were not keeping them warm much longer, and the food has become even more cheap. Jessie lost her parents six months ago, and now it feels like she could be joining them soon._

" _Mommy, daddy, I wish you came back," Jessie sniffled as she looked up into the night sky._

 _This orphanage has broken these kids spirits. Jessie was now living in complete abuse as she was told to do whatever they were told rather than take the time for them to grow up and learn about the outside world and get ready for it._

 _Jessie began to look outside more. She always wondered what could be out there. Maybe there was a better home for her, or an opportunity for her to do something in life. Whatever was out there, it was better than being here in this run-down orphanage._

" _I hate this place," Jessie muttered as she began to get out of her bed._

 _Jessie immediately snuck out with her belongings as she decided to run away. Once she was out, she took one last glance at the orphanage._

" _I'm never coming back here, my life will be a lot better," Jessie spat as she began to run off._

 _Jessie began to run far away from that place as possible. She was treated horribly there and was not happy. She would've stayed around crying near her parents tombstones all day rather than live there._

 _It was a scary moment for Jessie as she didn't have any Pokémon to protect her. Jessie had no idea what she wanted to do all she could think about was getting away from that place._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Those six months Jessie spent at the orphanage was a nightmare. She never knew what happened to those other children but didn't care as she never connected with anyone and only looked out for herself.

Then there was Meowth. It was a surprise that he could talk, but it was his past that gave him the motivation to speak human, and that didn't end well.

* * *

 _ **Flashback-7 years ago**_

 _Meowth was just a wild Pokémon who was lonely. He didn't have a family or anyone taking of him. It was just him. He always had to strive for food in any ways necessary._

 _One time he was at a summer camp looking for food because he was starving badly, and during that time he tipped over a basket of baseballs believing it was food. When they found out that he went into that basket, the coach hung him from a tree where he and the campers threw baseballs at him. Meowth knew he wasn't welcomed there._

 _His search for food in the wild never got any better as he ate some berries which turned out to be poisonous. Meowth would collapse onto the ground and lay there for a few days until he got better thanks to some rest. On the plus side, he did something in his stomach which gave him the energy to continue._

 _Then Meowth arrives in a city that was filled with people. Meowth was walking all over the city and saw that there were many delicious foods they served from roast to pizza, and even pie. This was a paradise of edibles for the young Meowth._

 _Meowth was looking around for a place he could get some food. Then as he strolled around town, he found a bakery that served delicious bread. Meowth would sneak into the bakery and get some bread for himself, but the bakers always would spot him. However, the Meowth was faster as he was able to hightail it out of there before the baker could give him a whooping._

 _As Meowth caught his breath, he happily stared at the bread like it was the greatest thing he'd ever seen. Just as he was about to take a bite, something caught his attention._

" _What in the world," Meowth said to himself._

 _Over at what appeared to be a jewelry store was another Meowth who was female. She wore a red scarf around her neck, had blue bows on the tips of her feelers and wore a gold necklace around her neck as well._

 _Meowth's eyes were filled with hearts when he saw that Meowth. She was licking herself in front of the window of the jewelry shop._

" _That Meowth is beautiful," Meowth said to himself._

 _Meowth really wanted to impress this Meowth, but would she really be into him. Meowth had a rough life out in the wild, and he wasn't sure if he would impress her. Meowth then realized that if he didn't do anything, he would regret it for the rest of his life. With that, Meowth ran up towards the fancy looking Meowth._

" _Hello there beautiful," Meowth told the female._

" _Um hello," the female replied in confusion._

" _I just have to say, are you into me?" Meowth lovingly asked._

 _The female then looked at Meowth with a small bit of disgust. Meowth then realized he blew it. He shouldn't be asking her something like that off the bat. What was he thinking?_

" _No," the female answered._

 _Meowth then hung his head down as soon as the female rejected him._

" _I'm sorry, I guess I got carried away," Meowth responded glumly, "It's because I tried to ask you out, right?"_

" _Well that, and something more important. I only prefer to get along with humans and you aren't a human," the female stated._

 _Meowth's eyes widened when he heard that. This Meowth rather be friends with humans than her own kind?_

" _You rather fall in love with a human!" Meowth cried._

" _No, that's completely disgusting. I mean I rather spend my time with humans and maybe a Pokémon who is more in the human nature could be my boyfriend," the female explained._

 _So Meowth knew what this female was talking about. She would only get along with a Pokémon in the human nature. Meowth could see where this was going as this Meowth was already living like a human wearing clothes and acting behaved._

" _Meowize!" a woman called out._

 _Meowth looked at the woman who was coming his way. She wore a fur coat, had yellow hair with a lot of jewelry, and wore plenty of lipstick. This rich looking lady must be the female Meowth's human companion. It was also learned her name was Meowize._

" _What is this pathetic filthy Meowth doing here!" the woman scolded._

 _The woman then pulled out an umbrella and started beating Meowth up with it. Meowize seemed entertained with what her master was doing to that disgusting Meowth._

" _Don't worry Meowize, this filth won't be bothering you anymore," the woman said as she pulled out a Pokeball._

 _Meowth looked at the Pokeball as it was an ordinary Pokeball but covered in small diamonds. The woman showed a crazy face at Meowth._

" _This Pokeball indicates that Meowize is mine which also allows me to tell Meowize who she can be with. You on the other hand are a filthy slob as I only allow Meowize to interact with any Pokémon who act human," the woman explained to Meowth._

 _So that's what it was. Meowth wasn't acting enough of a human. Was it the only way he could get love was to act more human?_

" _You heard her, you're nowhere near acting as a human," Meowize told Meowth as she notices that the woman is about to return, "Well, buh bye."_

 _The woman returns Meowize into her Pokeball and then gets into her limousine. Meowth was heartbroken that Meowize rejected her and that her human companion wouldn't have her be around. Meowth then saw the limousine drive away and desperately wanted to go after it._

" _Wait!" Meowth cried as he ran after the vehicle._

 _But it was too late as the limousine was out of sight. As Meowth watched the car go, he could only think of what was said to him. The only way Meowize would be into him was if he acted more human. Meowth then replaced his hurt with determination. If Meowize would only be allowed to be with a Pokémon that acted human, then Meowth was going to do just that._

* * *

 _ **1 year later**_

 _Over the past year, Meowth learned_ _the ways of acting human. For starters he started to try and walk on two legs rather than all fours. Now when he went into the restaurants to steal food, he would try getting away on two legs. However, the humans were faster and better on two legs than he was and would beat him up all the time. Meowth kept the process up for a year, and despite getting beaten up every time, he did eventually get better._

 _The other thing Meowth did was something no one would ever expect a Pokémon to do. He tried to speak human. After the beatings Meowth took from the butcher, baker, and all the other chefs in the city, Meowth would sneak into a dance class which actually is what got him to try practicing on two legs in the first place. Meowth hears the people in the dance class recite a phrase and Meowth tried to repeat it himself. As the year went by, he was actually able to say the phrase. Of course, the one word that he would have the best effort in saying was in a kids book. There was a picture of a rocket and Meowth would be able to say the word rocket with ease as that was the first word he said._

 _As the year went by, Meowth was now ready to impress Meowize yet again. There she was sitting minding her own business in front of the jewelry store. Meowth was now holding some pink flowers in his hand as he was ready to impress Meowize._

" _Hey Meowize, remember me," Meowth told Meowize._

 _Meowize looked over at Meowth as he was holding flowers in his hand while standing on two feet. What really surprised Meowize was that Meowth was speaking human._

" _It's me, the Meowth you rejected over a year ago," Meowth told Meowth._

" _It's really you?" Meowize questioned in surprise._

" _Yeah, I'm talking and I'm standing on two legs," Meowth said presenting himself, "You wanted to be with someone who acted more human, and that's what I've become."_

 _Meowize was looking at Meowth. She wondered why Meowth went through that transformation. Then after taking a close look at Meowth, Meowize said something that caught Meowth off guard._

" _So, you went from a filthy alley Meowth, to a freak," said Meowize._

 _Meowth's eyes widened in shock when he heard that. Meowize called him a freak. He did all of these things for love only to be called that._

" _You think I'm a freak!" Meowth cried._

" _Yeah, and I don't mingle with freaks," Meowize said as he turned her head and walked off._

 _Meowth's heart broke yet again, but this time to pieces. He put all of that effort in to walk on two legs and speak human only to be called a freak and get rejected once more. This female Meowth wanted nothing to do with him no matter what._

 _After that, Meowth replaced all of his love with hatred. If he was going to be considered a freak and no one wanted him, then he would never return and hope that she regretted it._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

It was a long time ago for Meowth. He never bothered looking for love or for friends. That was until he met Jessie and James.

And then their pasts allowed all three of them to meet for the first time. James's horrible arranged finance who got his Growlithe turned into a coat, Jessie's torture at the orphanage, and Meowth's broken heart is what brought them together as they ended up finding their way to Team Rocket.

While this organization has brought them torture, the only good thing about it was that this was the reason they were brought together. Now the three looked down on the ground as they finish their bag of potato chips knowing that despite their bad pasts, they all ended up leaving separate hells only for them to meet together in another.

"It must've been hard for all of us what we all dealt with," Meowth said looking at Jessie and James, "But if I haven't met you guys, I wouldn't have restored my faith in getting along with anyone."

"Just remember Meowth, you're not a freak. In fact, you're better than those people at the orphanage or James's nightmare finance," Jessie told Meowth.

"That's right," James told Meowth as he then looked at Jessie, "I never told you this Jessie, but Jessebelle looked almost like you."

Jessie's face then paled when she heard that. His so-called arranged finance looked almost like her. That had to be creepy. Then all of them gave out a little laugh when they heard that.

"It's a shame that we were decent citizens once before," Meowth said as he looked at Jessie and James, "Hey, if we ever get ourselves out of this nightmare organization, I say we start our lives all over. I mean you heard what Jessie said, the twerpette saved our butts back in Lavender Town."

Jessie and James look at Meowth and then at each other. Meowth was right, they were living good lives until these unfortunate events took place.

"You're right, maybe when I get out of here I could become a fashion model," Jessie said, "Or maybe a Pokémon Coordinator. I've been intrigued by those contests."

"Hey, maybe I could do stand-up comedy," Meowth said, "Sure that Meowth rejected me, but I refuse to let my ability to speak human go to waste."

James looked down on the ground and then back at his friends. They had plans on what they could do if they escape Team Rocket, and now with James just reflecting on his past, he now knows what he wants to do.

"I might consider becoming a Pokémon doctor," James declared, "And I do flunk out and never get the mindset, then I'll consider a Pokémon daycare."

"Really?" Jessie asked.

"Yes, and I'll learn to treat Pokémon right. Not like my parents or that horrible Jessebelle," James declared.

"Glad to hear that Jim," Meowth said with encouragement.

So, the trio had their hearts set out on what they would, do if they ever escape Team Rocket. However, the trio then realizes their reality and know that they're on thin ice and that obtaining the ghost Pokémon is what just kept them alive. It would be a miracle if they ever escaped the clutches of Team Rocket, or that horrible Proton.

Right now, they can only dream.

* * *

 _ **Fuchsia City-Claude's House**_

In a small suburban part of Fuchsia City, there was a house that could hold a normal family. Inside that house lives a man with short black hair wearing a light blue sweater, green pants, and slippers.

This was Claude, it was about three days since he was fired by Shepard from the rangers and now he's been feeling down. For the last two days, Claude has sat on his recliner with a defeated look drinking coffee. He has taken pride in looking out for Pokémon in Southeast Kanto and was terminated for hiding information on the whereabouts about a Munchlax that Shepard has been hunting down.

Claude loved Pokémon and though he never became a trainer, he wanted to take his actions to help Pokémon, and now he can't do it anymore. He has considered looking for other job opportunities where he can look out for Pokémon, but they're in other regions and Claude has spent most of his life in Kanto. He didn't want to leave the region he grew up in. It was here in Fuchsia City where he met his wife Sherri. Just like Claude, Sherri loves and cares for Pokémon just like Claude, and she has always been supportive of her husband. When Sherri heard the news that he was fired, she was devastated. All he was doing was protecting a Pokémon, but it was from his own boss.

After Claude finished his coffee, he looked out the window in despair wondering what he would do from there. Of course, there was the Safari Zone with all sort of exotic Pokémon where he could patrol there, but he likes to be out in the wild-life and the Safari Zone feels more like a tourist attraction. Claude looked at the picture containing himself, his wife, and two children. His kids are out becoming Pokémon trainers leaving him alone with his wife. He doesn't know what he could say to them.

The truth was, despite loving, his job has a ranger, he has never really been pleasant with his boss Shepard.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **Southeast Kanto-20 Years Ago**_

 _After going through the required training and meeting certifications, Claude was certified to be a ranger. Today was Claude's first day on the job and he was already in his proper attire._

 _Claude arrived at the ranger station where there were another group of new coming rangers next to him. Claude stood next to one of the new rangers who happened to have short brown hair. As Claude stood there for a few minutes, the newcomer next to him looked to his side._

" _First day?" the man asked._

" _Yeah, I'm kind of nervous," Claude answered._

" _Me too," the man responded, "By the way my name is Pedansky."_

" _Pleased to meet you, I'm Claude," Claude said introducing himself._

 _The two shook hands and smiled at each other. Pedansky was the first-person Claude would meet in his new job. However, the handshakes stopped when a nearly middle-aged man stepped out. This man wore a light brown mountaineer hat, a beige button up shirt, black pants, and shiny black shoes._

" _All recruits up front!" the man called out._

 _Everybody began to line up and stood with complete authority. The man walked back and forth looking at each ranger that was in front of him with a stern stare._

" _Welcome everyone to your first day of being a ranger, I am Shepard the head ranger which makes me your boss," Shepard said to everyone._

 _Everyone stood and looked at Shepard. He truly did have a high sense of authority over everyone._

" _Now you have met your requirements and your job is to make sure that these areas are rid of any troublemakers. You never know when a poacher comes in or an unstable Pokémon coming out to randomly kill a traveler or one of us. I've been in this business a long time and I've seen my share of rotten eggs," Shepard stated in a bit of a dark tone._

 _Claude was processing what his new boss was saying. Get rid of troublemakers. While it is true that any sort of criminal activity such as poaching, very wild Pokémon, or disruptive trainers could bring a negative effect to the area, Claude wasn't sure if it sounded like they're on offense rather than defense._

" _Now if you all don't lay on your asses and do your jobs like you're supposed to, we won't have any problems with each other or in this area," Shepard stated, "What it means is you make sure you do what you're told and not what you want!"_

 _Claude, Pedansky, and everyone else can see that Shepard means business. Claude would make sure to do the best job he can. But there was something that didn't seem right about do what you're told and not what you want._

* * *

 _ **1 week later**_

 _Claude has been on the job for a week and he's been enjoying it. He has been paired up with Pedansky for training assignments and the two have been getting along. While Claude has been getting along with everyone, it's Pedansky he has been connecting with the most. They have been doing workouts, orienting assignments, and combat training in case they do encounter a threat._

 _Right now, they were practicing at a nearby indoor shooting range where they need to hit the target and hit it fast with handguns, shotguns, and rifles. The guns would only be used in case of an extreme situation so it's not like they'll walk around shooting people and Pokémon, they're mostly for defensive purposes._

" _You're pretty good," Pedansky complemented._

" _Thanks, I really want to be ready for any potential poachers," Claude commented, "I'll do anything to make sure I can protect any Pokémon that I see in danger."_

 _Claude looked at his handgun. While he would be armed with a gun and taser, he never knows when he could be disarmed which is why he started looking around the shooting range._

" _I shouldn't always rely on a gun to get the job done. It might make the job easier, but it won't solve everything," Claude said as he looks around, "I should always check my surroundings to see if there can be an alternative or something that might make things better."_

" _That's what I'm liking about you Claude is that you always are thinking of ways to go beyond for the Pokémon's sake," Pedansky commented with a smirk._

 _Claude couldn't help but smile at Pedansky's comment. Pedansky was one guy that Claude could respect. Maybe this would be one of those guys he could hang out with and have drinks with sometimes._

 _Then coming into the room was Shepard. The two men put their guns down and gave him a salute. Shepard had his hands on his hips narrowing his eyes at the two men._

" _How have you two been doing?" Shepard questioned._

 _Shepard walked over and looked at the targets. He glared at Claude's target and could see that he has been dead on the bullseye, and when he looked at Pedansky's target, he could see that a couple of holes were off to the sides._

" _Seems like you're doing some good work rookie," Shepard responded to Claude as he then turned to Pedansky, "As for you rookie, work on your aim. I put people on a short leash who don't precisely hit their targets dead on. Because if you don't, those crumbums will get to walk around free doing whatever dark deeds they want."_

 _Claude was looking over at Shepard and wondered if he was a little hard on him. He was going to fire him for not doing well with his shooting. This was Pedansky's first week and he was still learning, and Shepard was going to cut him because of that. Claude felt a little uneasy with how Shepard handled Pedansky._

 _But then again, this was his boss and he just knew him so he shouldn't try to confront him right about now. Claude figured he should just give him time._

" _Yes sir," Pedansky uttered giving a salute._

" _Good," Shepard responded in a low tone, "Because I don't want any slackers on my turf."_

 _Shepard then turned towards Claude. Apparently the head ranger had an idea._

" _Rookie, since you've been doing so well, why don't you help improve this rookie's aim," Shepard ordered Claude._

" _Yes sir," Claude responded giving a salute._

" _That's what I want to hear," Shepard replied, "Now will you excuse me, I need to make sure everyone is doing their job."_

 _With that, Shepard held his hands behind his back and walked out of the shooting range. Pedansky and Claude looked at Shepard and realize he was tough. Pedansky was shaken by Shepard's presence._

" _Man, Shepard is tough," Pedansky muttered._

" _Yeah, guess he wants the best out of us," Claude replied._

* * *

 _ **5 years later**_

 _In the past five years, Claude has helped Pedansky in any way possible since they've been getting along. Claude even has brought Pedansky over to his house to have dinner with his wife when they weren't working. They've started as work buddies and have grown into good guy friends._

 _Now with more experience, Claude was now patrolling the area with other rangers in hopes of keeping vile beings and Pokémon out. Despite doing his job, Claude has figured that there could be more than just taking down the bad eggs. Claude has taken his oath and helped Pokémon all around Southeast Kanto such as making sure their habitats were safe, and that they had plenty food. Of course, it was against Shepard, but as long as he wasn't looking, he was good. Pedansky had some respect for him for bending the rules to help out Pokémon who were in need._

 _Then one day when Claude was doing his rounds, he found a Pidgey crying on the grass. Claude looked over at the Pidgey and then got out of his jeep and cautiously approached the Pidgey. Claude looked at Pidgey and saw that she wasn't hurt, but she was lost as her parents weren't around._

" _Hey there little one," Claude responded._

 _The Pidgey stopped crying and looked at Claude. Claude was smiling at Pidgey to show that he wasn't a bad guy. The smile didn't look forced, but meaningful._

" _Coo," Pidgey cooed._

" _Are you lost?" Claude asked kindly._

" _Coo," Pidgey responded meaning yes._

 _Just as Claude expected, this was a Pidgey separated from her parents. Since this Pidgey was a baby, it didn't look like she could fly just yet. At least not for a long duration. Claude figured that he should look for this Pidgey's parents so she could be back home. However, there was a possibility that Pidgey's home might not be in his assigned area. Claude adjusted his hat and was considering taking that chance._

" _Do you want me to help you find your parents?" Claude asked._

" _Coo," Pidgey happily responded meaning yes._

" _That's great, I'll do everything I can to help you reunite with your parents," Claude happily told the Pidgey._

 _Claude put Pidgey into his jeep and began to drive around. However, for Claude, he could only drive around in his assigned territory and there may be a possibility that Pidgey's parents might not live in his area._

 _Claude drove around his area for approximately an hour and searched everywhere, but he couldn't find anything. Just as expected, this poor Pidgey's parents didn't live around where he is. Claude wanted to do everything he could to help this poor Pidgey. He then stopped his jeep and looked around. There was a road, but it would take him out of his assigned area, and Shepard was very strict about where all of the units were. Claude didn't want to get in trouble with his boss, but his heart was telling him to help out this Pidgey. Claude couldn't help himself._

 _He decided to take the road and venture through other areas._

 _Claude was driving around for almost another two hours and suddenly Claude spotted something in the sky. It looked like bird figures searching for something._

" _I wonder," Claude said to himself as he got out his binoculars._

 _Claude looked through and saw two Pidgeots flying around the wooded area, and judging by the looks on their faces, they looked worried. Claude had a theory that these Pidgeot were Pidgey's parents._

" _I think I found your parents Pidgey," Claude told Pidgey as he got of his jeep._

 _The Pidgey was now having mixed feelings as she saw Claude hop out of his jeep. Claude went into his trunk and pulled out a flare gun. Claude figured that if he shoots a flare in the sky, he can draw the Pidgeot's attention. With that, Claude fired the flare gun and a red firework came from the sky._

 _The two Pidgeot were intrigued by that flare coming from the ground and into the air. Both of the Bird Pokémon were curious what that might have been. Was it danger, was it a trap? Whatever it was, the two Pidgeot needed to take a look for themselves._

 _Claude watched at the two Pidgeot approached him. Claude went to his jeep to pick up the Pidgey, but then everyone stopped when they heard gunfire. The two Pidgeot froze in place and Pidgey cried while Claude stood there shaking. Where did that gunfire come from?_

" _Attacking a human, I see," a voice called out._

 _Everybody looked to the side to see that it was Shepard holding a shotgun. Shepard had a vicious look on his face and directed it towards the two Pidgeot._

" _If you think you like to go out attacking humans, then you can go to hell," Shepard uttered._

" _Shepard wait, I was the one who lured the Pidgeot over here!" Claude exclaimed._

 _Shepard then gave Claude a stern look in the eye. He was impressed with his skills, but the one thing that he despises was his tendency to not follow orders at times. Claude was holding a Pidgey in his arms._

" _You see this Pidgey was separated from her parents and I was going out looking for them," Claude explained until he heard a gun click._

" _This is not your assigned area!" Shepard yelled._

" _Ranger Shepard sir, you're scaring the Pidgey!" Claude argued._

" _I don't care! You were not following orders!" Shepard yelled._

" _Listen, this Pidgey was lost and I wanted to reunite her with her parents," Claude explained turning towards the two Pidgeot, "And I believe that these are her parents."_

 _The two Pidgeot now were feeling very protective and approached Claude._

" _Attack and your dead," Shepard uttered._

" _No, he just wants his child," Claude stated as he handed Pidgey to the Pidgeot._

 _The Pidgey was crying hysterically as Claude handed him back to Pidgeot. Pidgeot took a look at the Pidgeot and was able to recognize that this was their daughter. Pidgeot took the Pidgey and waddled back to the mother Pidgeot._

 _Both Pokémon immediately flew off with Pidgey. They would've acknowledged a thank you for reuniting them with their daughter, but all gratitude was thrown out the window when Shepard confronted them. Claude almost wanted to cry a joyous moment was ruined by his boss's actions._

" _Hope your happy. That Pidgey was already completely traumatized being separated and you may traumatized it even more when you fired your gun," Claude stated._

" _Then you should've stayed at your post like you're supposed to," Shepard stated._

" _I wanted to help a Pokémon, and this was me going beyond. If we are going to protect the Pokémon, then we have to show that we're looking out for them," Claude told Shepard._

" _And the best way to do that is to follow your assignments and we won't have this problem again!" Shepard argued as he glared at Claude, "Now here is your warning. If I ever see you outside of your assigned area again and you're doing something that you were assigned by me to do, you can kiss this job goodbye."_

 _Claude wanted to argue with Shepard, but there was no point. If he were to continue this conversation, then things would get much worse. With that, Claude just got back into his jeep and drove off. As he drove, he looked up in the sky and wondered how things could've been different if Shepard haven't intervened._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Claude couldn't bear to hold that memory of him when he helped that Pidgey. All he was doing was helping a Pokémon by leaving an area to expand the search, only to be chewed out by his boss instead of receiving gratitude from him or the Pokémon. Now he has been terminated from his position for leaving an area again to check in on a Munchlax that Shepard was been going after. At least he says he would leave Munchlax alone, but he wasn't sure if he can take his word for that.

Maybe it was for the best that Claude were to be away from that toxic man. He cares more about punishing wrong doers rather than keeping everyone safe. Claude was trying to figure out his next plan of action, but he didn't want to travel somewhere he wasn't familiar with.

"Claude, sweetie," a voice said in concern.

A woman was walking into the room with her hands over her heart. She had short brown hair and hazel eyes and wore a white sweater, blue leggings, and green slippers with white socks.

"Sherri, I have no idea what I'm going to do," Claude said in distress, "All I just wanted to do was help out a Munchlax and make sure it was safe. Not only because I love Pokémon, but I want you and the kids to have someone to look up to. Now I don't where to get another job and what to do for money. I don't want to move because I grew up, you grew up here, and the kids grew up here."

Sherri listened to what her husband said. He had so many memories here in Kanto along with his family, and he doesn't want to pluck the roots or throw away what he loves to do because of his heartless boss.

"Claude, to tell you the truth, I think it was best that you were no longer part of that squad. As I've heard from your friend Pedansky, your boss Shepard seems to be a toxic man," Sherri explained kindly.

"I know, but what am I going to do," Claude said with his hands covering his face, "We haven't even told the kids yet."

"I know, there in Unova right now and there's no telling how we're going to break the news," Sherri said patting Claude on the back, "But don't give up Claude. You can find another profession with Pokémon where you can help them."

"Take your wife here, I've never become a Pokémon trainer, but I've taken a study in Pokémon medicine. In fact, I've been shadowing Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center to learn about Pokémon medicine," Sherri explained.

"Yeah, and this is coming from someone who used to be a Pokémon groomer," Claude muttered with a slight chuckle.

"It's not funny, when I accidently snip that Furfrou's ear when trimming her, my heart sank and I was shaking in fear of what I've done," Sherri explained.

Sherri made a point. She used to be a Pokémon groomer cleaning and grooming Pokémon. Then one day a Furfrou came in and Sherri was supposed to give her a trim. But Furfrou couldn't stand still and it eventually lead to freak accident where Sherri accidently snipped off a part of Furfrou's ear. Sherri was completely devasted and couldn't stand watching that Furfrou bleed.

Thankfully, Furfrou was okay and everyone understood that it was just an accident. But still, Sherri knew that this was out of her reach to help Furfrou feel better. Then when she was at the Pokémon Center with Furfrou, she was so intrigued by how Nurse Joy was able to help Furfrou both physically and emotionally. It was that freak accident that encouraged Sherri to quit grooming and study Pokémon medicine.

"Sorry about that," Claude replied.

"It's okay," Sherri responded, "The point is after that day, I wanted to do more to help a Pokémon's well-being which was what you were doing."

Claude took the words of his wife to heart. These two love Pokémon and their will to push themselves to help out a Pokémon even more made their marriage stronger. Claude and his wife were proud of what they did, even Claude was happy about helping that lost Pidgey. Claude then got up from the recliner and hugged his wife.

"I was just doing the right thing, and not only did Shepard never appreciate what I do, but I get chewed out and punished for it," Claude said as he was about to cry, "It just isn't right."

"I know it's not right," Sherri said hugging her husband back.

"I just don't know where I go from here," Claude muttered.

* * *

 _ **Fuchsia City-Airport**_

"Now arriving from Viridian City," the PA announcer announced.

It was a long flight from Lumisone City to Saffron City, only to then take another flight from there to Fuchsia City. There were two people who came off the plane. One was a man with neat shiny raven hair all styled up wearing a purple shirt, black pants, and brown loafers. Another was a woman with long blue wavy hair and wore a light blue button up blouse, black pencil skirt, black pantyhose, and black high heels. These two would wear lab coats, but they weren't as of right now.

These two people were Augustine and Sophie Sycamore. The Kalos League has just ended, and Professor Sycamore was able to schedule a flight to Kanto. They arrived in their destination of Fuchsia City as they were going to meet with Ash and Serena about Frogadier and Braixen.

As they were at the baggage claim, Professor Sycamore was able to retrieve their belongings. He looked into the bag to make sure that the valuables he had were still there, and there he found two small brown boxes.

"The boxes are still here, now to check to make sure the valuables are still in there," Sycamore said to himself.

Sometimes airport luggage can be lost or lapsed, but it never hurts to check. As Sycamore opened the boxes, he breathed in relief and smiled that what he had in there was still there. He figured that if he was going to meet with Ash and Serena, they should know about the contents of those two boxes since they have done a great job with Frogadier and Braixen.

"Here Sophie, hang on to this," Sycamore said as he gave Sophie one of the boxes.

"Alright," Sophie replied as she took the box, "Are you sure we can let them see what's in here?"

"Sophie my dear, after hearing from Professor Oak on how Ash and Serena have gotten Frogadier and Braixen to grow since they got them from us back when they were Froakie and Fennekin and still hang onto them through this dark time they're going through, they earned the right to know about the contents of these two boxes," Sycamore stated.

Ash and Serena have had a hard time reaching out to them, and Professor Oak had no luck. Professor Sycamore could only hope that their time with Froakie and Fennekin before going to Ash and Serena can help them.

* * *

 _ **Fuchsia City-Outside of the airport**_

As the two exited the airport, Sycamore and Sophie both could see something. There seemed to be a large presence of police heading towards the east side of the city. Was there some sort of criminal activity taking place?

"What do you think is going on?" Sophie questioned.

"I don't know," Sycamore answered.

As they were walking down the sidewalk, they could see a bunch of officers with assault rifles who appear to be ready for combat. Was there a dangerous crime taking place? Sycamore and Sophie don't know much about Team Rocket, but it could be them. Whatever was going on caught their attention. Sycamore pulled out his phone as looked at the map of Kanto.

"According to the map of Kanto, if Ash and Serena were coming to Fuchsia City parting from Lavender Town which meant they would be coming in on the east side," Sycamore stated as he looked ahead, "Which means whatever is going on over there might prevent them from coming in."

It was something to worry about as they were coming here for their next gym battle and contest. There must be some sort of crisis that could stop them.

* * *

 _ **5 minutes later**_

Sycamore and Sophie were at the edge of Fuchsia City as there was a huge police presence. Both of them could even see a lot of officers with handguns and assault rifles, and they almost feel like they want to bring a tank in.

"Alright, if he happens to come in here, prepare to attack," one of the police sergeants announced, "But please help those in need coming from over there."

Their eyes widened when they heard that. There was some sort of catastrophe that was about to take place out there and those poor people and Pokémon were going to be caught in the mess. Then they noticed another man next to the sergeant. This man had spiky red hair, he wore a dark blue uniform with orange lining, a black belt, black boots, and a red and black cape.

"Thank you for helping with the patrols Lance," the sergeant said while taking a bow, "It's an honor that a member of the Elite Four is going to help us."

"Not a problem, not only am I doing this for you guys, but for the Pokémon out there as well," Lance responded, "As a member of the Pokémon G-men, I will do whatever I can to help these Pokémon."

Lance had a calm expression, but he knew it was going to be rough, especially since he will most likely not be able to save every single Pokémon, but he would help the Pokémon he does see needs help not just from the danger, but for emotional support after this was over.

Professor Sycamore looked at that man and recognized him. He knew that was Lance of the Kanto Elite Four and a member of the G-men. Lance has been in Kalos a few times in his tenure as a Pokémon G-men, but he never was around when Froakie and Fennekin were around.

"That's Lance, maybe he can help us," Sycamore said.

"I think he's busy," Sophie stated.

"Well it won't hurt to ask," said Sycamore.

As Professor Sycamore was walking up to the Lance, an officer put his hand up and stopped him in his tracks. Sophie was right next to him as she stopped too.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let anyone through for safety precautions," the officer said, "I also would advise you plan to find a place to take shelter in case we have to put the city on lockdown."

"But I wanted to speak to Lance about something," Sycamore said as he introduced himself, "I'm Professor Augustine Sycamore from the Kalos Region and this is my wife Sophie."

"Pleasure to meet you," Sophie said greeting the officer kind of nervously.

"We figured that was Lance and he could help us with something," Sycamore told the officer.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Lance is busy. We have a huge crisis on hand, and the rangers out in the area are prepared to take action," the officer explained.

Sycamore and Sophie were now feeling worried once more. Something was going on out there and the police force were stepping it up.

"It's been reported that the violent Pokémon hunter Siegfried is in the Kanto Region," the officer said darkly, "He is in the southeast portion of the region and Fuchsia City is the closest to where he is."

Sycamore eyes widened with fear when he heard that while his mouth hung open as well. Sophie heard what the officer said, and she felt like she wanted to cry. They flew from Kalos to Kanto to help Frogadier and Braixen, and it looked like they now knew what the problem was.

.

.

.

.

.

Siegfried was in Kanto, and to make matters even worse, Ash and Serena were going to be caught in the middle of it.

* * *

 **Well there you have it, that explains why Frogadier and Braixen were acting so troubled all this time. They could feel that Siegfried was coming.**

 **So, here's a recap of the flashbacks**

 **Annie ran away from home to become a Pokémon trainer because she thinks her parents are taking everything away from her. In reality, the parents were actually doing their jobs as parents, and Annie was just being a complete spoiled brat and took it way too far by running away. You'll eventually know what happened to Annie soon enough.**

 **Now Grace who was a Rhyhorn Racer, she originally wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator like her father. But after her father disappeared, she couldn't bear to be around contests and took part in Rhyhorn Racing where she would meet Jade, and of course marry her and have Serena. I haven't revealed the name of Grace's father, but it will be revealed sometime in the story as there will be answers on what happened to him.**

 **Bulbasaur was Giovanni's starter and he despised him. He took advantage of Red to catch a Meowth and release Bulbasaur which may have begun the hatred of Red and Giovanni.**

 **Ariana has been getting some appreciation from Archer as Giovanni has been to focused on Team Rocket's business rather than her which may have led to the affair between her and Team Rocket's number one executive.**

 **James of course lived the wealthy life but had an arranged marriage where his so-called wife got his Growlithe made into a coat, Jessie lived in an orphanage that was cheap and particularly abusive, and Meowth found love but was rejected just like in the anime, minus Persian's gang.**

 **Claude has not been on good terms with his old boss in the time he has been around, so maybe getting fired was a blessing. And his wife Sherri is now studying to become a Pokémon doctor thanks to a frightening experience with a Furfrou.**

 **Alright, I'd figured this would be a good stopping point as I prepare to write the big arc that I've been waiting for. This is the arc I've been looking forward to writing as of right now.**

 **The Siegfried Arc.**

 **I will unveil who's Ash's and Serena's Pokémon team will be for this upcoming battle as they will not rotate Pokémon during this arc.**

 **Ash's Team will consist of: Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, Scyther, Primeape, and Krabby**

 **Serena's Team will consist of: Braixen, Kadabra, Wartortle, Pinsir, Slowpoke, and Eevee**

 **I'm still going to write this story, but I might consider not posting anything until I'm done with the whole arc in cases of not only so you can get everything and have more time to prepare for the M rated material, but if any ideas come up I can possibly rewrite and put them in. I know you've waited for two months, but you may to wait a while again before the next chapter comes in.**

 **I will tease you with the upcoming chapters as this arc will be seven chapters long.**

 **Chapter 45: Enter Siegfried**

 **Chapter 46: Shattered Hearts**

 **Chapter 47: Marks of a Traitor**

 **Chapter 48: Sanctuary Lost**

 **Chapter 49: Siegfried's Power**

 **Chapter 50: ?**

 **Chapter 51: ?**

 **I won't unveil the titles of the chapters 50 and 51 since they contain huge spoilers. There likely will be an eighth chapter, but that will serve mostly as an epilogue to this arc.**

 **I will confirm that after this arc will be Fuchsia City where finally Ash can compete for his next badge and Serena can compete for her third ribbon.**

 **Stay tuned as the encounter with Siegfried is coming up.**


End file.
